Madison, WI dining

[liamdc]

I'm headed to Madison next week for Monday, Tuesday. I'm going to be staying west, Middleton, I think? Just trying to figure out a good plan of action for eating. Probably going to be able to do two nights of dinner and lunch on one or two days.

So L'etoile and/or Harvest and/or Cocoliquot seem to be the happening places. I saw some people going on and on about Lombardino's, is it still the goods? I'm pretty demanding, but I don't have to go to upscale. I'm not much interested in Tex-Mex (coming in from San Antonio). Anyone have any other options for myself and Michael M?

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Since you'll be in Middleton--and I assume you'll have access to a car--I would start with a meal at Eno Vino. I haven't been to Lombardino's so I can't comment, but it certainly appears to be a local favorite. Sardine is another new restaurant that just opened, just off downtown. A bistro, it is run by the owners of Marigold Kitchen, an excellent breakfast-lunch spot just off of Capitol Square.

[ladydisdain]

If you've not been to Greenbush for pizza, that's an absolute MUST-- yes, I know there is other pizza in the world, but this is worth the trip.

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Okay, I gotta ask - what makes this pizza so special? What kind of pizza is it? Thin? Thick? Round? Square? Sweeter sauce? Bitter sauce? White? Description please!

[sara]

Hi

It's a thin crust, round. I don't know what they're doing differently at this place, maybe it's the quality of the toppings (try prosciutto/goat cheese/tomato for example), the lower cheese/sauce ratio, the tasty slightly spicy sauce--I always mean to ask but am too busy eating and forget. Everyone we've brought there's fallen in love as well. It's always packed, always consistently delicious.

Sara

[maxwellh]

After looking at menus, and considering whom I'll be with, I really feel like Harvest sounds great. I think I'm going to try to get in there on Tuesday night. Monday will probably be more laid back. Is there anywhere like a great brew-pub or something a little more comfort oriented--best burgers in town, coldest beers, whatever? It could be a pizza, burger, bistro, pub, fishhouse whatever...

[sara]

Yes... Greenbush bar for pizza; Dotty's Dumplin Dowry for burgers; Avenue Bar for fish fry.

[Michael M]

For the past 15 years, my partner and I trek up to Mad City in the middle of the summer to enjoy the amazing Farmer's Market, bike miles around endless numbers of lakes and lake-ettes and drink cold beers on the Union Terrace. We're only there in the summer, but everyone's friendly, the vibe is relaxed, there's a granola/progressive presence there and an assortment of foodstuffs that rivals Chicago in some ways, falls short in others.

We often end up going to the same places every year, vowing to try new ones, but never quite finding time. Places like Bandung (Indonesian), Lao Laan Xang (Laotian), Chataura and Himal Chuli (Nepali) all provide great, inexpensive and well-made meals, with Lao Laan Xang standing out to us as a few notches above others.

So we made reservations at our favorite restaurant, L'Etoile, for the final night, and a restaurant we've enjoyed, Harvest, for the penultimate night just in case, but otherwise tried to pry ourselves away from our usual haunts.

We arrived Thursday and went to the new Cocoliquot for dinner, whose menu we liked as it had a nice selection of smaller plates and "selections" of snacks for two, as well as a full menu. The wine list also appealed to us, with a significant number of wines by the glass, carafes and half bottles. The space is modern and attractive, the server we had was nice, the rest was just fine, but we will hesitate to return.

Keep in mind, we're looking at all the city has to offer, and then paring it down to 3-4 days worth of meals. If we lived there, we'd certainly return. But here's why.

First, we had 2 salads that we both loved. Often salads are small and uninteresting, but we were served a nice softball-sized mound of tasty mixed greens nicely dressed and a salad of mixed, blanched summer vegetables (favas, green beans, carrots, etc.) with a bacon/fresh tomato dressing. Too much going on in the last one, but both were truly well-made salads.

We had a "selection" (they call them this, small plates for 2) of house-made charcuterie, a concept that excited us in the anticipation, but underwhelmed us with flat flavors in the tasting. So fared the grilled mixed seafood that started with a nicely done humongous scallop, but fell out of favor with the overcooked shrimp.

The wine list represents a French-influenced selection of bottles that would retail $10-20, and with an appropriate mark-up, and the server was good about offering to let us taste before we ordered. He explained that the owner changes the wine list almost weekly, and that the staff do not get to try them. Their selection mimics some of the other wine lists in town, and there must be an influential distributor in the area. Each year we're there, we'll find more than a handful of the same bottles offered at Barriques (more on that later), Harvest, Magnus and others. One night, we had a particular Riesling at restaurant #1, then saw it featured by the glass at restaurant #2, then had it recommended to us when we went to one of the Barriques. I know Barriques supplies Magnus with wines, so perhaps there are other relationships between wine sellers in this city of beer drinkers!

Nevertheless, Cocoliquot was pleasant, but we felt the money would be better spent elsewhere unless we wanted a very light meal at the (attractive) bar. The owner also makes chocolates for sale at the restaurant, though we didn't indulge.

Last year Piper Odessa sold L'Etoile to her chef de cuisine, Tori Miller, and his sister. One of the changes made was in the first floor bakery/cafe (open during breakfast/lunch hours): they opened up the space so you wouldn't have to stand in an awkward line to get in or out, and they hired more people for Saturday mornings when the line for their croissants is almost as long as the line snaking around the farmer's market. Oh, and it's renamed Cafe Soleil. Sun in the a.m., stars in the p.m.; cute.

We breakfasted here two of our three mornings, and would have the third if it were open Sundays. There just aren't many bakeries even in Chicago that bother to make croissants and puff-pastry-based items at the level they do. Their plain croissants are the correct size, crisp on the outside, all soft hollowness on the inside, and they use a good butter. Chocolate filled ones: outstanding. Puff pastry pinwheels with cinnamon sugar - superb. OK, their espresso drinks are not great, and they offer a number of other filled laminated dough items (ham and chevre, almond paste) that we've not tried, but it's a class act. Even their hickory nut shortbread (lightly salted on top) were a revelation.

We tried Roman Candle Pizza for lunch. It's a new place on Williamson St. (Willy St.). Thin, NY style pizza. We split a surprisingly nice spinach salad, surprising in that it was really good spinach, and had a slice each. "Just like New York pizza, but without the grease," said my east coast partner. We both thought it fine, though perhaps a bit unspectacular.

We thought we'd check out Magnus Restaurant by having some wine and food at their bar, before our dinner reservations at Harvest. I'd been impressed with the wine list on their website, their South American menu, and the stated reliance on organic beef and produce. I should have listened to Sara's recommendation (Sara being one of the eGullet Madisonites, and someone to go to for local recommendations; also Ian and Avocado post regularly here).

We were vaguely nodded over to the hostess stand when we asked the nearest waitress where the bar was. The hostess was on the phone, and ignored us for the 5-10 seconds it took for us to locate the bar, and the bartender, well, we always try to warm up cold and bad-mood-inflicted servers, and for this bartender, we only mildly succeeded. Turns out their wine list isn't accurate, and there really wasn't much there we were interested in. The appetizers were fine, but nothing spectacular. This is a place rated as one of Madison's favorite almost every year by The Isthmus Dining Guide, and I just don't get it. It would be worth a second chance if we lived there, but we won't bother returning.

I will put in a quick but careful plug for the Isthmus; the Dining Guide "Madison Favorites" is a good place to check things out in the city, but we've often been underwhelmed by some of the selections.

So on we went to Harvest restaurant, which we've always liked, but always with a lack of vigor in our praise. A decent (but imitated) wine list, a small menu focused on local ingredients, nice service, a nice space. But it comes down to the food, and each time we leave thinking it was...pleasant. The prices at Cocoliquot and Harvest are nearly the same as L'Etoile, but the food at the latter is just so much better. I think we've decided to skip Harvest for a year, enjoy L'Etoile, and save money by eating at the smaller ethnic selections.

I'm sitting here trying to remember what we had there, and the fact that I can't speaks volumes.

I should add that in between all of these, we attempted a number of other new places, and bombed with some of them. Tubb's Taco Palace, recommended for fish tacos, only open for dinner. Francois Bakery, closed for remodelling. Greenbush Bar, recommended for pizza and a "decent wine selection" (by someone at Barriques), also only open for dinner. Greenbush Bakery, unrelated, was open. Very good donuts. Though not the best I've ever had, and I shied away from the neon red "cherry" filled ones, the pumpkin cake and bavarian cream filled were steps above chain store selections.

We did hit Marigold Kitchen for breakfast, at least for its proximity to our hotel, its clean, bright space and ability to nosh outside. We've eaten here before. Everything here is fine the counter service is always very friendly. Their fried potatoes I think aren't good, soft, over oiled, feeling like they are leftover, but that's a problem I have with a lot of breakfast places.

We finally tried Lazy Jane's for breakfast, and were really impressed by the cinnamon rolls. I'm not easily impressed by pastries, but these were well made. Our omelettes were nice, and the hash was better than that at Marigold's.

The owner is from the much-mourned State St. breakfast and lunch haven, Ovens of Brittany, but this spot is a casual, cook-yells-your-name-when-it's done kind of place. We'll definitely return.

Speaking of breakfast, we're also coffee afficianados, and so far the best we can find is at Ancora Coffee Roasters and Fair Trade Coffeehouse. The former roast their own, and always have good espresso drinks and friendly service. This is not at the level of Milwaukee's Alterra Coffee Roasters or Chicago's Intelligentsia in terms of sourcing/roasting/blending/preparing, but it's the best we've found in the downtown area so far. Fair Trade Coffeehouse is a relatively new place along the coffee-shop littered State St., but one that is clean and neat, running a bit counter to the university vibe of the others, and whose coffee we've only had twice, but enjoyed.

The downtown farmer's market Saturdays is a morning in itself. There is no market like this in Chicago, in terms of its size (gigantic) and what it offers (produce, yes, but honeys, maple syrups, various meats, smoked fish, specialist nurseries, sheep's wool, pastries, breads, cheeses...). You would not need to go to the grocers except for milk and dry goods. It's worth the trip; in fact, it's the reason we started going to Madison.

Finally, L'Etoile Restaurant remains one of the better restaurants we've been to. It's more than a few notches above any of the other fine restaurants I've been to in Madison, and only has Sanford's in Milwaukee as an equivalent in SE Wisconsin that I know of.

Their beet salad perfectly contrasted sweet, tender beets with crunchy, thick bacon and tangy goat cheese. The zucchini blossom was a bit overwhelmed by its chevre filling, but was still tasty. The snapper was excellent, and the scallops fantastic, though the pasta they were on was texturally dull. We shared the homemade donuts with lemon curd and berry "dipping sauces", which were fun, though nothing special. The molted chocolate dessert was, however. Their wine list is spectacular, lots of small, interesting producers, and all the servers are articulate and well-informed. Their space, though updated a bit recently, still needs a major facelift in my opinion, but we leave there feeling like we've had something special.

We've also enjoyed a late afternoon visit to the Barriques location on Regent St. A wine shop with a bar, they have a nice selection by the glass ($4-8), and are willing to open fresh bottles when necessary. They offer a good selection of under-$10 bottles, and have tastings for a small fee on weekends. Their food selection isn't stellar, which always seems odd to me for a wine bar, but so much wine nowadays is meant to be drunk as a cocktail, I suppose. Their Fitchburg and Middleton locations are larger, and offer more foodstuffs.

I hope someone finds this useful; it's a great city.

Fair Trade Coffeehouse

418 State St.

Ancora Coffee

112 King St.

(multiple locations, but this is downtown)

Marigold Kitchen

118 S. Pinckney St.

Lazy Jane's Cafe

1358 Williamson St.

Francois Bakery and Cafe

4429 Milwaukee St.

Greenbush Bar

1305 Regent St.

Greenbush Bakery

914 Regent St.

Bandung

600 Williamson St.

Lao Laan Xang

1146 Williamson St.

Chautara

334 State St.

Himal Chuli

318 State St.

[Jean Blanchard]

Thanks so much for posting this. About 4 years ago, I went to their farmers market and was really impressed. Here in Naperville, we have a nice farmers market but nothing compared to Madison. You've inspired me to go back. Many years ago, I read about L'Etoile and I'd really like to experience their food. I guess I'll have to plan a weekend in August while the fruits and vegetables are still plentiful. Did you stay in one of the B and B's or is there a hotel that is convenient?

[Michael M]

Did you stay in one of the B and B's or is there a hotel that is convenient?

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We stayed at the Monona Terrace Hilton, a hotel that overlooks Lake Monona and is 2 blocks from the capitol. There are 3 other hotels nearby that I know of, and a B & B with the word "manor" in it, I think.

[Reefpimp]

One of my first jobs was selling corn out of the back of a pickup truck for the Madison Farmer's market. I :heart: that thing!

[sara]

Sorry to hear about Magnus... Greenbush's pizza far outshines Roman Candle's. We like RC but ever since discovering G never been back.

I've personally had too many very mediocre meals at L'Etoile--since Tori's arrival--to care to return. Harvest is generally very good, for Madison--though once or twice some dishes were forgettable. But certainly, to each his/her own on that debate.

I'll add one more to the mix for visitors--Ella's Deli. A true Jewish deli,done the old-style way, very true to form. We had an excellent meal this evening--perfect, non-greasy onion rings, real root beer, sweet borscht, enormous juicy pickles, lean and tender reubens, a very good roast beef & horseradish sandwich and creative custard sundaes (minus the non-kosher maraschino cherries of course!) --and all in the midst of a fabulous display of antique toys, trains and a carousel. Open for lunch and dinner.

[liamdc]

Sara's husband here ... thanks for your report, Michael. I'm glad you found some of our suggestions helpful and happy you enjoyed a pleasant visit.

We haven't been back to L'Etoile in over a year, although I used to eat in Cafe Soleil all the time when I worked downtown until about a month ago. In addition to the pastries, the trout salad sandwich is one of my favorite items on the menu. The "magic coffee" is also a summer staple. Your report makes me want to give l'Etoile itself another try and see if Tory has hit his stride, so to speak.

There is no Barriques on Regent, but there are two in Madison. Did you visit the Barriques location on Monroe Street on the relatively new one near the Capitol on West Washington Ave? The new location appears to have more of a food and coffee focus, while the one on Monroe is more of a traditional wine bar and shop.

For the benefit of others reading this thread, here is another on Madison that may be helpful.

[ronnie_suburban]

For the benefit of others reading this thread, here is another on Madison that may be helpful.

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Thanks, Liam, for the link to that existing thread. I was considering merging this thread into that one but since Michael wrote about visiting places that were new to him, I thought it was best to keep them separate.

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[Michael M]

There is no Barriques on Regent, but there are two in Madison. Did you visit the Barriques location on Monroe Street on the relatively new one near the Capitol on West Washington Ave? The new location appears to have more of a food and coffee focus, while the one on Monroe is more of a traditional wine bar and shop.

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Did I say Regent? Yes, I meant Monroe, thanks. They're actually about to expand that location to include more tables, and bring in the more extensive food selection like their locations in Fitchburg and Middleton.

[eje]

Returned to town for a couple hours and managed to eat at Lombardino's and The Old-Fashioned.

I was excited about both of these for very different, but, similarly nostalgic reasons.

I grew up in the Madison area and Lombardino's was one of my favorite places to go. My sister and I loved the Wishing well, barking dog, and fountain. The pizzas were good and when I got older I discovered the drinks were stiff.

I guess the restaurant fell on hard times for a while; but, now a couple have purchased it, remodeled, and are serving something like authentic Italian food.

Unfortunately, I think they fail at this.

Instead of sticking to what I consider Italian or even Italian American recipes, they are embellishing the preparations with American comfort food ingredients and flavors. I love the combination of broccoli raab and orecchiette. Normally, this is a wonderful spicy light dish highlighting the vegetable. Here it was served in something similar to an Alfredo sauce and the taste of the broccoli was completely lost. I had a wonderfully cooked beef dish; but, how to explain the honey mustard sauce it was served with?

The Old-Fashioned is another interesting experiment. An attempt to create high end dining with a menu similar to a traditional Wisconsin Supper Club. I really liked the appetizer assortments served on Lazy Susans and the cocktails. My wife loved her lake perch fish fry. However, my trout was over cooked and the fresh herbs with which it was seasoned were too strongly flavored for the delicate fish.

I would return to the Old-Fashioned and stick with appetizers, cocktails, beer and safe menu choices. Despite a very well prepared Negroni cocktail, I doubt I would return to Lombardino's.

Edited August 1, 2006 by eje (log)

[sara]

We don't have any foodie friends who recommend Lombardino's--the only friends and colleagues who do are those who hardly ever eat out/travel. I think the place is more for the nostalgic than much else, thanks for confirming that and saving us from a poor meal.

[liamdc]

This week's edition of the local weekly, The Isthmus, offers a glowing review of Sardine, the new bistro from the owners of Marigold Kitchen.

Sara and I have not been as of yet, but I'm sure we'll get there soon.

[liamdc]

The Capital Times this week also offered up a nice story about The Chocolate Shoppe, a local ice cream establishment.

The Vanilla Bean (made with vanilla from Madagascar) won one of the two blue ribbons awarded for vanilla ice creams at the most recent National Ice Cream and Yogurt Retailers Association contest. The Chocolate Shoppe's strawberry ice cream won a blue in 2001, and its Zanzibar chocolate ice cream was one of three ribbon winners in the "new flavor" category in 2005.

[ronnie_suburban]

From the article linked above by liamdc:

Dave and Chuck Jr. will have each put in 16 hours before the day ends, selling hundreds of scoops of ice cream, after supervising the factory production and distribution of it. Parents Chuck and Nancy are working the downtown booth, too.

Their product, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, comes in 110 flavors, although no location sells more than 50 kinds at once. It all is made in one ice cream plant, 2221 Daniels St., then ends up in coffeehouses to sandwich shops in seven states.

This enterprise is a hands-on family business, has been around since 1962 and has survived all sorts of tests.

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[Alex]

Ms. Alex is finishing up a four-nights' stay in Madison and has appreciated all the information on this thread. She opted for dinners at Magnus (she was there two years ago), Essen Haus, Harvest, and Cocoliquot. I also heard her ears perk up when I told her about Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, so she might head over there tomorrow. I'll see if she's willing to dictate a report after she gets back home.

[liz_c]

Did anyone from the forum make it to the Decade dinner at L'Etoile? We were seated in the back with the 11 month old (the reason I don't have time to post on forums anymore ). She loved the foie!

Very relaxed night and wonderful, wonderful food. Here's the menu - the wine pairings were excellent, but I forgot to bring those notes with me to work.

First Course:

Baked Fantome Farm Chevre in Herb Infused Olive Oil, with Black Olive Tapenade, Pickled Mushrooms, Oil-Roasted Garlic and Crostini

Second Course:

Seared Foie Gras on Lavendar Biscotti with Blackberry Gastrique

Third Course:

Lightly Smoked Artesian Farm Rainbow Trout 'en Papillote' Baked in Parchment with Shiitake Mushrooms, Haricots Vert and Hickory Nut Compound Butter

Fourth Course:

Fountain Prairie Farm Highland Beef on Heirloom Tomatoes with Haystack Potatoes, Béarnaise Sauce and Worcestershire Jus

Fifth Course:

Salad of Creekside Greens with Pleasant Ridge Reserve in Creamy Basil Vinaigrette

Dessert Course:

Molten Chocolate Vesuvius with Framboise Truffle, Caramel-Sea Salt Crème Anglaise, and Raspberry Coulis

Liz

[liamdc]

This week's edition of the local weekly, The Isthmus, offers a glowing review of Sardine, the new bistro from the owners of Marigold Kitchen.

Sara and I have not been as of yet, but I'm sure we'll get there soon.

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I still haven't gotten to Sardine, but the local weekly included yet another story about it. The article also offers some thoughts about why Madison has few top-notch restaurants.

[slbunge]

This week's edition of the local weekly, The Isthmus, offers a glowing review of Sardine, the new bistro from the owners of Marigold Kitchen.

Sara and I have not been as of yet, but I'm sure we'll get there soon.

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I still haven't gotten to Sardine, but the local weekly included yet another story about it. The article also offers some thoughts about why Madison has few top-notch restaurants.

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I was there two weeks ago and was not terribly impressed.

From a design standpoint, the restaurant is quite attractive. Definitely not romantic because it is loud and the tables are close together but not on an off-putting way. Bustling.

I had the sardines which were, by far, the best thing we had from the menu. Nicely grilled and quite meaty. From the looks of it, though, I may have been one of the few ordering this dish (we were within sight of where the food was coming out of the kitchen). It will be too bad if there isn't enough demand to sustain this dish on the menu.

The rest of the food was pedestrian. Had to send scallops back because they were cold. Odd because it wasn't that busy. The deserts were totally uninspired.

I think the buzz around this place, based on Marigold's reputation, is unwarranted. I'd rather eat at Cocoliquot (which was dead on the same Saturday night we went to Sardine) or even the new Fresco.

[ronnie_suburban]

From the article linked above by liamdc:

"Last night everything was perfectly aligned," says John Gadau, sitting in the sunlit bar of his restaurant, Sardine, on an August afternoon.

"There was a James Taylor concert, and the students were all moving apartments, and we ended up serving 300 people. But the funny thing was that although it was a crazy night, it didn't feel like it. There were people just hanging out, reading newspapers, and the bar was full of groups drinking champagne and eating oysters, and there were families sitting outside on the terrace in the sun, and friends in the dining room pulling tables together and sharing food. And it all flowed very naturally. It was just exactly what we wanted, what we had always had in mind."

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[liamdc]

Wisconsin's first Trader Joe's opened on Monroe Street in Madison yesterday.

Capital Times story

Edited October 21, 2006 by liamdc (log)

[afreemaniii]

Wisconsin's first Trader Joe's opened on Monroe Street in Madison yesterday.

Capital Times story

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I haven't had the pleasure of shopping at a Trader Joe's, but have heard great things from friends and relatives who have. I think I'll wait a couple weeks for the new store smell to wear off and the crowds to dissipate before stopping by. Has anyone been there yet? Is it all it's hyped up to be?

Thanks

Aubrey