Restaurants near Orchard House

So many good choices on the Tavern menu. We went with the French Dip and a Smash burger, a sangria and a rioja. Roberto was excellent.

We were late to the Burlington, MA Eddie V.s' party, but had enjoyed dinner with friends at the Pittsburgh location a few weeks ago. Even that pleasant occasion had not prepared us for the remarkably successful visit we enjoyed two nights ago. The Burlington location was much larger than I had anticipated, and the place was almost full on a busy Friday evening at 7:00. We were greeted with friendly professionalism at the front desk and shown to a pleasant booth, nicely located on the periphery of the main dining area. We were quickly welcomed by our very attentive waitperson Andrew, and the evening commenced with well-crafted cocktails and a perusal of the extensive menu, which looked to be mostly identical with that in Pittsburgh. I know that Eddie V.'s is a "chain" restaurant, but I was pleased to note that many of the negatives usually associated with "chains" don't apply here. Service was first-class, the food excellent - lobster bisque and prime NY strip steak for me, four plump and fresh oysters and Hong Kong-styled miso and ginger-bathed "sea bass" for my wife. We also shared a delicious wedge salad, notable for its crispy, impeccable freshness and delicious bleu cheese dressing. As the evening stretched on, we were impressed by the bussing personnel and waitstaff's attention to clearing off tables that had been vacated, and their re-setting of those tables for guests yet to arrive. Pet peeve: I don't like sitting in nice restaurants surrounded by tables with dirty dishes and glassware. Not a chance here. The service brigade immediately cleared each vacant table and re-set them with new flatware sets, fresh napery, and, at each table, someone was diligently polishing the newly-set glassware. This may not be important to some diners, but to me it indicated an admirable attention to professionalism. So, Bravo, Eddie V's.! You succeeded in impressing this very picky diner and his equally hard-to-impress wife. We'll surely return. Thank you!

We always get oysters and the salmon tartare. From there we order a couple of additional dishes to share. This evening we had the redfish ceviche and it was truly next level. Chef Isaac was kind enough to speak with us about the best fishes to use in ceviche and share some helpful suggestions for preparation at home. We have just about mastered the beet salad; but, honestly, it’s always better here at Row 34 in Burlington MA. The staff are all professional and friendly. A special shout out to the shuckers!

As a frequent diner at 80 Thoreau I was a little concerned about their menu changes. Last night we tried 4 “Smalls” and 1 “Medium” from their menu. Ian helped w our choices and Andrew selected a great wine to accompany pur varied menu. Yellow fin tuna crudo, Poached lobster in bisque foam, Bay scallops w green apple and Duck consommé w duck confit. Each serving was small but delicious. Then the Medium option was divided for us. Paccheri-Beef, pancetta, fennel w Parmigiano Reggiano finished our outstanding dining experience. Bravo 80 Thoreau!

Great service and excellent food make this a must do restaurant.