Phantom Gourmet: Redstone American Grill In Burlington

BURLINGTON - Revolving rotisserie chicken fire-kissed on a spit. Blazing grills perfectly charring steaks and burgers. Desserts that light up the room. Cozy fireplaces indoors and out. At Redstone American Grill, they're firing on all cylinders.

"We do a lot different things that work with wood fire. That's our big staple for us, so we utilize that as much as we can," said Executive Chef Elliot Williams.

Located at 3rd Ave in Burlington, Redstone's stunning space has a big beautiful marble bar, dim lighting and cozy seating, whether you're in the dining room or out on their all-season patio. While the friendly staff and comfortable atmosphere will certainly make you feel warm all over, the fires certainly help, according to General Manager Tessa Watts.

"We have four fireplaces going all the time, so no matter where you look in the restaurant, you're going to see some element of fire here, and you're just going to feel warmed up by that."

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Chef Elliot is always in the line of fire, working out of an open kitchen armed with wood burning grills and a state of the art spit, cranking out Redstone's signature rotisserie chicken.

"We use a whole chicken that's rubbed with a 26-blend seasoning and then we slow cook it on our rotisserie. The rotisserie we use here has three different types of heat sources. It has a flame in the middle. It has radiant heat and it also is a smoker, so again it gives you that nice wood fired flavor," he explained. "The way it's cooked slowly it really locks in the juices so it's extremely moist with that nice crispy skin."

Since it's so special, you can find it in several menu items, from the Rib and Chicken Combo served with a skillet of slaw; to the Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread topped with kettle cooked mushrooms, oven dried tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella; to the Rotisserie Chicken Chopped Salad.

"It's that rotisserie chicken pulled. It's got our corn bread croutons. It's got our apple wood smoked bacon, tomatoes, corn, and it's all tossed in our honey lime vinaigrette, which to me is one of our best dressings," said the chef.

On the wood-fired grill side of the menu you can find Chicken Wings that are charred to perfection, or the Ground Steak Burger piled with short rib, Swiss, and wood-fired onions.

The Grilled Meatloaf isn't anything like the one you grew up on. First it's baked, then it's sliced, and finally it's tossed on the grill for the added essence of fire.

"It's that extra layer of flavor," Chef Elliot said. "A traditional meatloaf, you don't get that wood fire, that char that you get when you cook it here."

For something even more indulgent, order the Wood Fired Cajun Ribeye topped with balsamic grilled onions. If you feel like sharing, there's always the Jerk Chicken Fondue.

"Our jerk chicken fondue is a marinated chicken breast that we cook on our wood fired grill. Again, it's to pick up that nice smoky flavor, to give it that rustic feel," described Elliot.

"We serve it also with granny smith apples, grapes and then sour dough croutons. And then our cheese sauce is a smoked gouda cheese sauce, and it's delicious," Tessa said. "It's served in a fondue stand with a candle, so again that fire element is brought into it."

While all of that fired up food is great, the top must-order item has to be Redstone's baked Lodge Cornbread.

"It's delicious. It's definitely one of my favorite things to eat," Chef Elliot endorsed. "You can get either a wedge or a whole. The whole cornbread is definitely the way to go, because even the next day it's phenomenal for breakfast."

"It's good before a meal or as dessert," Tessa added. "We brush it with maple butter and it's fantastic."

If you want a more traditional way to end your meal, try the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie topped with Richardson's ice cream, caramel chocolate sauce and candied pecans.

"The cookie is nice and soft and gooey. The ice cream is just starting to melt the littlest bit," Elliot described. "It's a burst of flavors in your mouth."

If the fire and the food don't have you feeling warm and fuzzy, Chef Elliot's passion for his craft certainly will.

"Everyone has always told me, 'You never work a day in your life if you do what you love.' I do what I love. Me putting food on the table and somebody smiling or enjoying themselves is all I really need."

Redstone American Grill is on 3rd Ave in Burlington, and online at redstonegrill.com.

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