Hen Of The Wood - Burlington

Hen of the Wood was easily one of the highlights of our time in Burlington and a five-star experience all around. I love the farm-to-table concept and emphasis on locally sourced ingredients—the menu feels thoughtful and very connected to Vermont. We sat at the chef’s table, which I highly recommend if you can get a seat. Watching the kitchen honestly felt a little like a scene out of The Bear (in the best possible way): everyone was incredibly focused and attentive, but also engaging and clearly working together as a team. It added so much to the experience and was fascinating to watch throughout dinner. For drinks, we had the One Way Ticket and kombucha, and for food we ordered the crispy zucchini, Parker House rolls, hanger steak, and halibut mezzalune pasta. Everything was excellent, but surprisingly, the appetizers may have been the stars of the show. The zucchini and rolls were perfectly portioned and seasoned and set the bar very high for the rest of the meal. That said, the mains absolutely delivered too. The hanger steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare—tender, juicy, and incredibly flavorful. The halibut mezzalune was a pleasant surprise; I wasn’t expecting the halibut to be incorporated into pasta that way, but it worked beautifully and was delicious. We unfortunately didn’t have room for dessert, although everything we saw coming out of the kitchen looked incredible. Between the locally driven menu, fantastic food and drinks, and the experience of watching the kitchen from the chef’s table, Hen of the Wood is absolutely worth a visit in Burlington. Would happily come back.