Restaurants in Burlington

Patrons at Gari Japanese Fusion Restaurant snag sleek metallic seats in a modern, trendy space. Beneath the undulating canopy of a black-and-white sushi bar, chefs slice and chop fresh sushi and sashimi, including specialty rolls with names such as Black Pearl, Lady in Red, and Crazy Monkey. Cooked dishes such as stir-fried noodles, teriyaki, and tempura imbue meals with sweet and tangy flavors. Fusion fare such as tuna carpaccio rounds out meals with piquant spices and insightful commentary on international affairs.

Leaning on more than 35 years of experience championing French cuisine, Sandrine's Bistro's co-owner and chef, Raymond Ost, brings the same blend of classic and contemporary flavors to Cambridge that earned him knighthood from the French government. According to the Boston Globe, Chef Ost began his culinary career at 13 with an apprenticeship in Alsace, France. Today, many of Sandrine's menu items hail from and are inspired by the region, such as traditional tarte flambées made with crispy flatbread and nutmeg-scented fromage blanc. A fireplace flickers off the zinc bar where mixologists craft specialty cocktails, pour wine, and blend liquors from an extensive bar menu. The decor is elegant, with white-draped tables popping against deep-burgundy pillars and sage walls. Chandelier light enlivens an avant-garde mirror divided into geometric shapes, and sumptuous draperies remind diners to pick their togas up from the dry cleaner.

Petit Robert Bistro channels the relaxed ambiance of an authentic French bistro where common folk can gather for comforting, affordable fare. Blackboards bearing daily specials preside over the intimate eatery where renowned chef Jacky Robert prepares a menu of homestyle French favorites. Cape Cod oysters, sautéed scallops, and Bay-caught seafood spread across plates, and meat aficionados can fix fangs into chicken dishes or the beef short-rib bourguignon or branch out to cakes fashioned from vegan quinoa. Junior foodies peruse a kids' menu laden with pintsize French favorites, including a parisian hot dog and a 5-ounce skirt steak, with all proceeds going to chef Jacky's charity committed to feeding underprivileged children in the Philippines.

Plates of Turkish cuisine sail through the warmly lit dining room of Saray Restaurant, landing on tablecloths to dispatch kebabs, seafood, and vegetarian entrees straight to palates. The cozy den of Eastern delights has scooped up oodles of accolades with its sesame-flecked pita, including a spot on Boston magazine's Best of Boston 2008 list and praise from the Boston Globe, which called the restaurant "remarkable - and totally authentic."

Hot appetizers such as feta-spangled fried-zucchini pancakes and cold starters of stuffed grape leaves prime taste buds for Mediterranean feasts. Guests tuck into char-grilled striped bass and lamb-stuffed cabbage rolls during breaks between sword fights with kebab skewers dotted with chicken meatballs, lamb, vegetables, and cabbage. At the Boston University–area storefront, a false rooftop creates a village feel, and skillets hang invitingly behind a semicircular window.

At the helm of a glass-enclosed grill, a chef grills skewers of meat, fish, and vegetables over charcoal before serving them to guests seated around him. It’s Basho Japanese Brasserie’s version of a robata restaurant experience—rustic dining that requires guests to sit around a central grill, watching the chef cook the food before he or she serves it to guests on wooden paddles. It’s a type of traditional Japanese dining that’s relatively rare in this country. And yet, what really attracts people to Basho, according to Boston.com, is something that you can get at any standard Japanese restaurant: sushi.

But that’s not a bad thing. The review in Boston.com said of Basho’s sushi: “The restaurant gives the audience what it wants. Sushi and sashimi, ever and always, take top billing. Here, they deserve it.” The signature Basho roll’s thinly sliced asparagus, mushrooms, pickles, cucumbers, lettuce, and fried snow crab peek out from a cylinder of cucumber and soy paper. The Torch Toro roll wakes up taste buds with layers of torched toro—the fatty cut of the fish—and jalapeño. Ingredients for the rolls are flown in daily from around the world.

Sibling Rivalry's chefs and brothers, David and Bob Kinkead, push their lifelong, spirited competition into the kitchen, as they spar to create individual interpretations of seasonal ingredients. The warring cooks deliver choices centered around culinary staples such as beef, with David's grilled hanger steak taunting Bob's slow-braised beef short ribs, or seafood, such as sautéed sweet Maine shrimp facing off against crispy fried squid. The menu constantly changes with ingredient availability, double-dog-dares, and one-upmanship pushing the dishes to new heights, resulting in inventive cuisine such as crispy pressed half duck with parsnip purée and dried-cherry sauce.

While diners wash down bites with sips of wine and creative cocktails, their eyes dance across a dining room filled with hues of copper, beet, and crimson. Chef's bar seating entreats diners to gaze upon the busy inner workings of the kitchen, where they can see brotherly love, culinary combat, and furious games of I'm Not Touching You.