SITTING AT THE BAR AT MAY DAY
If you haven't made it to Burlington's Old North End lately, May Day is a very good reason to fix that.
The ONE, as the neighborhood calls itself, just wrapped its first Taste of the ONE restaurant week to an enthusiastic reception, and it's easy to see why the area is having a moment. There's real culinary ambition happening up there, and May Day has been our personal gateway into all of it. It also happens to occupy the spot where another Burlington favorite, Butch & Babe's, used to live, so we already had fond memories of the space before our first visit.
And those vibes continue…
We generally end up at the bar (yes, there seems to be a pattern), and that's not accidental. The bartenders at May Day tend to be the kind of people who make a meal feel like a conversation. This visit was no different.
We started with drinks that set the tone immediately. The Jerry Gap (Braulio, Old Overholt Rye, honey, and lime) is the kind of cocktail that makes you want to slow down and savor it. The Braulio (an alpine amaro from northern Italy) gives it a herbal, almost medicinal backbone that the rye holds up to perfectly, with the honey and lime keeping things from getting too serious. It's a smart drink.
We paired it with a glass of the Judith Beck "Ink," a St. Laurent/Zweigelt blend from Burgenland, Austria…and May Day's wine list puts it in the "Should Be Opened Right Now" column, which is the sort of confidence we appreciate. Dark, silky, and perfect for a still-chilly night.
The kale salad was a good reminder that kale salad, done right, is worth ordering. The standout was the walnut vinaigrette…thicker, almost tahini-like in consistency, and completely addictive. Pickled apple and a pile of crispy sunchokes added crunch and brightness throughout.
The deviled eggs showed up first (seems to be another pattern of ours), and they are not the ones you remember from your aunt's potluck. Chili crisp and trout roe turn a familiar snack into something lovely you want to admire and then eat immediately.
Kale salad at May Day
Gone skating….
The crispy skate cheeks were unanimously our highlight. Skate is an underappreciated fish to begin with, and frying the cheeks (the meatiest, most flavorful part) and serving them over nori tartar sauce with cabbage slaw and lime is a clever plate. Light and rich at the same time.
Grilled carrots with arugula pesto, Greek yogurt, and sesame crunch is a vegetable dish that makes you forget you're eating vegetables. The sesame crunch (and there's a fair amount of it) gives the whole plate an almost granola-like richness that works well against the cool yogurt and bright pesto underneath.
We finished with the rigatoni with a creamy pork and beef ragu bianco, fennel pollen, and Parmigiano. Rich, deeply savory, and just different enough to be interesting…the fennel pollen gives it a subtle floral note that you might not be able to name, but you'd definitely notice if they took it out.
May Day may not be on your typical commuting route, but that's part of the reason to go. Make the trip to the Old North End…it's worth the detour.
