Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
All that hard work of bobbing in the pool on a lazy Sunday afternoon sure can work up an appetite. Since we heard nothing but good things about Art and Alma’s Century Inn in Burlington, we decided to see if they could satisfy our hunger.
This beautiful landmark building was built in 1908 and served as Rulhausen’s Tavern. Upon entering there stands a 35-foot long handmade oak bar dating back to 1910. We were escorted to the dining room where the ornate tin ceiling, schoolhouse-type lighting, and century-old photos on the wall transported you to a simpler time in small town mid-America. Each of the 18 tables had laminated place mats containing pages from local newspapers from days gone by.
We started off our nostalgic evening with the Mini Crab Cake Appetizer (2) for $10. These “mini” cakes were not mini by any standard, and they were chock full of crab. One was served on top of a lobster sauce and the other on top of a champagne sauce.
Art & Alma’s Century Inn
125 Main Street
Burlington 60109
(847)683-2883
www.aacenturyinn.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to Plank Road West to restaurant
Travel Time: 18 minutes
Now to Nancy’s favorite part of the evening, the salad bar. Since the beginning of the Dining Duo’s recorded history, Nancy has always declared, “I am only going to make a little salad tonight.” So she takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and so forth down the line until her plate is overflowing. History was doomed to repeat itself this evening. The result was a salad plate that would feed a third world nation. Also at the salad bar was bar cheese, crackers, and their soup of the day, which tonight was French Onion. Jim had to have the Smothered Steak ($19). It was an aged butt steak (remember them?) smothered with sautéed mushrooms, Monterey Jack cheese, and French fried onion rings. This came with a choice of one side dish, and he chose the potato pancake. The steak was cooked perfectly and served with a delicious burgundy wine sauce. When he first saw the potato pancakes he was apprehensive because they were thicker than he usually prefers. His fears were proved to be unfounded. Imagine if a potato pancake and a hash brown patty had a love child…It was delicious!
Nancy wanted the filet ($27), but she spotted the stuffed version for $4 more. You get to choose three choices from the available 13 items. She decided on roasted garlic (of course), bacon, and crab meat. It was an eight-ounce steak, sliced in half, with a crab cake, bacon, and roasted garlic in the middle. She went with the special house potatoes, which were sort of like au gratin. The filet was tender and prepared just the way she likes it. It was served with the same burgundy wine sauce as my steak.
Jim didn’t want to disappoint our readers (what a guy!) so he ordered the warm caramel apple pecan pie a la mode ($6.50). I took one forkful and it was delish. He confirmed my opinion by eating the whole thing.
The bill for our lazy, hazy, crazy day of summer was $76.50.
This restaurant proves you don’t have to travel to a big city to get a good steak, and seafood dinner. Where else can you get cheese and crackers, soup, salad, and a side dish included with an entree of this caliber? For the money, you can’t beat it.
FYI: Not handicap accessible. Reservations are not accepted, so arrive early for a Saturday seating.
Jim’s take: My steak was fabulous and the potato pancakes were awesome. The dessert was the deal of the evening. This place is a keeper.
Nancy’s take: I only had two bites of my steak because I was stuffed from the salad bar. I can’t understand why, I only took a little bit of this, and a little bit of that…
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
