Juniper's Restaurant, Middlebury

Cuisine Type: New American, Italian, seafood, steaks
Most popular offering: Pasta dishes, chicken and veal dishes
Reservations: Recommended
Kid-friendly: Yes
Delivery / Take-out Available: Takeout only
Alcohol: Full bar
Number of Tables: 25–50
Outdoor Seating: No
Established: 2007
Parking: Parking lot
Handicap Accessible: Yes

Variety serves as the cornerstone of Juniper's Restaurant, where the chef-owners Phil and Jim sizzle steaks and sauté seafood to their customers' personal preferences. In accomplishing this, they send chicken and veal from the kitchen in francaise, picatta, saltimbocca, parmigiana, and marsala forms, among others. Fried seafood platters, scallop scampi, and seven signature pasta dishes join the roster, though Phil and Jim aren't afraid to show even more versatility. "We have something for everyone, and if you don't see it, don't be afraid to ask," they say. "We are here to make you happy."

And this notion of versatility extends to the three dining rooms as well. While semicircled turquoise booths stay rooted against the walls, other white-clothed tables can fill the space to create an intimate atmosphere amid warm lighting from wall sconces. Elsewhere, they are pushed back to strategically line a wooden dance floor that facilitates steps, dips, and turns on Friday and Saturday, when featured performers provide live entertainment.