We love Island Creek Oyster Bar, but sometimes trying to find time to get into the city can be a bit hard. Burlington is really starting to blow up on the restaurant scene – a lot of really great options.

I love a good biscuit, and next to Sweet Cheeks, ICOB makes one of my all time favorites. The buttermilk biscuit says it’s big enough to share, but trust me, you want to have one all to yourself. I may have been known from time to time to get one or two to go just so I can enjoy them at home. Just remember, if you are heating them up at home, never, never, never warm them up in the microwave…

I tried the lobster roe noodles for the first time ($34) and it was so decadent. Grilled lobster, braised short rib, oyster mushroom with impossibly thin pasta that just melts in your mouth. Top with a generous amount of pecorino cheese and you will be full before you even make it halfway through the dish.

Service has always been excellent, the ambiance is city chic, and there is plenty of parking in the attached lot.

ICOB Burlington

300 District Avenue, Burlington, MA

www.islandcreekoysterbar.com

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It wasn’t quite outdoor patio weather, but pretty cool to check out the pizza oven at Osteria Nino in Burlington. I hadn’t visited Burlington in quite some time, so it was nice to see how many new restaurants and shops have popped up. Osteria Nino is pretty convenient to get to, it’s right off the highway and just minutes away from the Burlington Mall. There’s plenty of parking available and you should stop in to Wegmans while you’re there!

Osteria Nino is a great little casual Italian restaurant that serves lunch, brunch and dinner. We headed over for an early lunch before the rush, but the bar would be a great place to meet up for drinks after work.

They have a great patio outside for when the weather gets warmer (looking forward to visiting this spring/summer). We sat in the room to the right where tons of natural light poured in the windows (a food bloggers dream).

The lunch menu features fried appetizers (calamari, mozzarella, toasted raviolis), salads, sandwiches with hand cut truffle fries, pizza and pasta. The dinner menu is fleshed out a bit more with steaks and seafood.

We wondered if the pastas were made in house. The gnocchi was served in a light tomato sauce with melted cheese over top. Certainly a stick to your ribs kind of lunch – perfect for these cold temps.

The pizzas are wood fired and have a crisp, yet still chewy crust – thin but not too thin of a crust. Service was friendly and attentive.

They have some interesting looking wine dinners set up from now until May up on their website. They also have two spaces available for private events. Head to their website to see a 3D tour of their space.

Osteria Nino

19 Third Ave., Burlington, MA

http://www.osterianino.com

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The market has a wide variety of Italian pastries to choose from.

Another favorite was the traditional tiramisu.

And their fruit tarts were exceptional! Stop in and pick up some treats for yourself!

Tuscan Kitchen

24 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA

http://www.tuscanbrands.com/Kitchen/Burlington/

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We started off with the ahi tacos ($15), Tuna Tartare with avocado and spicy citrus mayo.

Next we tried three different kinds of flatbreads: the first, a wild mushroom flatbread ($13) made with fontina cheese, caramelized onions and topped with  baby arugula.

The second flatbread was the shaved Brussel spout flatbread ($13) that came topped with smoked bacon, caramelized onions & mozzarella – a huge table favorite!

And the final pizza was the roasted tomato flatbread ($12) made with fresh mozzarella and topped with basil.

Another favorite for the table was the cheesesteak eggrolls ($12.50), served with sweet & spicy chili sauce and honey mustard.

For our main course we had the grille prime cheeseburger ($13) that came with double patties, lettuce, red onion, tomato, pickle, sloppy sauce and served with a side of frites. First of all, how cute is that mini bottle of ketchup?!?! The burger was pretty good – the bun held up throughout the whole meal and the burger itself had all the classic flavors you would want.

For dessert, the adult milkshake ($11) made with Nocello Walnut Liquer, Creme de Cacao, Chocolate Liquer and vanilla ice cream.

The coconut cream pie was also served as dessert and was quite tasty. I was pleasantly surprised at how light it was. It wasn’t as sweet as some of those “typical” coconut desserts can be (which I tend to avoid), which made this dessert that much better for me.

Disclaimer: I attended this lunch with Blog and Tweet Boston. Del Frisco’s invited us to be their guest and provided a complimentary lunch. All opinions are my own.

Del Frisco’s Grille

92 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA

http://delfriscosgrille.com/burlington

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This new restaurant focuses on regional Italian cuisine: from meats and pastas to fresh local produce. The service for the night was on point – the servers were friendly and attentive.

Billy Costa and Jenny Johnson from Dining Playbook were there to introduce owner Joe Faro. Faro opened the first location in Salem, NH in 2010 and has always wanted to open up a restaurant in Boston. The restaurant seats 543, 101 of which will be outside. The interior is spacious, covering about 14,000 square feet, and yet Faro made it feel like he invited you to his home for dinner. The restaurant has a Tuscan market at the entrance where you can purchase fresh pasta, artisan bread, fresh mozzarella and pastries made from scratch.

There is a 30 seat cafe area in the market where  guests can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a sweet treat.

The cocktail hour showcased their artisan stone hearth breads.

In addition to the bread they offered home made porchetta, fig jam, 24 month prosciutto, parmigiano reggiano, local truffle honey, housemade burrata and grilled vegetables.

We started with antipasti course, the Crostini di Granchio and the Tonno Crudo. The crostini (front) was wild caught Jonah crab on grilled ciabatta with semi roasted tomatoes and mustard seeds. The tuna came with navel orange, Calabrese peppers and crispy prosciutto and was finished off with a drizzle of olive oil.

The second second course, or primi, was two  samplings of pasta. The first was a truffled mascarpone gnocchi with wood roasted mushrooms, fava beans and shaved pecorino tartufo.

The other side of the plate had the vanneloni di vitello, which was a thin sheet of rosemary pasta stuffed with slow braised veal breast with wilted spinach and Tuscan bean mista.

For a main course I chose the filetto di manzo, a 10 oz aged wood grilled filet with caramelized garlic “riduzione” which came with a side of truffled parmigiano fingerlings, Brussel sprouts and pancetta slaw.

For dessert they offered a selection of desserts.

And of course the gelato! I especially loved the pistachio and lemon flavors!

Tuscan Kitchen

24 New England Executive Park , Burlington, MA

www.tuscanbrands.com/kitchen/

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