If you’re a foodie who loves traditional Italian fare prepared to perfection, you’ll want to pay a visit to Tuscan Kitchen and Tuscan Market in Burlington. The new restaurant, café, and market focus on regional Italian cuisine. It is the second restaurant opened by Joe Faro (the first Tuscan Kitchen opened in New Hampshire in 2010), who has more than 25 years of experience in the food industry. Faro wanted to combine the freshest ingredients with Old World cooking methods to create a truly incredible culinary experience.
Hand-made pastas, freshly baked artisan breads, and homemade gelato are prepared fresh daily. The chefs use imported pasta machines, a meat rotisserie, and wood-fired ovens to create their “scratch” dishes. Signature dishes include cannelloni di vitello, thin sheets of rosemary pasta stuffed with slow braised veal breast served with a Tuscan bean mista and spinach; truffled mascarpone gnocchi with wood roasted mushrooms, fava beans, and shaved pecorino; and pan roasted cod steak encrusted with herb leak butter served with rock shrimp and sweet pea saffron risotto.
The space’s decedent Italian food hall—the Market—is filled with tantalizing aromas of homemade pizza and panini and various house-made items for sale, including artisan breads, fresh pasta, fresh mozzarella, and delicate Italian pastries made from scratch in the open kitchen. Italian cheeses and cured meats are also on hand. Tuscan Market Café, a 30-seat area, serves coffee, espresso, and a bite to eat. For something sweet, an authentic homemade gelato machine imported from Italy offers 24 creamy gelato flavors.
Faro’s welcoming personality and attentive staff makes you feel like you are part of the large Italian family. With everything made to order and from scratch, your dining experience will be one you won’t soon forget.