Daily Planet Dining

Wednesday October 9, 2013 I along with my boyfriend of three years went to the DailyPlanet in downtown Burlington, Vermont.

 When I first heard about the Daily Planet I was a freshman in college and very interested as to what kind of food they served.  Coming from a large Greek family I am in love with food, so when I pick a restaurant to go to I want to know that it is going to be satisfying.  With this time going to the Daily Planet as being an occasion, I wanted to make sure that they would make the experience memorable.  When first walking into the Daily Planet you are greeted by a lovely hostess and a warm welcome.  As you are talking all you can smell is all the delicious food that is being cooked and that is something about this restaurant that I hope never changes.  Once you walk in you are seated in one of the many multi-decorative rooms.  We were seated a room that I have sat in before the renovations were made.  The room was filled with different plants and flowers making the overall experience feel very organic and comforting.  We got to sit in the corner which made for the meal to be romantic to say the least. 

photo taken from Google

            When going out for an occasion, drinks are always a must!  I ordered a regular mojito.  My mojito was sweet and had just the right amount of lime.  My boyfriend ordered a beer, the Sixpoint: Sweet Action to start with.  “The beer complimented the appetizers” my boyfriend stated.  With that being said and with it being his birthday I wanted him to get all that he wanted.  So along with getting complementary pieces of their fluffy rosemary bread, we ordered two appetizers.  The maura’s salad along with the corn crusted calamari.  The execution of both the dishes was to perfection.  The maura’s salad was a combination of baby greens mixed with roasted garlic, bleu cheese crumbs, sliced red grapes, toasted pecans, and dressed in balsamic vinaigrette.  At first, we weren’t sure about how the red grapes would marinate with the other ingredients, especially the dressing, but to our surprise they added some lightness and sweetness to the dish I didn’t expect.  The toasted pecans mixed with the crumbs of blue cheese created a sensational flavor in my mouth.  “When you got all of the ingredients in one bite it made all of the different flavors pop” my boyfriend commented.  There was a perfect amount of vinaigrette which made the baby greens stay fresh and not become wilted or soggy.  The salad made for a perfect compliment for the corn crusted calamari. 


 With the breading being corn crusted which means that the calamari is made with cornmeal and flour, and it being fried in canola oil rather than lard, it made for each piece to be fluffy and crunchy in every bite.  Many places tend to over batter anything they fry, but in the Daily Planet’s case that does not happen.  The ratio of batter to calamari was perfectly distributed and disabled the pieces from being greasy or dense.  The sauce that was given with the calamari was a tangy, yet sweet dipping sauce.  It sort of reminded me of a tarter sauce, but that much sweeter.  They also gave you a slice of lemon to sprinkle over the calamari pieces which certainly added an extra layer of flavor.  As we finished our appetizers in record time, our waitress brought out our main dishes of the evening.  In some senses I was stuffed, but watching her bring our enormous plates over to us brought happiness to my mind and stomach.

I got the pasta rigatoni which was pasta with a basil puree, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, parmesan & manchego, and pieces of grilled chicken.  I was expecting the basil puree to be much thicker and more like a pesto sauce, but it was more of a broth if you will.  However, the chicken was grilled perfectly and the mixture of tomatoes and arugula added some freshness to the dish.  The two different types of cheeses was a big hit in my book considering I am a sucker for any kind of cheese and mixing cheese with any kind of pasta is a win in my book.  The pasta was perfectly tender and the way the chicken marinated in with the noodles and other ingredients could be considered extraordinary.  I saved some of the rosemary bread to dip into my basil puree and I was surprised as to how the basil and rosemary created another wonderful and fulfilling flavor in my mouth.  My boyfriend ordered grilled bistro steak which came with a port wine demi sauce, fig butter, and butter milk mashed potatoes.  Thin, crispy strips of sweet potatoes topped the well-cooked steak along with a bed of sautéed carrots.  After taking a bite of the steak mixed with the mashed potatoes I was in awe.  The butter milk mashed potatoes were fluffy and when mixed in with the port wine demi it created a sweet, yet savory flavor in my mouth.  “The steak was marinated and cooked to perfection.  The mashed potatoes and sautéed provided great accents to this overall delectable entrée” my boyfriend stated.