Sometimes unexpected gems can be discovered in the suburbs. That’s just what we found out when we visited The Bancroft, a modern steakhouse that recently opened up in Burlington.
Located about 20 minutes north of Boston, the restaurant is part of The Webber Group, which owns and operates several other area restaurants, including Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton, Scarlet Oak Tavern in Hingham and The Estate at Moraine Farm in Beverly.
The gorgeous interior is bright and modern with high ceilings, steel and glass encased private rooms (including a private wine room), enormous windows to bring in natural lighting and sumptuous leather booths.
The cocktail program here is worth a mention, not just for the stiff vodka martinis that are continuously being churned out at the bar with nice added touches of blue cheese stuffed olives, but also for drinks like the signature Hub Punch. The delicious fruity concoction is made with their exclusive private select rum blend served in a clear bottle flask (which is almost two full drinks).
For starters, we loved the baked clams topped with a tangy Romesco sauce and bacon bits. The ultra rich ricotta and mushroom stuffed ravioli should not be missed finished off with crisp sage sprinkled with parmesan. There is a decent raw bar selection that includes oysters, clams and enormous shrimp cocktail as well as lobster cocktail and yellowtail Hamachi crudo.
Steaks here are the name of the game so we decided on the 16-ounce New York sirloin, which was cooked to a medium rare perfection, and the fork tender 28-day prime aged melt-in-your-mouth ribeye. Pair it up with a bottle of wine like Ray’s Station cabernet or another from the rotating food based list. All of the steaks are served a la carte so be sure to order up some side dishes for the table like the cheesy potato gratin, creamed spinach topped with a fried egg (who is counting calories?) and the addicting mushrooms sautéed in green garlic butter.
The Bancroft just might be our best find in the suburbs yet.
The Bancroft is located at 15 Third Avenue, Burlington, MA. For more information, call (781) 221-2100 or visit them online at www.the-bancroft.com.
