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.

This place is excellent. Beautiful decor and a menu that changes constantly. Don't sleep on the cheese selection!! It seems to be pretty full with reservations regularly but they take walk-ins at their bar seats. Some of the bar seats also face the kitchen for a very entertaining view. For a larger group they actually have in kitchen dining. (Chef's table) Wonderful wine selection, creative drinks and service that made us feel comfortable sitting at the bar. Among other things, I was served the best heirloom tomatoes I may have ever had. Highly recommend!!

Visiting Burlington and thought I'd check this place out based on the reviews. I'm glad I did. Thoroughly enjoyed my experience. Started off with a small cheese plate featuring the 'Willoughby' from Jasper Hill. Excellent. Subsequently opted for the halibut with Romano beans and Tomatillo sauce and a side of polenta. Also excellent. All the more entertaining because I had a seat at the chef's counter where all the action takes place.

Food was amazing. We shared the parker house rolls, and we both got the full plate hanger steak with creamed corn and a tomatillo jalapeño salsa. Steak was very tender and cooked perfectly. It also had these little leaves on it that we’ve never had before but packed such a punch and really brought the dish together. We also shared a whipped cheesecake with grilled peaches and an oat crumble for dessert. That was also really good. All of our neighbors food also looked amazing. Came here for a birthday and it was acknowledged by the hostess and waitress. There was also a happy birthday card on the table, and our dessert came out with a candle. Great touches.

Some of the best food we’ve had in New England and traveled here from Boston. We were in town the following weekend for a comedy show and had to stop by by again. Chef Nick is someone to look out for - he rocks! Everything is amazing.