The Starry Night Cafe

This past Saturday was my 44th birthday (I know—hard to believe!).  On Friday, my sister-in-law, Jen,  took the kids over night and we set out with John and Lesanne (Jim's brother and wife) for a delicious, multi-course dinner in Ferrisburg, VT at the Starry Night Cafe.   It was my first time there and I was not disappointed!

The menu, right down to the cocktails, was varied and filled with interesting and unusual touches.  For example, I started with a cocktail of tequila, cilantro, pear nectar and lime (or what I call a "fancy Marguerita"). It was refreshing and not to sweet. Our apps included some cornmeal-crusted calamari with a coconut curry dip (say that 10 times fast), a squash/pear bisque, and lobster in phyllo with a delicate cream sauce and sprout salad—all of which were quite good.  I also had a quinoa salad that was subtly sweet with crunchy apples, pomegranate, and baby greens.  It had really nice contrasting textures for a wonderful mouth-feel and was dressed perfectly.


Jim and I had a angolotti (which is the new hip way to say ravioli) stuffed with lamb in a spicy sauce, which I thought was good, but Jim did not care for.  We also shared a plate of pork shank with mashed potatoes, green, cranberry chutney, and parsnip chips.  The pork tasted to me a lot like Char Siu, that yummy Chinese roasted pork with five spice/anise flavors.  A nice combination.  For dessert were pumpkin profiterols, which were great idea but a little too loaded with nutmeg for my tastes.


The greater Burlington area has no shortage of wonderful restaurants with interesting menus, flawless presentation, and excellent service.  The Starry Night Cafe is now in my top three.  We will definitely go back again.  If you out-of-towners ever get to VT, we'll take you there.