The Local Flavor

Author: Joshua Carson



As it turns out, wine and cheese isn't just a party theme. Also, Carlo Rossi and American cheese are not the only two options when planning one. A recent trip to Burlington's Smokejacks Restaurant on the corner of Church and Main Streets on the Church Street Marketplace corroborated this suspicion. Smokejacks offers quality American food from local Vermont farmers, an almost overwhelming wine and cheese list and a strong bar menu in a contemporary art-deco atmosphere.

The restaurant is in a traditional brick building right on Church Street with high silver-painted ceilings, chic lights and long comfy benches along the walls. The tables are simple, yet elegant and the solid wood chairs help to bring the dining room together. Even the menus are unique. Instead of the traditional open and close, plastic laminated variant, Smokejacks presents its offerings on printed sheets fastened to the top of an aluminum clipboard-like piece of metal. While not very utilitarian when searching for a selection, they did look cool. But the truly unique part of Smokejacks is the cheese, which the restaurant describes as a well loved, yet underrepresented genre of American cuisine. Drawing largely from 14 small batch artisan cheese producers, Smokejacks offers cheese patters with one, two or three different cheeses complimented with sliced pear, apricots, nuts and thin, lightly toasted bread. Don't feel intimidated by the cheese menu, as the server is more than helpful when trying to make a selection. The Twig Farm Soft Wheel from West Cornwall, Vt. was a big hit. The cheese is made from raw cow and goat milk and has a slightly pungent smell with a creamy center. The waiter also recommended the Sweet Grass Dairy Hopeful Tomme, which was fine but did not carry the weight, potency or flavor of the Twig Farm.

And of course, you can't skip the wine. The bar offers bottles from domestic and international vineyards with enough options to satisfy the average aficionado. Expect to spend between $25 and $40 for a bottle and $6 to $8 for a glass. While the cheese substituted for our appetizer, Smokejacks also offers a sweet potato soup, fresh salads and small tuna, crab cakes and mussel apps.

Moving on to the main course, the grilled cilantro chicken quesadilla with spiced onions, Cabot cheese, black beans, cilantro cream and ranchero sauce is a good option if you are looking for something on the lighter side. The portion size was appropriate and crispy tortilla complemented the cheese, beans and chicken very well. The Misty Knoll chicken breast maintains its status a great tasting local product and also goes highly recommended. Served with mashed potatoes and stewed garlicky greens, the chicken has a great spicy skin with tender white meat beneath. While choices on the entrée menu are rather limited, the restaurant caters to all tastes and food groups by offering a vegetarian polenta, smoked Alaskan salmon and farm strip stake. The wait staff was very helpful and in a place like Smokejacks, this not something that can go ignored. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the various local cheeses and made good recommendations. Overall, the contemporary ambiance, unique offerings and attentive staff makes Smokejacks a great option and well worth the drive.