ISTHMUS
DINING 2015
KAREN GREENBERG
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“Honeybees are on nature’s schedule. As soon as trees start blossoming, the bees are out bringing in fresh nectar to help reach their goal population of 50,000 bees per hive. That’s when the beekeeper’s day goes from an eight hour day to a much longer one.” - Eugene Woller Wisconsin Beekeeper Since 1965 Gentle Breeze Honey®, Mount Horeb
ISTHMUS PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. 101 KING STREET, MADISON, WI 53703 608-251-5627 Jeff Haupt, Publisher Craig Bartlett, Associate Publisher Judith Davidoff, Editor Linda Falkenstein, Isthmus Dining Editor Ellen J. Meany, Creative Director Carolyn Fath, Art Director Michana Buchman, Associate Editor Chris Winterhack, Marketing Director Chad Hopper, Advertising Manager Tom Dehlinger, Circulation Manager
®
ART Todd Hubler, David Michael Miller, Tommy Washbush
ADVERTISING & MARKETING Jeri Casper, Lindsey Dieter, Sam Eifert, Peggy Elath, Courtney Lovas, Brett Springer
DIGITAL MEDIA
Vintage Brewing Co. EST 2010
EDO Garden
• Elevated Americana Cuisine • Over 100 Craft Beers Available • Highly acclaimed housemade brews from Vintage Brewing Co.
Japanese Restaurant
Authentic Japanese Menu & Vegetarian Cuisine Hibachi grill Hand rolled sushi & sashimi bar Private tea rooms Wedding and rehearsal dinners Private and holiday parties
6309 Monona Dr., Monona, WI 608-226-9828 edogardenmonona.com
Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun Noon-10pm
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ISTHMUS DINING 2015
Open 7 Days a Week 11am to Close Lunch & Dinner Served 11am to 10pm
674 S. Whitney Way Madison, WI vintagebrewingco.com
Cameron Conners, Bob Koch, Thom Jones
ADMINISTRATION Kathy Bailey, Julie Butler, Carla Dawkins
CONTRIBUTORS Julia Burke, Erin Clune, André Darlington, Linda Falkenstein, Karen Greenberg, Paulius Musteikis, Kyle Nabilcy, Adam Powell, Sharon Vanorny, Laura Zastrow, Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva Isthmus Dining is distributed free with Isthmus: Madison’s Weekly Newspaper Vol. 40 No. 12 Copyright ©2015. All rights reserved The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express, written consent of Isthmus Publishing Company, Inc. For additional copies, please call 608-251-5627
CONTENTS
PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? PAGE 6 Celebrating the charm of the small restaurant. By Linda Falkenstein.
DON’T GET TO WORK HUNGRY PAGE 10 A guide to Madison’s tastiest weekday breakfast sandwiches. By Kyle Nabilcy.
BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE PAGE 16 The right table makes the food all the more special. By Adam Powell.
EATING DINNER — AT LUNCH PAGE 22 Midday dining is healthier, and less expensive. By Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva.
THE ARTFUL PLATE PAGE 29 Thoughtful and daring serving design turns meals into memorable occasions. By André Darlington.
12 MONTHS OF MEALS PAGE 34 Isthmus reviewers make the rounds of the latest restaurants.
RESTAURANT INDEX PAGE 38 Master list of Isthmus Dining advertisers and mentioned restaurants. ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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ISTHMUS DINING 2015
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? Celebrating the charm of the small restaurant By LINDA
FALKENSTEIN Photography by CHRIS HYNES
HUMBLE SWEET & SAVORY PIES This could be the age of the tiny restaurant. Certainly midcentury supper clubs with their many rooms and leather-padded captains chairs mark a different dining age. Smaller and nimbler are hallmarks of ours. The great small restaurant is always large enough. It is more than a takeout counter. It’s a home-away-from-home, a vacation experienced in an afternoon, a restorative tonic for under 10 bucks. It’s a place to linger and converse with a friend. Or to linger alone, sip coffee or a drink and read a book. Or to slowly enjoy a meal, mindfully — or with nothing on your mind at all. There’s a snug, almost fairy-tale quality to these small eateries, and when you dine in them, you may have a sense of being part of a fortunate group, the knowers of a secret.
This two-table pie shop near West High could be considered more of a cafe than a restaurant, were it not for the emphasis on savory dishes — in hand pies, other pastries and quiches — and hours that take it just to the edge of an acceptable Midwestern supper hour (it’s open until 6 p.m. TuesdayFriday). The bright, terrazzo-floored space (it was once a barber shop) could make you feel as if you’ve suddenly been transported to some other city — New York or Boston, San Francisco or Portland. Get a cup of Just Coffee (the Madison company roasts a house blend for the shop that’s also called Humble). Pair it with a savory galette (an open-face tart), like a recent offering combining goat cheese, rosemary and grapes, and feel perhaps less than humble that you’ve discovered this near-west side-street getaway.
CHEZ NANOU You may be surprised that this Williamson Street bistro seats 20 — it seems even smaller and more intimate. And speaking of feeling as if you’re in another country, you’re quite likely to be greeted in French, and hear musette music piping in from the kitchen. Red-and-white checked placemats and lace curtains complete the setting. Leave your cares at the curb and indulge in a Montagnarde crepe, filled with prosciutto, brie and a sunny-side-up egg; accompany it with a glass of French cidre. Don’t bother to resist the lure of the lavender crème brûlée, with its crust of caramelized sugar. And don’t split it with a friend. Order one for each of you. You won’t regret it. ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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LAYLA’S PERSIAN FOOD Layla’s is small, all right, with just four tables and another couple set outside in warmer weather. Everything at Layla’s seems homemade, not just the food — and I mean that in the best possible way. The real charm of Layla’s comes from your close contact with the cook herself, Laila Borokhim, who will warmly greet visitors and explain the Persian dishes she’s made — before she assembles them in the small back kitchen and delivers them to your table. It’s the closest thing you can find to dining with a host family during a semester abroad. In fact this dining room feels like a place you’d encounter during a hostel-to-hostel trip (it’s fitting that the
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Madison Hostel is in the same building, on South Butler Street). It’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, and I’d always feel comfortable ordering a daily special. From the standard menu, the ghormeh sabzi (slow-cooked lamb) and the tangy fesenjoon (chicken in a rich walnut-pomegranate sauce) are dishes unique to Persian cuisine.
THE VICTORY To keep cold air outside in winter and the A/C inside during summer, a velvet curtain hangs right inside the front door at the Victory. It may have a practical purpose but it can feel, as you part the drapes, like it’s functioning as a gateway to another world — possibly Brooklyn, N.Y., where this shop was in business before owner Patrick Downey moved to Madison. Or perhaps the
Atwood Avenue of an earlier era. One of the first things visitors here will notice is the tin ceiling. The place boasts seven tables and a small counter area. Pick up the daily copy of The New York Times and order a coffee (the shop features Anodyne beans and precision pour-overs). But the Victory is about more than just coffee. Order one of the excellent panini from
the chalkboard menu of a half-dozen and settle in with the goal of becoming a regular. As with the best kind of small restaurant, the Victory is the kind of place born to create regulars.
LAO LAAN-XANGWILLIAMSON STREET This small storefront on Willy Street has a large front window, a dozen or so tables, and walls painted a deep terra cotta that enhances the small space’s warmth. It’s bright and cheerful at lunch; at night, the window’s neon “open” sign suffuses the whole dining area in pink. The restaurant’s second location on Atwood accommodates larger crowds; choose the Willy location for a date night or get-together with an old friend. Indulge a little at the start of your meal with the crispy, flaky fried spring rolls (opt for the Lao sausage if you’re a meat-eater), and then get your fill of veggies with the steamed vegetable Phra Lam with homemade peanut sauce. A choice of meat, tofu or shrimp comes with the broccoli, mushrooms, beans, zucchini and carrots.
SOPHIA’S BAKERY & CAFE Newcomers to Madison could be forgiven for thinking Sophia’s is closed. It’s open only on the weekends. There’s no voicemail message on the phone. And it doesn’t have a website. Those in the know just go. A hodgepodge of tables and chairs is crowded into the small, lowceilinged space; all attention is on the kitchen. Sharing a table is the norm;
nobody stands on ceremony. Pancakes, waffles and blintzes are the order of the day. If you see lemon pancakes on the chalkboard, it’s a wise idea to order them.
THE BEACH HOUSE The Beach House, just off Hwy. 51 in McFarland, isn’t all that small compared with some of the other spots mentioned here. Somehow it comes across as small, though, or at least smaller than you might expect from the size of the parking lot. The Beach House combines the best of the Wisconsin lakeside tavern
with some diner attitude and a few more tropical beachy notes — quite a feat for a place that also draws ice fishers and pond hockey enthusiasts. Like other small restaurants, it uses what space it has to transport diners to a slightly different time and place. Eat in the small bar area or opt for the somewhat larger dining area. Both offer good views of Lake Waubesa through large picture windows. The big draw here is walleye, and even more specifically, the weekend walleye and eggs. Walleye comes panfried, deep-fried or broiled; eggs and potatoes are made to order. < ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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DON’T GET TO WORK HUNGRY A guide to Madison’s tastiest weekday breakfast sandwiches By KYLE
NABILCY Photography by PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS It was the Chinese philosopher Laozi who wrote in the Tao Te Ching that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. My man probably needed a little spiritual encouragement to start his day, because the Zhou dynasty might have been getting it done culturally, but they hadn’t invented anything like a breakfast sandwich yet and those things are great. There’s a degree to which I am indiscriminating about breakfast sandwiches. At that time of day, at the start of a journey that can feel like a thousand miles, anything savory between carbohydrates will ultimately do the trick — but there are certainly standouts in the category. And while I’d be loath to recommend a sandwich based solely on how easy it is to eat while driving, there’s a bit of car culturecentrism here that I do have to cop to. Take, for example, the croissant sandwich. Clearly, it takes the R&D budget of a major global fast-food corporation to make these things one-handable. Williamson Street’s MADISON SOURDOUGH CO. makes a fine croissant breakfast sandwich, as does HERITAGE BAKERY & CAFE on Cottage Grove Road — but they’re both as huge as they are unwieldy. If you have time to sit somewhere and eat, though, these babies will fill your morning. Rich and packed with scrambled eggs, meat and cheese (plus aioli in the MSCo version), both sandwiches 10
ISTHMUS DINING 2015
Mermaid pressed egg sandwich with coconut-curry aioli.
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arrive steaming hot and display their unkempt unfast-foodness proudly. COLECTIVO COFFEEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakfast sandwich comes rocket hot on a cornbready biscuit â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a unique offering in the market. The OLD FASHIONED serves an English muffin breakfast sandwich on its weekday-only breakfast menu; the sunny-side-up egg is runny, and the smoky bacon is cooked perfectly. Slightly off the Square, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find SHORT STACK has you covered (Thursday and Friday anyway), with a threenapkin affair loaded onto your choice of pretzel bun or Stellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spicy cheese bread. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not particularly car-friendly, but the rhubarb jam that appeared on mine recently is a welcome addition. My downtown all-star sandwiches are served at MARIGOLD KITCHEN and GOTHAM NEW YORK BAGELS AND EATS. Marigoldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version juggles a variety of textures and flavors quite adeptly: smooth boursin cheese, crisp bacon, sweet tomato, rich egg. Gothamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is a simple sandwich: cheddar, fried egg and slightly spicy griddled capicola ham. But if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t order it on an everything bagel, well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know you anymore. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re far from downtown, though, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another excellent sandwich that shares some breakfast genetics with the Marigold version, and you can find it at CREMA CAFE on Monona Drive. It starts with a creamy herbed cheese blend, piles a fried egg and bacon on a toasted ciabatta roll, and finishes it with lightly dressed mixed greens. This makes it one of the most brilliantly constructed breakfast sandwiches in the city. Acid cuts through fat, smoke balances sweet â&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful. THE VICTORY on Atwood offers a basic and a vegan breakfast sandwich, or an amply loaded smoked salmon, onion and caper version for a respectable six dollars. Down the street and around the corner on Winnebago, the MERMAID CAFE presses its egg sandwiches like Barriques, but dials up the quirkyness with a coconut-curry aioli. The three breakfast sandwiches at JOHNSON PUBLIC HOUSE may, like the pour-over coffee there, require a bit of a wait, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re worth it. I prefer the version called the Sunday Morning (though it is available daily), a pressed ham-egg-cheese ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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Stalzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Deli: Opt for the fried bologna.
sandwich doped with maple syrup. The formerly hard-boiled and sliced eggs (acceptable) have been fried to order (hooray!) for the last few months now. Regardless of the day of the week, STALZYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DELI puts together a superlative lineup of sandwiches. The breakfast sandwich there can be constructed with bacon or ham â&#x20AC;&#x201D; surely, a fine pair of choices â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but at
Thai Cuisine
Stalzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and in life, when fried bologna is available, you go with fried bologna. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re far from downtown and not on the east side, BARRIQUES (with six mostly west-ish locations from downtown to Middleton to Fitchburg) makes a tidy, fast and supremely inexpensive ($2.65) pressed sandwich available with bacon or a sausage patty for an extra $1.25.
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Biscuit sandwiches are what tempt me the most in my moments of car-bound, drive-through breakfast weakness. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really only one place in Madison that attempts a biscuit breakfast sandwich and sticks the landing: 4 & 20 BAKERY & CAFE. You could order the meatless version with egg, havarti, and veggies, or order the fully customizable version. Cheddar 7+(
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Restaurant Français 608.283.4266
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From Provencal to Alsatian cuisine (the origins of our two French chefs), Chez Nanou also offers up delicious â&#x20AC;&#x153;Galettes Bretonnesâ&#x20AC;?, traditional gluten-free crepes from Brittany. Bilingual waitresses welcome every guest with a friendly,
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The decor, reminiscent of a traditional French restaurant gives this Bistro a unique charm in Madison.
805 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703 - www.cheznanoumadison.com
or Swiss? Bacon or ham? Mushrooms, spinach, or another of a shifting list of vegetables? The biscuits are rich and tender, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always some sort of fruit accompaniment to refresh your palate. I will carpool with a breakfast sandwich whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple, complicated, neat, messy, pressed or three eggy inches tall. But it should feel like a restaurant has put some thought into the sandwich, or at least some care. This lineup of sandwiches is the culinary foundation of Madisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collective workweek, a municipal utility that starts all of our daily journeys. And no, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m overstating things at all. I love breakfast sandwiches. < Though these sandwiches are available during the work week, most are available on weekends, too.
Gothamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakfast sandwich needs to be ordered on an everything bagel. Take our word for it.
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ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE The right table makes the food all the more special
By ADAM
POWELL Illustration by KAREN GREENBERG
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Everyone has favorite restaurants. But for those who love to dine out often, there’s often also a favorite spot within those restaurants. Some of those preferences are practical — like finding the ideal people-watching perch, avoiding drafty tables near entrances in winter, or finding a sun-soaked outdoor table in the warmth of summer. But some of it is just vibe. The intangible. Here are some of my favorite spots. Local restaurateurs chime in as well. HERITAGE TAVERN I like to sit up at the bar near the kitchen and watch chef Dan Fox and his crew work their magic over to the right. The beautiful wood-lined interior is calming, and a bowl of bouillabaisse is restorative. SARDINE With the right weather, eggs Benedict and mimosas at Sardine is divine. “My best seat is a bar stool at the far right on a Sunday morning,” says Matthew Moyer, executive chef of the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company. “I get great service from the bar staff and can watch the operation of a busy restaurant while enjoying drinks, friends and a solid breakfast.” Stopping in for the 4-6 p.m. half-price oyster happy hour isn’t a bad idea either. TORNADO STEAK HOUSE The Tornado is a classy place to take a date, and on that mission a table in the dining room is surely a good thing. But my favorite place to sit is at the table farthest from the door in the bar area. It’s cozy, snug and tucked-in. And those hash browns are to die for.
GRAMPA’S PIZZERIA “On Willy Street, my neighborhood, I love having dinner in the back at Grampa’s,” says Gail Ambrosius, noted Madison chocolatier. “It is porch-like and overlooks the garden with those pretty strung lights. And if it’s winter, I love sitting back there and watching the snow fall.” HIGH NOON SALOON Up on the balcony, on the right side (as you face the stage), the table all the way at the end and closest to the stage is ideal for enjoying music at a slight remove. A slice of Glass Nickel pizza (available on-site), a cold beer, and you’re all set. NATT SPIL The “Hobbit room” all the way at the back of Natt Spil is a favorite spot for Patrick DePula of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies. I agree; it has superior feng shui. PAISAN’S RESTAURANT A window booth overlooking Lake Monona and a Garibaldi sandwich pairs two of Madison’s enduring pleasures. Sharing a pizza at that table is a lock for a feel-good date.
HARVEST Right up at the front there’s a window seat perfect for tasting Harvest’s farmto-table fresh ingredients. As if the charcuterie plate for two weren’t enough to look at, it’s ideal for watching people stroll around the Square. SUJEO Though relatively new, Sujeo’s mix of casual ambience and top-notch pan-Asian comfort food and noodle bar-within-a-restaurant quickly made it a local favorite. “I love the noodle bar at Sujeo,” says Patrick DePula of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies. (Sujeo chef Tory Miller returns the tip of the hat, citing “any seat I can get at Salvatore’s Pizzeria on Johnson Street” as one of his favorite places to eat in Madison.) LE TIGRE LOUNGE When out with a big group of friends, I always take them to the big booth near the back of Le Tigre. The bartenders know how to make ace martinis, and the jukebox is vintage cool. GENNA’S COCKTAIL LOUNGE The table near the bar, against the windows with a view of the Capitol is convenient to Genna’s old-school happy hour snack area. Hello, cheddar cheese cubes and Triscuits. ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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UW MEMORIAL UNION TERRACE There are so many good spots on the Terrace. My favorite are the tables situated on the lower level, close to the lake. But everyone has their own sweet spot in what may be the best place in all of Madison for a beer and a cheeseburger table and a look out over Lake Mendota.
GRAZE “When I eat at Graze I love having one of the four-tops by the front window. Looking out at the Capitol building is a great view, day or night,” says Gail Ambrosius. Cathy Dethmers, owner of High Noon Saloon, is a fan of the cozy booths near the kitchen. UMAMI RAMEN & DUMPLING BAR The modern lines of a bar built into a former 1880s farmhouse have a special vibe. A sake-based drink up at the the bar with an order of pork buns with pickles on mantou bread? Sign me up. OPUS LOUNGE There’s a low, sprawling couch across from the bar at Opus. Perfect for a têteà-tête with appetizers and champagne.
SAMANTHA EGELHOFF
TONY FRANK’S TAVERN Tony’s is another house-cum-restaurant with an entirely different, more oldschool sensibility. Patrick DePula of Salvatore’s always sits “in the little semi-private alcove, by the unused second door.”
LAKE VISTA CAFE Any table overlooking Lake Monona is a winner in warmer months. (Not so much when it’s -9 Fahrenheit — though of course, the cafe is only open MaySeptember.) HARMONY BAR AND GRILL The gentle curve at the end of the bar near the pool tables and facing the side door affords good sightlines of the Harmony and is a prime spot for eating their famed walnut burger.
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YOUR DOWNTOWN HOME FOR DOWN-HOME COOKING
German & american DininG 8931 Hwy Y • Sauk City, WI 608-643-3980
40 CRAFT TAP BEERS BEST BOURBON LIST IN THE CITY
Featuring a Bavarian Smorgasbord First Monday of Every Month Year Round. First & Third Monday June-October. Wed.-Thurs. 5-9pm; Fri.-Sat. 5-10pm; Sun. 11:30am-8:30pm
www.foodspot.com/dorfhaus
Best Fish Fry Best Cocktail
408 West Gorham St • Madison 608-257-7675 (PORK) www.thebrickhousebbq.com
Sun-Thur 11AM - 1AM • Fri-Sat 11AM - 2AM
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TIP TOP TAVERN One of Madison’s newer hot spots has a perch that’s just right for an afternoon nosh. If you’re looking at the bar, it’s all the way to the right. By virtue of the room’s architecture, that corner feels safe and sound.
Kitchen
Serving cuisine from around the globe and local fares, using fresh and locally sourced ingredients Signature Cocktails & Drinks
Lunch TUE-FRI 11:30-2:30 Dinner 5-10pm TUE SAT Brunch SAT & SUN 10am-3pm Sunday Dinner 5-9pm
2110 Atwood Ave, Madison (608) 242-4448 dobhankitchen.com Facebook “f ” Logo
DobhanDobhan
CMYK / .eps
Facebook “f ” Logo
CMYK / .eps
FOREQUARTER This east-side anchor doesn’t take reservations, so be sure to arrive early. I like the table in the middle and against the wall, equidistant from the door and the back section. In that small room, it feels like you’re in the center of a swirl of activity.
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CASA DEL SOL In warmer months, this Fitchburg eatery is a great place to enjoy Mexican food at an outdoor table on the patio overlooking a large pond. OTTO’S RESTAURANT AND BAR There’s an outside secondstory balcony area where beams of sunlight sift through whispering trees. That’s where you order the Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon and break out a diamond ring.
THE GREAT DANE PUB-DOWNTOWN For those bad-weather days, there’s nothing like ordering calamari and a brewed-onsite stout and hunkering down in the hideaway room in the basement of the original Great Dane. They can’t find you here. HA LONG BAY “At Ha Long Bay the corner table in the front window is my favorite,” says Gail Ambrosius of the Williamson Street Vietnamese and Laotian restaurant. Tory Miller has a different favorite. “I love the booths at Ha Long Bay.” <
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Open Daily at 4pm 601 Junction Road 608.664.9565 www.eno-vino.com
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Red Sushi offers a grilled catch-of-the-day at lunch; here, pan-seared monkfish.
EATING DINNER —AT LUNCH It’s healthier and less expensive By ROSEMARY
ZURLO-CUVA Photography by PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS Our ancestors were in the habit of eating a midday dinner, and taking their lighter soup and a sandwich at supper. The leisurely — and dinner-sized — midday meal, often followed by a siesta, is a hallmark of the highly touted Mediterranean diet. And as it turns out, enjoying our larger meal at lunchtime is thought to be a healthier practice. People who adopt this approach tend to achieve smaller waistlines and more even blood sugar levels throughout the day. When I mentioned to my doctor that I might like to try this, she was supportive, and pointed out that our digestion is strongest in the middle section of the day. Eating dinner at lunch is more a lifestyle than a dietary change. Think of a noontime ritual that includes a pleasantly large, nutritious meal, preferably shared with company, followed by a short walk or even a catnap. And though most of us will find it difficult to incorporate a full Mediterranean siesta into the weekday, we can still manage a few days per week to switch things up so the larger meal is eaten at lunchtime — and even better if it is eaten away from our desks and with a friend or co-worker. I’ve scouted a few Madison restaurants at which you can find nutritious and delicious offerings at lunchtime that go beyond the usual sandwiches, salads and pizza. The prices may seem a little higher than normal for a lunch, but think what you’ll be saving eating lighter fare in the evening, when menu prices go up considerably.
My go-to place for years now has been MEDITERRANEAN CAFÉ, where owner/chef Faycal Belakhdar turns out lovingly prepared specials each day from the cuisines of Algeria, Southern France, Greece and Southern Italy. Generous servings of staples like moussaka, spinach pie, chicken chutney or stuffed peppers come with rice pilaf and Greek salad. Or try the ever available, always satisfying shawarma plate, with your choice of chicken or Greek-style rotisserie lamb and beef. It comes with salad, pita and Belakhdar’s own creamy hummus. Do add a cup of hot Arabic tea, a sweet blend of black and mint teas that offers a perfect complement to the savory meal. Most of the specials are offered from $7.50 to $8.50, a bargain for so much tasty, home-style cooking. And since this is your dinner, after all, add a lovely small bowl of soup for only $1.50 more. Two soups are freshly made daily, always one vegetarian. While Med Café is not the place ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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for an elegant dining experience — the restaurant is small and always packed at lunch (and it’s not even open at dinner), the counter service is unfailingly friendly and tables turn over quickly. Not that you’ll need to rush through your dinner. No one will hustle you away if you chew slowly, savor and enjoy a conversation with a friend or friends along with your meal. Staying in the vein of flavorful Mediterranean-inspired food, let me recommend the platters at BANZO. For an additional $2.75 above the basic $7-$9, any of Banzo’s entrées becomes a complete dinner with chopped salad, a fragrant rice and lentil dish called majadra rice, and your choice of white or whole-wheat pita. For your entrée, choose from their superb falafel, marinated chicken, or succulent kebabs made from ground beef.
There is also an in-house smoked brisket that comes with horseradish sauce. Tahini, yogurt and hot sauces are also housemade, and they’re so good you may find yourself asking for extra. Dine in at Banzo’s Sherman Avenue restaurant, or get your dinner platter as a take-out from one of their two carts (one is usually found on Library Mall, the other on Dayton Street at Union South or on the Square). Banzo also delivers from Sherman Avenue (a map of their large delivery area appears at banzomadison.com), and they’re fast. The Nepalese tradition offers an entirely different set of flavors, and HIMAL CHULI, another long-time Madison favorite, is a fine place to savor them for a midday dinner. While there are a number of excellent non-vegetarian entrées on the menu, vegetarian fare is the specialty here.
Start by sharing a plate of four momocha ($8.70), steamed dumplings filled with a spiced peanut paste and served with a delicate tomato and cilantro sauce. A meat version, called momo, is also available, but the flavors of the vegetarian dumpling are brighter. For the main dish, I always go for the tarkari with rice and dal ($10). Tarkari is the Nepalese vegetable stew seasoned with turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic and fresh ginger. Vegetable and bean combinations vary daily according to season. It makes a light, yet satisfying meal, especially accompanied by a scoop of jasmine rice and a cup of the house dal, a thin flavorful soup using a variety of legumes. My daughter prefers her tarkari and dal with roti, a disk of chewy, grilled flatbread, available instead of the rice at the same price.
Osteria Papavero has delicious, filling daily specials at lunch; here, a lasagna a la Bolognese.
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FOOD CART
Serving traditional, unique, healthy and tasty Indonesian food with reasonable prices
Willy West: 6825 University Ave., Middleton • (608) 284-7800 Willy East: 1221 Williamson St., Madison • (608) 251-6776 Open 7:30am - 9:30pm daily • www.willystreet.coop
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Himal Chuli is a small, unfancy restaurant, relaxed and quiet. Conversation over a cup of mint tea or chai is perfectly acceptable before heading back to more worldly responsibilities. Over on the other side of the Square, RED SUSHI GRILL offers a “grilled lunch” menu that fits the bill for a larger noontime meal. Select the tenderloin medallions ($14), chili lime tofu ($9), or the generally excellent catch of the day (market priced daily). These grilled lunches come out with sauteed vegetables, rice and house made pickles. Order off the terrific sushi and sashimi menu if you’d like a starter, and by all means, add a cup of miso soup ($1.50 as an add-on). Small, sleek and dark, Red Sushi is a lively place at the lunch hour. Yet something about the noise and bustle makes conversation seem intimate anyway. When my husband and I are looking to make more of an occasion out of our noontime meal, we often choose OSTERIA PAPAVERO. Especially on a cold, sunny day, we enjoy sitting at a window table and taking our time over a couple of courses. Chef Francesco Mangano posts his regularly changing daily specials (usually offered at $11) at osteriapapavero.com if you prefer to check ahead, but we never have trouble finding options that are delicious and filling. On a recent visit, we tried a chard parmigiana (a vegetarian entrée that we ate as a starter), a seafood stew with mussels and grilled octopus served over polenta, and a rich mushroom risotto. Papavero’s cuisine represents many regions of Italy, and there is an almost 26
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Lovingly prepared rotisserie chicken and Greek salad. from the Mediterranean Café.
endless variety to Mangano’s use of meats, seafood and vegetables in his soups, ragus and pasta. Papavero is a small place that feels large and open, with its tall ceilings and large storefront windows. The colors are warm and inviting, making it a great place to take your time to enjoy your food and the company of family or friends. The dark horse entry in my search for the best places to enjoy dinner at lunch is, believe it or not, UW HOSPITALS CAFETERIA. I discovered their fabulous “comfort foods” station while eating with friends who work in the Health Sciences complex. The cafeteria, open to the public, happens to be a popular eating place for those who work at the far west end of campus for a variety of reasons, though one of them is certainly the home-style pot roast ($3.45), cooked the way your grandmother made it: fall-apart tender and full of beefy flavor. The pot roast comes with roast carrots, and you can choose your sides ($1.45 a side), from mashed red potatoes (with or without gravy), corn, peas, and other vegetable choices like broccoli, string beans or cauliflower. On any given day, you might find the pot roast alongside a decent brisket with barbecue sauce, pulled pork or kielbasa ($3.45 per meat selection). Other weeks you’ll find slices of roast turkey instead of the pot roast, served (if you choose) with ladles of gravy and vegetables. Yes, a hospital cafeteria isn’t much for atmosphere, but if you’ve been hankering for some old-fashioned comfort food, this is the place, and at incredibly reasonable prices. You might like to bike there with a group of friends, sit at one of the round tables, and have a long, leisurely meal. Seriously. It’s good for you. <
Find comfort in food and friends g Breakfast & Lunch g Dinner & Dessert g Beer & Wine g Bakery and Coffee/Espresso 611 N. Sherman Ave., Madison
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It was bound to happen. During the Great Recession, restaurants that served precious, artfully constructed food shuttered their doors in droves. Comfort food came back with a vengeance, and chefs hung up their tweezers in favor of unfussy portions and honest fare. With the collapse, came populist “lowbrow” trends like nose-totail, shared plates and barbecue. But then, as inevitably as spring fashion voids last year’s jeans, the current economic recovery has swung the pendulum back again. In part, it comes from fatigue — the butcher-chic aprons, the loud feeding troughs in which diners are expected to rub greasy elbows with strangers — have gone stale. And with the burnout, beautifully plated food has returned. But the switch back to artfulness isn’t entirely the result of an economic mood swing or boredom. Social media has made food’s visual appeal go hyperactive in the last few years. The phenomenon is perhaps most obvious on Instagram, which has become the thrilling, à la minute chef and pro-foodie platform. When pictures were posting from René Redzepi’s fiveweek Noma popup in Tokyo, salivating diners and chefs from around the world took it all in, one glorious eyeful at a time. It was a global event, a veritable looking (as opposed to feeding) frenzy.
THE ARTFUL PLATE Madison restaurants provide more than just flavor, with thoughtful and daring serving design By ANDRÉ
DARLINGTON Photography by PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS
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“It’s one of the best things that has ever happened to the art of food,” says Dan Fox, chef of Heritage Tavern. “In the past, in order to see what was happening, you’d have to buy an expensive book. Now, any kid on Instagram can see it and get inspired.” The shift toward social media, and the attention to how a dish will look online, has had a very real impact on chefs and restaurants. “We try to post at least a picture a day,” says chef Michael Pruett of Cento. “We do rustic Italian, but we think about how to make our food cleanlooking and focused.” Pruett, who cut his chef teeth in Los Angeles, cites Jean-Louis Palladin and his protégé Andrew deGroot for getting him into fine plating. “I think 30
ISTHMUS DINING 2015
about things like how, for instance, a cut of meat will look on a white plate,” says Pruett, “and how we’d like a gray or wood bowl if we have white pasta.” In an increasingly competitive dining market, local chefs feel the compulsion to post eye-catching pictures of well-plated food for the simple reason that diners respond to them. “We’ll see people [come in] literally an hour after posting,” to order that same dish, says Dan Fox, who also uploads dishes regularly to both Facebook and Instagram. “I like food on the plate to be exciting and alive, but natural and not forced,” he says. Fox credits his love of an “organic and flowing style” to his early interest in sculpture: “I love height on food, and I love negative space,” he continues. “But
we also take into consideration if it will make it to the table correctly, and how a diner will eat the dish. It needs to work.” Tim Dahl, chef at Nostrano, agrees: “I can’t stand it when a dish requires diners to scrape their plate or chop loudly,” he says. “You don’t want to hear banging or see confusion.” One-half of a husband-and-wife team, Dahl demurs when asked about plating, saying, “Elizabeth is the maestro.” Elizabeth Dahl, like Dan Fox, had an early interest in studio art before pursuing a career in the kitchen. “We use plates that are a little larger than necessary,” she says, “because we like to play off the negative space; it’s cool. Sometimes diners perceive that as a smaller portion, but we’re doing it for aesthetic reasons.”
The Dahls describe their style as “refined rustic,” an organic-looking, free-form kind of plating where colors and textures complement and contrast with each other in an eye-catching arrangement. They aren’t afraid if it looks spare. The results are stunning. Known for her desserts, Elizabeth Dahl’s chocolate ganache looks like a tiny forest floor scene — if the forest were populated by pâtissier wood sprites. At Osteria Papavero, one of Madison’s most eye-catching plates has little or no negative space. The large charcuterie board arrives as a work of art made from house-cured meats, an eyepopping adventure. Also rustic Italian in bent, Papavero’s dishes — daily rotating specials noted on a chalkboard — are frequently plated beyond expectation.
Matthew Schieble, who recently spent time at Chicago’s two Michelin-starred restaurant Acadia (known for its exceptionally beautiful presentations), explains: “The recipes come from chef Francesco Mangano, and there isn’t a ton of room for interpretation, but sometimes we do go nuts with how we present it.” Schieble feels it’s “disrespectful to the ingredients if you don’t plate them artistically. You eat with your eyes first — something should look beautiful and then taste beautiful, too.” The small team at Papavero under Mangano uses a variety of dish shapes — long and sleek rectangles, squares, bowls and boards — as backdrops for its creations. “Pasta can be hard to raise up beyond a certain point aesthetically,” says Schieble, “but come in and order a salad.”
Making a work of art: Nostrano’s Elizabeth Dahl demonstrates the meticulous work that goes into her stunning chocolate ganache. First, she transfers frozen marshmallows onto the ganache and toasts them with a butane torch. Then she uses a squeeze bottle to carefully apply droplets of persimmon sauce.
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Next, she uses a mandolin to thinly slice a fuyu persimmon, then curls the slices into little cones and places them on the cake. Using kitchen tweezers, she places clusters of granola on the ‘blank spaces’ of the ganache. Last (opposite), she lays a quenelle of Ceylon cinnamon gelato on a next of a nest of streusel.
Standing with the chef team of Jonny Hunter, Tim Smith and Dylan Carlson in the Underground Food Collective’s enormous commissary kitchen is to understand just how much material the group’s restaurant, Forequarter, gets to work with. The kitchen functions as a lab, where ideas sprout organically like mushrooms after a rain, and experiments conducted out of sheer curiosity may or may not find their way onto Forequarter’s signature wooden boards. “Social media is how Underground grew up,” says Hunter. “We know that today if it doesn’t happen on social media, it isn’t real.” To that end, the group posts to Facebook and Instagram frequently, often taking it a step further to show the behind-the-scenes action that customers love. “We like to show the process,” Hunter adds, “whether it’s on a farm, or pictures of tearing-down a side of beef.” The Forequarter plating process begins with color. “We’ll notice a lot of blues in winter,” says chef Tim Smith, “like blue potatoes, or we’ll manipulate color with fermentation. We build from lots of ingredients on hand, and compose a dish from them organically.” For an example of an eye-catching dish grown out of the kitchen, a recent skate wing with buttermilk pudding arrives with slices of chorizo propped up on the plate to give the skate an airy, architectural aspect. When you see it, your mind might snap to the angel-on-the-statue image from the Wim Wenders film Far Away, So Close!, or a building by Santiago Calatrava. Not your typical Midwestern food associations. The hungry mind wants to know what is happening on the plate; the experience is captivating to more senses than just taste. “Why don’t we judge plates in terms of art criticism?” muses Hunter. 32
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There’s pizza, and then there is But maybe no Madison chef has mined the power of social media as much as Patrick DePula of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies. DePula has created a tidal wave of interest for his from-scratch, market-driven pizzas (from restaurants in Sun Prairie and now on East Johnson Street) due in large part to pictures posted on Facebook. “It’s gotten to the point that when I don’t post the evening’s special, people call to complain,” says DePula. He understands why some restaurants let their social media presences slide. “It’s labor intensive. I have a new special, I’m prepping it, I’m thinking how it will look, and then I hurry and shoot it maybe five minutes before opening. It’s a lot.” Not a professionally trained chef, DePula took inspiration from Joe’s Tomato Pies in New Jersey, the pizza he grew up with, and set out to “do one thing very well.” That is farm-to-table pizza — although Sal’s has a growing reputation for wildly inventive tacos with ingredients like pig face. “I like food to be eye-catching,” DePula says. “I like color and composition, things that look like fallen leaves, organic and natural. I shop at the farmers’ market thinking about layers of color and texture.” A notable example of Sal’s style is a sausage pizza with purple Romanesco broccoli that DePula created this past fall. The photo of it picked up shares and likes faster than a post of a Kardashian without clothing. “The return rate on Facebook, and especially Instagram, is incredible,” says DePula. “I like beautiful food. Turns out, everyone does. And pizza dough happens to be my plate.” <
Sal’s
503 W. Main St.
912 E. Johnson St.
Sun Prairie, WI 53595
Madison, WI 53703
608.318.1761
608.238.6040
salvatorestomatopies.com • facebook.com/tomatopies
Quality Food and Service Since 1996 MADISON 1849 Northport Dr. 608-241-1144 FITCHBURG 2949 Triverton Pike Dr. 608-278-7800 MIDDLETON 1109 Fourier Dr. 608-826-0555
benvenutos.com ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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HONG KONG STATION
CENTO KABUL
SUJEO
MONSOON SIAM
O.S.S.
12 MONTHS OF MEALS Where Isthmus has been eating Where have we been eating over the past 12 months? Our reviewers have visited an eclectic breakfast cafe and a one-of-a-kind Persian restaurant, a storefront serving solely sausages and a sophisticated steakhouse on the Square. Here’s a recap of what’s new in Madison-area dining, with a reference list of our favorite dishes. Note, though, that with a growing number of restaurants focusing on fresh seasonal ingredients, not all dishes mentioned may be available at all times. Reviews are by Julia Burke, Erin Clune, André Darlington, Linda Falkenstein, Kyle Nabilcy and Adam Powell. MONONA SPICE
ONLY SAUSAGE STUFF
SAY “CHEESE”
Swad Indian
O.S.S.
MACS Mac and Cheese Shop
6007 Monona Dr., Madison, 608-819-6950; swadmonona.com
910 Regent St., Madison, 608-709-1000, ossmadison.com
2804 Prairie Lakes Dr. Ste. 106, Sun Prairie, 608-318-8823, macandcheeseshop.com
Swad’s owners have turned a blah stripmall space into a gracious contemporary dining room, with dark woods and jeweltone paint, a small bar up front and the steam tables for the buffet sequestered in the rear. There’s certainly enough to like at the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet (especially for $10). PICKS: Saag paneer; beef curry in a light tomato-based sauce; baingan bhartha, bright with ginger and spices. — L.F.
O.S.S. boasts a renovated steampunk space and recipes from Monroe’s Baumgartner’s, with sausages made at Green County’s Zuber’s Sausage Kitchen. Sandwiches come and go on this rapidly changing menu. PICKS: The Drunky Ducky, duck sausage infused with maple and bourbon, onions, cranberry sauce, and brown mustard; banh mi sausage; the chorizo-centric Fundido; smoked Polish; fried cheese curds. — K.N.
Macaroni and cheese here — gooey, salty, greasy and creamy — is built on a chubby ribbed elbow macaroni that retains enough bite to hold up to the onslaught of toppings. PICKS: Buffalo chicken mac, jalapeño popper mac. — L.F.
BEST BARBECUE
BURGER AND A BEER
Blowin’ Smoke
Mr. Brews Taphouse
1336 Montondon Ave., Waunakee, 608-215-0069, blowinsmokebbq.org
(reviewed under the original name Brews Brothers), 610 Junction Rd., Madison, 608824-9600, 611 Hometown Circle, Verona, 608-845-2280, mrbrewstaphouse.com
Blowin’ Smoke will feed you, your family and your friends quite well. The smell of smoking meat greets diners even before they set foot in the building’s entryway. Any of the sauces will do you right, but I’d lean toward the sweet original over the spicy or extra spicy, to let the meat and rub really sing. PICKS: Burnt ends, Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, the Three Little Pigs (sandwich stuffed with pork, pit ham and more of that maplesmoked bacon, plus chipotle mayo). — K.N.
SOPHISTICATED ITALIAN
Cento
122 W. Mifflin St., Madison, 608-284-9378, centomadison.com
Chef Michael Pruett, one of Madison’s most talented chefs, in a space with one of the best urban dining views in town. PICKS: Perfectly executed arancini, pillowy gnocchi, and fish (char, branzino). — K.N.
SOUTHERN THAI
Monsoon Siam
2045 Atwood Ave., Madison, 608-284-9282, monsoonsiam-wi.com
A pleasing modern Thai cafe with an open kitchen, a small bar with taps from local breweries and fast, friendly and efficient service. PICKS: Papaya salad, Southern Heat, drunken noodle. — L.F.
WORKING-CLASS HERO
Upwards of 45 taps, relatively Wisconsinlight and hops-heavy. Bell’s Hopslam, Three Floyds Alpha King, Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA — beers like this make the $3.50 happy-hour pricing awfully persuasive. If you aren’t in the mood for a burger, you may find Brews Brothers lacking. PICKS: Double “B” LT with blue cheese crumbles; Kentucky Bourbon Classic cheeseburger. — K.N.
Tip Top Tavern
FUN FUSION
HUMMUS HEADQUARTERS
Sujeo
601 North St., Madison, 608-241-5515, thetiptoptavern.com
Nicely revamped corner tap with big, sturdy food that’s dressed up for the 21st century. PICKS: Catfish “rich-boy,” burgers, Reuben, “The Little Oscar” bologna sandwich, green chile carnitas. — K.N.
10 N. Livingston St., Madison, 608-630-9400, sujeomadison.com
Palmyra Mediterranean Grill
A chef-driven sensibility in an upbeat, unfussy environment. On a huge menu spanning much of Asia but largely centered on Korea and Southeast Asia, dishes roll out with meticulous care. PICKS: Sichuan beef tongue and tripe salad, phat hot basil, pork curry. — A.D.
Large but plain dining space; lots of meze-type dishes perfect for sharing. PICKS: Hummus, beef kebab, chicken kefta, chicken with hummus. — L.F.
419 State St., Madison, 608-630-9191
PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS PHOTOS; HONG KONG STATION BY SHARON VANORNY; MONSOON SIAM BY L AUR A Z A STROW
ISTHMUS DINING 2015
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SHORT STACK EATERY
SHARON VANORNY
NOODLE NIRVANA
PUB SCENE
Short Stack Eatery
Flying Hound Alehouse
1441 Regent St., Madison, 608-661-8288
301 W. Johnson St., Madison, 608-709-5569, shortstackeats.com
6317 McKee Rd., Fitchburg, 608-310-4422; flyinghoundpub.com
The remade space exudes charm with mismatched chairs, mason jar glasses, a chandelier made out of whisks, etc. Breakfast is served 24/7, but from Thursday morning through Sunday only. PICKS: Pulled pork and grits, milkshakes, blueberry pancakes. — A.D.
The creative beer menu doesn’t disappoint. It’s heavy on European producers, with favorites like Belhaven Scottish Ale and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, and Belgian classics like St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Tripel Karmeliet. There are also Western U.S. choices from Lagunitas and Big Sky, in addition to a handful of rotating Wisconsin locals. PICKS: Poutine, sausage sampler, fish fry. — J.B.
Filling bowls of legit cart-style noodles start at $4 any time of day. The tiny restaurant offers a choice of 10 varieties: egg, thick Cantonese-style, Shanghai, instant, ramen, udon, silk (mung bean), and three kinds of rice noodles. PICKS: Whole barbecue ducks and sides of crisped, tender honey barbecue pork; salt and pepper spare ribs; Singapore chow mei fun. — A.D.
IZAKAYA WITH ADVENTURE
Restaurant Muramoto 225 King St., Madison, 608-259-1040; muramoto.biz
The menu is divinded among grilled, raw, skewers, fried, options; plus, there’s a fusion-sushi section. PICKS: Beef tongue marinated in miso; walleye tempura; snapper head. — A.D.
GOAN INDIAN
Haveli
5957 McKee Rd., Fitchburg, 608-274-3333, haveliindianrestaurant.com
A color-drenched space by day and a pleasantly romantic setting at night. PICKS: Mixed grill tandoori, garlic naan, goan fish curry, goat curry. — A.D.
CORNISH PASTIES TO GO
Teddywedgers
101 State St., Madison, 608-257-2383
At the tip of State Street facing the Capitol, the revamped pasty outlet is convenient to office workers, visitors and students. PICKS: Bacon, egg and cheese breakfast pasty; the Big Cheesy (essentially an inverted sausage pizza). — K.N. 36
LONG WEEKEND
Hong Kong Station
ISTHMUS DINING 2015
KOREAN COOL
New Seoul
721 N. High Point Rd., Madison, 608-829-3331
New Seoul quietly served our city for decades on University Avenue without making many headlines; the restaurant recently relocated to the far west side in an important upgrade that bodes well for the Korean cause. This new space seats about 40, is freshly scrubbed and cheerful. It’s still casual, with wooden chopsticks on simple tables, but the greater openness in the space fosters friendliness. PICKS: The labor-intensive Korean chicken and ginger soup, sam gae tang; beef bulgogi. — A.P.
UPSCALE SEAFOOD
Bonefish Grill
7345 Mineral Point Rd., Madison, 608-827-5720, bonefishgrill.com
Earth tones dominate, and wooden beams frame the asymmetrical wine rack that bisects the central dining space. There’s a full bar on one side and private dining rooms on the other. PICKS: Bang Bang shrimp, the American Kobe Beef Burger, tempura-battered cod. — A.P.
INDIAN OFF STATE
Mirch Masala
449 State St., Madison, 608-665-3667, madisonmirchmasala.com
The former Capitol Square restaurant reopened in more modest digs at the site of the former Redamte coffee house. PICKS: Lunch buffet, bhindi masala, beef masala, momo steamed dumplings. — L.F.
HOMEMADE DOUGHNUTS
Rosie’s Coffee Bar and Bakery
4604 Monona Dr., Madison, 608-441-7673, rosiescoffeebarandbakery.com
Modern coffee shop, with beans from JBC Coffee Roasters, available in brewed, pour-over, cold-process and siphon preparations. Plus sweets case and full savory menu. PICKS: Scrambled egg and bacon biscuit sandwich, biscuits and gravy, chicken salad on croissant. — K.N.
MACS MAC AND CHEESE SHOP
L AUR A Z A STROW
AMBITIOUS AFGHANI
TAKE A DIP
PERSIAN PERFECTION
Kabul
Mad City Frites
Layla’s Persian Food
540 State St., Madison, 608-256-6322, kabulmadison.com
320 State St., Madison, 608-204-6150, madcityfrites.com
141 S. Butler St., Madison, 608-216-4511
A new location for Kabul creates a whole new experience: Bigger kitchen space allows for a more sophisticated menu. The centerpiece of the new room is a bar that runs perpendicular to the windows overlooking State Street. PICKS: Afghan soup, sweet potato with lamb curry, lamb and chicken kebabs. — A.P.
Fries and poutine only are served in the former Shakti bookstore space. Also, dipping sauces. Gravy and the panoply of 10 dipping sauces are made in-house. PICKS: Zingy lime-sriracha dipping sauce, and the occasional monthly special. — K.N.
HOMEY HEARTH
Asian Sweet Bakery
Doolittle’s Woodfire Grill 4323 East Towne Blvd., Madison, 608-608-729-4980, doolitles.com
Booths and a bustling kitchen are features along with the wood-burning grill at this busy spot in the East Towne parking lot. PICKS: Rotisserie chicken, baked five-cheese tortellini, bacon cheeseburger. — K.N.
FARM-TO-TABLE
Oliver’s Public House 2540 University Ave., Madison, 608-819-8555, oliverspublichouse.com
There’s loads of handsome distressed wood, and a square-shaped bar makes the earthtone-rich space feel both cozy and active. The result is low-key and understatedly sophisticated. Craft cocktails put Oliver’s on the map. PICKS: Seared scallops and shrimp, cheese plate, trout, grilled pork chop. — A.D.
CARRY ON
King of Falafel 1129 S. Park St., Madison, 608-709-5353
Get carryout from the bright, sunny side room at the Amstar gas station, barely more than a grill area, a counter and a chair where you can wait for your food. PICKS: Top-notch hummus, falafel wraps, lamb platter, chicken shawarma, eggplant and potato wrap. — L.F.
BARBECUE IN A BUN
1017 S. Park St., Madison, 608-665-3988
Madison’s first Chinese bakery, serving classic treats out of a tiny building on the corner of South Park and Lakeside. Outfitted with glaringly clean white walls and a stark interior, the bakery also serves breakfast and lunch staples like congee and noodle bowls. PICKS: Macau-style egg custard tarts, barbecue pork turnovers, noodle bowls. — A.D.
DRY-AGED, BONE-IN
Rare Steakhouse
14 W. Mifflin St. Madison, 608-204-9000, rareonthesquare.com
Beautifully appointed mahogany dining room, opulent red leather booths and exclusive private dining. There’s also an impressive-looking glass-encased wine cellar. PICKS: Caesar salad, dry-aged bone-in Kansas City strip steak. — A.D.
JUST ADD SALSA
El Burrito Loco
Cheery, quirky basement space appointed with eclectic odds and ends — mirrors, rugs, mismatched furniture and bright French blue chairs. It’s hidden away under the Madison Hostel. PICKS: Ghormeh sabzi, Iran’s default national dish, a stew of herbaceous greens with lamb; fesenjoon, chicken in a walnut and pomegranate sauce; sabzi kuku, a brilliant green spinach soufflé. — A.D.
COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS
Red Rock Saloon
322 W. Johnson St., Madison, 608-709-5200
Pop-country music, an actual mechanical bull, drink specials, highly attractive bartenders and a prime location. PICKS: Ribs, Buffalo wings. — J.B.
IT’S A WRAP
Taco Bros.
604 University Ave., Madison, 608-422-5075; thetacobros.com
Taco Bros. has a big chalkboard menu, friendly staffers, a few booths, a picnic table and some stools in the window for seating. The best fillings are jerk chicken, carnitas (pork cooked long, low and slow), braised beef, and carne asada (seasoned steak), served in tacos (corn or flour tortillas), burritos (which can be ordered dry or “wet,” i.e., covered with sauce and queso), chimichangas, quesadillas, nachos or as a taco salad. — L.F. <
745 N. High Point Rd., Madison, 608-203-9670, elburritolocollc.com
The new brick-and-mortar location of the long-time food cart is casual, with a stone tile floor, colorful tablecloths and exceptional service. PICKS: Enchiladas Sinaloa, chilaquiles, the taco platter. — E.C.
ISTHMUS DINING 2015
37
ISTHMUS
A GUIDE TO ADVERTISERS AND MENTIONED RESTAURANTS < SEE THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS AT ISTHMUS.COM
RESTAUR ANT INDEX
4 and 20 Bakery and Cafe: Quality bakery, breakfast and lunch spot. Pies, scones and other pastries are joined by lush specials like a textbook-perfect breakfast biscuits and fine pork fillings in lunchtime sandwiches. For dessert, don’t miss the replica of the “Oreo.” $2-$9. 305 N. 4th St. 608-819-8893. Madison Near East. 4and20bakery.com
Asian Sweet Bakery: Madison’s
first Chinese bakery, serving classic treats out of a tiny building on the corner of South Park and Lakeside. The bakery also serves breakfast and lunch staples like congee and noodle bowls. Faves include Macaustyle egg custard tarts, barbecue pork turnovers and brioche-like buns studded with slices of hot dogs. $2-$8. 1017 S. Park St. 608665-3988. Madison - South.
Avenue Bar: Supper-
club-style nightly specials including Friday fried cod and fish boil, Saturday prime rib and surf-n-turf and Sunday chicken in a classic Wisconsin tavern atmosphere. Burgers, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, classic cocktails and ice cream cocktails. $5-$30. 1128 E. Washington Ave. 608-257-6877. Madison - Near East. avenuebarmadison.com
Banzo: Crispy fresh-
made falafel, housemade hummus and baba ganoush, salads, homemade chips and specials. The schnitzel— seasoned fried chicken in a pita — is a near-perfect object. Cafe, takeout, delivery. $3-$8. 2105 Sherman Ave. 608-441-2002. Madison - North. Also food carts on campus and Capitol Square. banzomadison.com
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ISTHMUS DINING 2015
Barriques: Each of
Barriques’ six locations is slightly different, with coffees, wines, beers, deli sandwiches, salads and more on offer. $5-$10. 5957 McKee Rd. 608-277-9463. Fitchburg. 1901 Cayuga St. 608-824-9463. Middleton. 1825 Monroe St. 608-284-9463. Madison - Near West. 8410 Old Sauk Rd. Madison - Near West. 916 S. Park St. 608-819-6787. Madison - South. 127 W. Washington Ave. 608-2686264. Madison - Downtown. barriquesmarket.com
Batch Bakehouse: There are a
few eat-in tables and coffee, but most importantly, sourdough loaves, ciabatta and the rustic Provencal loaf called fougasse. The sweet is just as good as the savory, with muffins, scones, plain and filled croissants, morning buns and rich coffee cakes. Don’t miss the orange roll, truly breakfast nirvana. $2-$7. 1402 Williamson St. 608-257-1652. Madison - Near East. batchbakehouse.com
Beach House: Charming bar and
small side dining room, right on Lake Waubesa. The walleye and eggs combo for breakfast is a house special, as are the mason-jar Bloody Marys. Nightly specials, including Friday fish fry. Seasonal outdoor dining. $3-$26. 4506 Larson’s Beach Rd. 608-838-7248. McFarland.
Benvenuto’s: Pasta, good wood-
fired pizza, made-to-order calzone, plus chicken, fish, pork, seafood, and even steak. Gluten-free options available. $6-$20. 2949 Triverton Pike Dr. 608-278-7800. Fitchburg. 1109 Fourier Dr. 608-826-0555. Middleton. 1849 Northport Dr. 608-241-1144. Madison - North. 1849 Northport Dr. 608-241-1144. Madison - North. benvenutos.com
Blowin’ Smoke Barbeque: Kansas City-style barbecue with dry rubs and three different sauces. Sandwiches include chopped pork, brisket, ham, chicken and turkey; don’t miss the Three Little Pigs, stuffed with pork, pit ham, maple-smoked bacon, plus chipotle mayo. Excellent burnt ends are available after 5 pm. Pork spare ribs with any of the sauces will do you right. $4-$25. 1336 Montondon Ave. 608-215-0069. Waunakee. Also Capitol Square food cart. blowinsmokebbq.org Bonefish Grill: Elegant seafood near West Towne. Hot appetizer is the Bang Bang shrimp, with good reason. The tempura-battered cod should please the Wisco fish-fry lover, and for meat eaters, don’t overlook the American Kobe Beef Burger. $8-$27. 7345 Mineral Point Rd. 608-827-5720. Madison - West. bonefishgrill.com Brickhouse BBQ: Large barbecue restaurant with event rooms and banquet area, plus a popular rooftop deck. Pulled pork, ribs, roasted chicken, pork chops, sausage, ham, brisket, catfish dinners, also sandwiches. Also noteworthy: 40 local and national craft beers on tap. $7-$20. 408 W. Gorham St. 608257-7675. Madison - Downtown. thebrickhousebbq.com Brocach Irish Pub: The menu selections at the two locations may vary, but both offer homey Gaelic soul and some good food too. Best of the bunch is a gravy-smothered roast chicken and the bang-up bangers and mash. The downtown location is open for breakfast during the farmer’s market. $3-$18. 7 W. Main St. 608-255-2015. MadisonDowntown. 1843 Monroe St. 608819-8653. Madison - Near West. brocach.com
Capitol Chophouse: At the Monona Terrace Hilton. The menu is steak-centric at this impeccable, quiet dining room. The several fish entrees, however, are also very good. Lunch features sandwiches, salads and pastas. $7-$40. 9 E. Wilson St. 608-255-0165. Madison Downtown. capitolchophouse.com Casa del Sol: The outdoor patio
seating is popular in this spacious suburban Mexican restaurant. Dependable versions of the standards like burritos, enchiladas, fajitas. Also excellent posole. $6-$16. 3040 Cahill Main 608-663-8818. Fitchburg. casadelsolrestaurant.com
Cento: Chef Michael Pruett’s new
Italian restaurant featuring lots of antipasti and small plates, pizzas, plus big-league entrees like rack of lamb, dry aged ribye and rabbit. $5-$37. 122 W. Mifflin St. 608-2849378. Madison - Downtown.
Century House: Modern and Scandinavian interiors. Furniture, gifts, and kitchen supplies. 3029 and 3420 University Ave. 608-233-4488. Madison - Near West. centuryhouseinc.com Chez Nanou: French country cooking featuring sweet and savory crepes, salads, tartines, cassolettes, and desserts. This is not the place to skip the crème brûlée. Menu changes weekly. $5-$15. 805 Williamson St. 608-283-4266. Madison - Near East. cheznanoumadison.com CIRC: New restaurant in the
Madison Concourse Hotel under the helm of chef Charles Lazzareschi. CIRC features contemporary American cuisine with seasonal ingredients and global touches. Breakfast buffet; appetizers, salads, grilled flatbreads, burgers and other sandwiches at lunch; beef, lamb, seafood, chicken entrees for dinner. The Bar also offers the lunch menu. $8-$28. 1 W. Dayton St. 608-2576000 (hotel), 608-294-3031 (reservations). Madison - Downtown. councoursehotel.com/dining
Flying Hound Alehouse: Gas-
Colectivo Coffee Roasters: Coffee and espresso drinks from the Milwaukee roasters, plus smoothies and teas, sandwiches and burritos (both breakfast- and lunch-based), and several daily soups. Pourovers, the lemon-blueberry scone, smoothies and house beers are favorites. $2-$8. 25 S. Pinckney St. 608-255-0474. Madison - Downtown. 2530 Monroe St. 608630-8930. Madison - Near West. colectivocoffee.com
Crema Cafe: Coffee, fruit smoothies, and excellent sandwiches and salads made from locally grown and sustainably produced ingredients in this pleasant storefront in the Lake Edge Shopping Center across from Lake Monona. $2-$9. 4124 Monona Dr. 608-224-1150. Madison - East. goodcrema.com
tropub with 32 rotating drafts, with local and American microbrews, German, Belgian and British beers. Menu includes burgers, sandwiches, bangers and mash, schnitzel, fish and chips and several salads. Friday fish fry with several options. $3-$16. 6317 McKee Rd. 608-310-4422. Fitchburg. flyinghoundpub.com
Winners of the 2014 Isthmus Readers Poll feature the Mad Fave label
Dayton Street Grille: Break-
fast, lunch and dinner inside the Madison Concourse Hotel. Features the popular and fresh all-you-caneat weekday salad bar at lunch. At night, grilled lamb chops, Atlantic salmon, pork chops, pastas and tenderloin. $7-$25. 1 W. Dayton St. 608-257-6000. Madison - Downtown. daytonstreetgrille.com
Dobhan: Pretty dining room with
Nepali and Tibetan dishes. Excellent samosa, pakuda, dal and dosa, with entrees like sea bass and lamb tagine. Excellent brunch, too. $4-$18. 2110 Atwood Ave. 608-242-4448. Madison - Near East. dobhanrestaurant.com
Doolittle’s Woodfire Grill: Sandwiches and burgers, salads and flatbreads, steaks, seafood and chicken, wood-fired and spitroasted. $5-$30. 4323 East Towne Blvd. 608-729-4980. Madison - East. doolittles.com
Dorf Haus: Historic German restaurant in the pleasant small town of Roxbury. German specialties such as schnitzel, wurst, rouladen and sauerbraten; steaks, seafood and chicken. Light eater menu. Bavarian smorgasbord first Mondays. $10$22. 8931 Hwy. Y 608-643-3980. Roxbury. foodspot.com/dorfhaus Dorn True Value Hardware: All your hardware needs. 127 N. Broom St. 608-256-0530. Madison - Downtown. 1348 S .Midvale Blvd. 608-274-2511. Madison - Near West. dornhardware.com
The poll takes place each June. Watch for it in Isthmus in print and online! Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry: In a
site convenient to campus and the Kohl Center, the legend lives on. Burgers, malts, chilis and homemade soups. $3-$11. 317 N. Frances St. 608-259-0000. Madison - Downtown. dottydumplingsdowry.com
Driftless Depot: Local purveyors showcased at one of southern Wisconsin’s hidden gems. Sandwiches served at lunch; Friday trout dinner is superb, but you need to place reservations by Thursday. Dinner takeout or eat in orders should be phoned in advance as well. $5-$20. 140 S. Winsted St. 608-628-1001. Spring Green. driftlessdepot.com Edgewater Hotel-Statehouse Restaurant: Chef Thomas Welther
oversees a regionally sourced, modern American menu. Also classic cocktails, extensive wine list, Wisconsin craft beers. $5-$30. 1001 Wisconsin Pl. 800-922-5512. Madison - Downtown. theedgewater.com/dining
Edo Garden: One room features
hibachi tables, the other’s for less dramatic dining. Sushi, teriyaki, donburi, yaki soba, good light tempura and all-day bento box specials. $4-$20. 6309 Monona Dr. 608-2269828. Monona. edojapaneserestaurant.com
El Burrito Loco: The long-running
food cart has a brick-and-mortar restaurant. It’s casual, with a stone tile floor, colorful tablecloths and exceptional service. Excellent lunch specials, Enchiladas Sinaloa, chilaquiles, the taco platter. $3-$15. 745 N. High Point Rd. 608-2039670. Madison - West. Also Capitol Square food cart. elburritolocollc. com
Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro: Sophisti-
cated dining room and bar, an impressive wine list, and good calamari, ahi tartar, petite filet with potato goat cheese stack. $6-$30. 601 Junction Rd. 608-664-9565. Madison - West. eno-vino.com
Forequarter: Local seasonal menu changes daily at this artisinal epicenter; the place to go for nettle cavatelli, for instance. Bar program focuses on Collins, aperitifs and Amaro. Handcrafted, house-cured meat boards; the vegetable boards are just as popular. $8-$24. 708 1/4 E. Johnson St. 608-609-4717. Madison - Near East. forequartermadison.com Fortune Cafe: Indonesian food cart with ginger chicken, sesame chicken, mixed vegetable coconut rice, bihun goreng and homemade kerupuk (a snacky, deep-fried starch-and-rice cake); plus sweet cendol, a bit like bubble tea. $4-$7. Takeout orders at 711 1/2 State St. 920-747-9646. Madison - Downtown. Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier: Fine handmade chocolates, with truffles, seasonal specialties and regional flavors. Faves include the caramel sprinkled with salt and the Maharajah curry. $2-$36. 2086 Atwood Ave. 608-249-3500. Madison - Near East. gailambrosius.com
Gates & Brovi: Family-friendly,
yet sophisticated — this focused menu from the folks who brought you Sardine and Marigold Kitchen includes burgers and sandwiches, but also lobster and Blue Point oysters and a few other coastal specialities. $4-$28. 3502 Monroe St. 608-819-8988. Madison - Near West. gatesandbrovi.com
Genna’s: Classic cocktails. 60 different bottled beers and 12 on tap. Happy hour. Available for private parties. $3-$10. 105 W. Main St. 608-2554770. Madison - Downtown. gennaslounge.com
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A GUIDE TO ADVERTISERS AND MENTIONED RESTAURANTS Glass Nickel Pizza: Well known for specialty pizzas including the all-time favorite, the Fetalicious, but don’t overlook non-pizza entrees: pasta, salads, subs, and particularly the Mediterranean lasagna. $5-$16. 2916 Atwood Ave. 608-245-0880. Madison - Near East. 3191 Muir Field Rd. 608-848-4877. Madison West. 101 West Main St. 608-8349919. Sun Prairie. 5003 University Ave. 608-218-9000. Madison - West. glassnickelpizza.com
Gotham New York Bagels and Eats: This shop offers hand-rolled
bagels of the New York persuasion, in plain and 11 other flavors including “super egg everything.” Over and above the quality bagel, there’s breakfast (bagel sandwiches), spreads (creamed cheese and tofu spreads); daily soup specials; and more extravagant lunch sandwiches. $1-$9. 112 E. Mifflin St. 608-4677642. Madison - Downtown. gothambagels.com
Great Dane: Popular
Grampa’s Pizzeria: Inside Grampa’s whitewashed cinderblock facade is a surprising elegance, blending warm industrial and bygone-era touches. And it’s not just pizza; also excellent are the pork confit and the caprese starters and for dessert, the sticky ginger cake and ice cream sandwiches. The pizza selection is tightly focused, with six on the menu (in addition to a “create your own” option). Also market-driven salads, good wine list and local beers. $7-$14. 1374 Williamson St. 608-283-9580. Madison - Near East. grampaspizzeria.com
Grumpy Troll Brew Pub, Restaurant and Pizzeria:
pub fare, from burgers (including a $1 upgrade to local grass-fed beef) to sandwiches to chicken pot pie and a spicy peanut stew. Gluten-free menu available. And, up to 14 handcrafted beers on tap. $7-$16. 123 E. Doty St. 608-284-0000. Madison - Downtown. 876 Jupiter Dr. 608-442-1333. Madison - East. 2980 Cahill Main 608-442-9000. Fitchburg. 357 Price Place 608-661-9400. Madison Near West. greatdanepub.com
Creative and award-winning housebrewed beers. The restaurant serves a large number of sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers as well as dinner entrees. Upstairs in the pizzeria, the pies are the centerpiece, with dough made from the same grain used in the beers. Bars on both levels. $6-$17. 105 S. 2nd St. 608-437-2739 (pub), 608-4372741 (pizzeria). Mount Horeb. thegrumpytroll.com
Green Owl Cafe: Madison’s only dedicated vegetarian restaurant is also friendly to vegans and those on gluten-free and raw-food diets. A new menu features a number of tasty sandwiches, from a roasted veggie version that stands among the best in town, to a craveworthy blackened Cajun tofu. Entrees include a comforting groundnut stew and a vegan schnitzel. $6-$13. 1970 Winnebago St. 608-285-5290. Madison - Near East. thegreenowlcafe.com
Graze: Locally sourced comfort
foods drawn from a variety of cuisines in a contemporary space in the “glass bank” on the Square. Playful starters include pretzels, popcorn and pork buns. At brunch, choose decadent Nutella-stuffed French toast. The pub burger is top-notch, but so is the vegetarian beet and walnut burger. $6-$24. 1 S. Pinckney St. 608-251-2700. Madison - Down town. grazemadison.com
Ha Long Bay: Serene
decor, big menu with items from Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Very popular, and its hard to go wrong; curries are a particular strength. The Bay really makes good with the pho, too. $3-$15. 1353 Williamson St. 608-255-2868. Madison - Near East. hlbmadison.com
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SEE THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS AT ISTHMUS.COM Heritage Tavern: The constantly changing menu at chef Dan Fox’s cozy and elegant restaurant draws from local, carefully sourced, seasonal foods. The menu is heavily tilted toward sharing, due both to the first courses’ overall heaviness and the generously sized portions. In keeping with chef Fox’s reputation as a pork connoisseur, meat eaters will find lots to love; look for the pork schnitzel. For dessert, hope for gianduja chocolate tart. $6-$39. 131 E. Mifflin St. 608-283-9500. Madison - Downtown. heritagetavern.com
Harvest: Slow food overlook-
ing the Capitol. Menu changes seasonally; watch, too, for many special theme dinners, for heirloom tomatoes, garlic and more. $18-$28. 21 N. Pinckney St. 608-255-6075. Madison - Downtown. harvestrestaurant.com
Haveli Indian Restaurant: New Indian restaurant at the site of the former Fitch’s (et al.) Full menu; lunch buffet $8.95. Dinner standouts include Goan fish curry, goat curry and a tandoori mixed grill with succulent bits of chicken, lamb sausage, shrimp and fish properly spiced and partially blackened. $4-$15. 5957 McKee Rd. 608-2743333. Fitchburg.
Himal Chuli: While the momochas, a dumpling with a coriander/tomato dipping sauce, have achieved local cult status, the menu presents excellent Nepalese food across the board. The two daily takari (vegetable stew) specials are always good, but try more adventuresome dishes too, like the kadi (onion dumplings) or the spicy tuk-pa. $6-$14. 318 State St. 608-251-9225. Madison - Downtown. facebook. com/pages/Himal-Chuli-MadisonWI/120304580251
Imperial Garden: Well-prepared
Chinese favorites, such as pot stickers, treasure seafood and crispy duck. $3-$14. 2039 Allen Blvd. 608-238-6445. Middleton. imperialgarden.com
Primarily Cantonese food featuring dim sum Saturday and Sunday mornings (11 am-2:30 pm). Free delivery with $10 minimum order. $7-$12. 2 S. Mills St. 608-259-1668. Madison - Near West. hkcafemadison.com
music venue with happy hour, Glass Nickel pizza by the slice and a wide selection of liquors, beers and wines. 701 E. Washington Ave. 608268-1122. Madison - Near East. high-noon.com.
Sandwich and coffee shop serving breakfast and lunch. Excellent pastries and pies, baked in-house. $1.50-$7. 4674 Cottage Grove Rd. Madison - Near West. Madison East. heritagebakeryandcafe.com
and personal-size pies (tarts, hand pies and pie bites), mini pizzas, cookies, cupcakes, and Just Coffee in a small, cozy neighborhood storefront. $3-$25. 10 S. Allen St. 608-630-6190. Madison - Near West. humble4pie.com
Hong Kong Cafe:
High Noon Saloon: Popular
Heritage Bakery and Cafe:
Humble Sweet and Savory Pies: Sweet and savory whole pies
Inka Heritage: Get a taste of the
tart ceviche, and other seafood, as well as aji de pollo — an almost curry-like dish featuring strips of chicken served in a very creamy sauce of nuts and Parmesan cheese. Considerable vegetarian options, too. $7-$16. 602 S. Park St. 608-310-4282. Madison - South. inkaheritagerestaurant.com
Hong Kong Station: Noodles are a specialty. $3-$10. 1441 Regent St. 608-661-8288 . Madison - Near West.
Hilldale Shopping Center: Stores, boutiques and restaurants, Sundance 608 and a year-round farmers’ market. 702 N. Midvale Blvd., 608-233-6157. Madison - Near West. hilldale.com. Do
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A GUIDE TO ADVERTISERS AND MENTIONED RESTAURANTS
RARE STEAKHOUSE PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS
jacs: Sandwiches with a Mediterranean influence. Flatbreads, salads, rabbit ragout, duck breast, fresh catch. Very gluten-free friendly. 15 taps of craft beer and cider; six gluten-free beers (bottle). $8-$16. 2611 Monroe St. 608-441-5444. Madison - Near West. jacsdiningandtaphouse.com Johnson Public House: Craft
coffee served French press or pourover, sandwiches, baked goods from Batch and other goodies. Handicapped accessibility: there are front steps. $2-$8. 908 E. Johnson St. 608-347-0483. Madison - Near East. johnsonpublichouse.com
Jordan’s Big Ten Pub: Appetizers,
lots of sandwiches (including whole pages of chicken sandwiches, burger variations, and Reubens), and salads. Walleye, perch, cod and bluegill on Fridays. $4-$9. 1330 Regent St. 608-251-6375. Madison - Near West. jordansbig10pub.com
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Kabul Restaurant: Terrific plates on the lunch menu, and good deals. Entrees are mostly chicken- or lambbased, and are offered as curries, or over couscous or chalow (white rice seasoned with cardamom). There’s also a nice selection of vegetarian dishes: fasuliya (green beans cooked with onions and ans split peas), bamya (okra with garlic in tandoori masala) and lubya (red beans with tomatoes, cumin, and coriander). Handicap accessibility is still in process. $5-$16. 540 State St. 608256-6322. Madison - Downtown. kabulmadison.com Kilwins: Chocolates, caramels, fudge and other confections. 208 State St., 608-661-4431. Madison Downtown. kilwins.com. King of Falafel: Middle Eastern sandwiches and plates, as well as American classics like cheesesteak, fried chicken and fish. Standouts include the falafel, eggplant sandwich, chicken and lamb shawarma, and the hummus. No dine-in. $3-$12. 1129 S. Park St. 608-709-5353. Madison - South. Also Capitol Square food cart.
Kitchen Gallery: Gourmet
culinary shop with a wide range of tools and supplies from brands like Emile Henry, de Buyer and American Skillet, plus a wide selection of cookbooks and even Rancho Gordo heirloom beans. 107 King St. 608467-6544. Madison - Downtown. kitchengallerymadison.com
Lake Vista Cafe: Rooftop dining
seasonally at Monona Terrace with appetizers, sandwiches, soups and salads, desserts and drinks. We like the hand-cut fries with tomato remoulade, the fish tacos. $2-$11. 1 John Nolen Dr. 608-261-4049. Madison - Downtown.
Lao Laan-Xang: Specializing in
Laotian cuisine and vegetarian dishes. If you like your food spicy hot, opt for the house specials like the moak pa or gai, catfish or chicken with ground pork and hot peppers steamed in a banana leaf, with sticky rice. $8.50-$11. 2098 Atwood Ave. 608-819-0140. Madison - Near East. 1146 Williamson St. 608-280-0104. Madison - Near East. llx-restaurant.com
Le Tigre Lounge: Lauded for its
cocktails, classic lounge atmosphere and jukebox. 1328 S. Midvale Blvd. 608-274-0944. Madison - Near West. facebook.com/pages/LeTigre-Lounge/107701862607720
Little Luxuries: Household decorations, gifts, kitchen accessories, jewelry and more at this well-curated specialty shop. 230 State St., 608-255-7372. Madison - Downtown. littleluxuriesmadison
Lombardino’s Restaurant: Upscale Ital-
ian, but also great pizzas and Caesar salad. Menu changes seasonally. Pasta is particularly outstanding. $15-$31. 2500 University Ave. 608-238-1922. Madison - Near West. lombardinos.com
MACS: Macaroni and cheese in a
number of rich iterations. $4-$10. 2804 Prairie Lakes Dr. Ste. 106. 608318-8823. Sun Prairie.
Mad City Frites: Fries and pou-
tine only are served; gravy and the panoply of 10 dipping sauces are made in-house. Look for the zingy lime-sriracha dipping sauce and the occasional monthly special. $4-$6. 320 State St. 608-204-6150. Madison - Downtown. madcityfrites.com
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for craft cocktails, with 40-some bourbons and other top ingredients on hand. But artisan meats in sandwiches, salads and small plates, and a half-dozen entrees for dinner add to the draw of this modern space. $3-$19. 121 S. Pinckney St. 608-259-9799. Madison - Downtown. merchantmadison.com
Mermaid Cafe: Sandwiches featuring natural ingredients and homemade breads, including a great banh mi. Also soups and pastries. Dinner features a seasonal selection of locally sourced plates, boards and grill items. $4-$15. 1927 Winnebago St. 608-249-9719. Madison - Near East. mermaidcafemadison.com Metcalfe’s Market: Vast array of deli options, pizzas made to order, sushi, etc., with an emphasis on fresh and local. $2-$9. 726 N. Midvale Blvd. 608-238-7612. Madison - Near West. 7455 Mineral Point Rd., 608-829-3500. Madison - West. shopmetcalfes.com
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Personal touches abound at this busy breakfast/lunch bistro. Twists on breakfast and lunch, with chili-poached eggs, French toast drizzled with pastry cream and fresh berries, hearty sandwiches, salads and soups. $5-$10. 118 S. Pinckney St. Madison - Downtown. Madison Downtown. marigoldkitchen.com.
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Manna Cafe: From-scratch baked goods including breads, lush desserts and pastries. Inventive sandwiches, quiches, soups and salads. Dinner menu includes ribs, brisket, chicken-zucchini “sliders,” and a southern-style “Bayou” biscuit, and more. $5-$16. 611 N. Sherman Ave. 608-663-5500. Madison - North. mannacafe.com
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Madison’s: Hamburgers, sand-
Maharaja: Excellent, full range of Indian dishes. Don’t miss the stuffed breads, the tandoori, chicken tikka masala, and other curries. Or try it all at the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. $8-$14. 6713 Odana Rd. 608-833-1824. Madison - West. maharajarestaurants.com
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Malt House: 150-plus bottles and 18 tap beers. Some are rare. There are plenty of local favorites. Drafts are dispensed through three imported European beer towers. No food, although you can have pizza or whatever delivered. $2-$20. 2609 E. Washington Ave. 608-204-6258. Madison - East. malthousetavern. com
wiches, plus fish and steak dinners. $4-$17. 119 King St. 608-229-0900. Madison - Downtown. madisonsdowntown.com
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breakfast quiche, house granola, and steel cut oatmeal served with balsamic macerated berries. At lunch, sandwiches, soups and salads. Fresh seasonal ingredients with local sourcing when available. $2-$10. 916 Williamson St. 608-442-8009. Madison - Near East. madisonsourdough.com
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Mirch Masala: State Street option
for Indian food, with a few Nepali entrees. Try the beef or lamb curries, or some of the vegetable entrees like bhindi masala. Momo, the steamed Tibetan dumplings, come in vegetarian (potato-cabbage) or chicken, are a good start to a meal. Lunchtime buffet is all-you-caneat and runs 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. An elevator is available for access to the second story. $3-$19. 449 State St. 608-665-3667. Madison Downtown.
Monsoon Siam: Spicy Thai entrees from chef’s specials to the expected curries. Lots of special tofu dishes. Some examples of Southern Thai dishes. $4-$19. 2045 Atwood Ave. 608-284-9282 . Madison - Near East. monsoonsiam-wi.com
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Natt Spil: New dishes every week, but you might find thin-crust pizza, a must-eat pork sandwich, or an exceptional hoagie. $6-$10. 211 King St. no phone. Madison - Downtown. nattspil.com New Orleans Take-Out: Eat mo’
bettah! Tasty Creole cuisine to bring home and enjoy. Barbecued shrimp, shrimp etouffee, fried oysters and catfish. Finish with a heavenly slice of sweet potato pecan pie. $4-$11. 1920 Fordem Ave 608-241-6655. 1517 Monroe St 608-280-8000. Madison - Near West. Madison Near East. eatmobettah.com
New Seoul: Fine Korean food, including rock cooker bibimbap, bulgogi, and a faithful rendition of the labor-intensive chicken and ginger soup, sam gae tang. Other soup recs include glass potato noodle soup with red cabbage and beef as well as the squid, octopus, mussel, clam, shrimp, and egg bean paste stew. Surroundings are a nice upgrade from the former University Avenue location. Alcohol: beer only. $8-$17. 721 N. High Point Rd. 608829-3331. Madison - Near West.
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Nostrano: Contemporary menu with Italian and other Mediterranean influences, craft cocktails and the best desserts in town from James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef Elizabeth Dahl. Seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. $11-$28. 111 S. Hamilton St. 608-395-3295. Madison - Downtown. nostranomadison.com O.S.S.: Sausages, celebrated at last in this Wisconsin-centric, campusarea restaurant. A banh mi sausage is topped with bright, crisp veggies, jalapeno slices and a pinkish spicy mayo, with a bed of fresh cilantro underneath. Basic sausages are equally enjoyable and customizable with a tidy selection of toppings. Three varieties of vegan sausage are also available on their own, or to sub for the meat in other menu items. Maybe surpassing the sausages in popularity is an order of the generously proportioned cheese curds. $2-$10. 910 Regent St. 608709-1000. Madison - Near West. ossmadison.com The Old Fashioned: Upscale
Wisconsin tavern a contradiction in terms? Enjoy your favorites in a civilized throwback. Wurst plates, mac ‘n cheese and classic burgers, plus — obviously — a Friday fish fry with choice of cod, perch or walleye, with perch the favorite. Serves breakfasts. $5-$28. 23 N. Pinckney St. 608-310-4545. Madison - Downtown. theoldfashioned.com
loads of handsome distressed wood, HARVEY and a square-shaped bar makes the TER. RUTLEDGE CT. earth-tone-rich space feel both cozy and active. The result is low-key and understatedly sophisticated. Craft cocktails truly put Oliver’s on the map. The seared scallops and shrimp, cheese plate, trout, and grilled pork chop are all wise menu picks. $7-$28. 2540 University Ave. 608-819-8555. Madison - Near West. oliverspublichouse.com
Old Sugar Distillery: On-site
tasting room with cocktails made from favorites like Queen Jennie whiskey and Cane & Abe rum, open Thursday-Saturday. 931 E. Main St. 608-260-0812. Madison - Near East. oldsugardistillery.com
Opus Lounge: The menu at this hip lounge features a transglobal smorgasbord of small dishes. Also serving fine wines, and a variety of champagne and desserts. $3-$14. 116 King St. 608-441-6787. Madison - Downtown. opuslounge.com Osteria Papavero: Trattoria serving “casual Italian cuisine” with sensual treats like Bresaola Rucola e Granta (air-dried beef, arugula, and grana padano cheese). With sandwiches, salads and bread sides for lunch; pasta, seafood and meat entrees for dinner. $5-$16. 128 E. Wilson St. 255-8376. Madison Downtown. osteriapapavero.com Otto’s: 1870 farmhouse serving
Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, seafood, Certified Black Angus steaks. Live jazz/blues on the deck Tues.- Thurs. during the summer. $15-$26. 6405 Mineral Point Rd. 608-274-4044. Madison - West. ottosrestaurant.com
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ing Lake Monona at this Madison institution. Italian dishes featuring RUTLEDGE ST. the classic Garibaldi sandwich, FLORENCE popular Porta salad, pasta and thinCT.131 W. Wilson crust pizza. $6-$11. MORRISON St. 608-257-3832. Madison - DownCT. town. paisansrestaurant.biz ORTON CT.
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Old-school Italian favorites, with good pizza and pasta and fresh seafood dishes. The Risi e bisi with diced prosciutto cotto is a creamy, rich casserole. Also good, bistecca a piacere and the farfalle Piemontese. $6-$24. 704 S. Whitney Way. 608-661-9254. Madison - West. nonnosristoranteitaliano.com
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are joined by a roster of burgers that come with various toppings including add-ons fried eggs and bratwursts. Head for the fresh cut chips, or try the Pub Grub — a big basket of chips topped with bacon, green onions and a good portion of creamy beer cheese sauce. Veggie patty available. $2-$8. 610 Junction Rd. 608-824-9600. Madison - West. 611 Hometown Circle, Verona, 608845-2280. brewsbrospub.com
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Palmyra Mediterranean Grill: Kefta, kebabs, shawarma, gyros, potato curry, falafel, yalangi, hummus, babaganoush, m’hamara, fatoush, kibbeh — all the greatest hits of the cuisine, with fast service. $5-$15. 419 State St. 608-630-9191. Madison - Downtown.
Paradise Lounge: Large list of burgers (try the sour cream and mushroom burger or the “Paradise”) and sandwiches, with fries, broccoli bites and other appetizers. A topped baked potato is another option. 119 W. Main St. 608-256-2263. $3-$8. thenewparadiselounge.com. Rare Steakhouse: Spacious traditional-style steakhouse with an emphasis on dry-aged beef steaks. $5-$30. 14 W. Mifflin St. 608204-9000. Madison - Downtown. rareonthesquare.com Red Rock Saloon: Southern barbecue, Texas chili, burgers, superhot chicken wings with a variety of sauces (tasty and probably worth the fuss). Barbecue mostly comes as sandwiches, but there’s also a rib dinner. The three-slider appetizer with brisket comes with delicate, more-breading-than-onion onion rings are a favorite, followed closely by the well-spiced and crispy sweet potato tots. Fun besides the food includes live music and a mechanical bull. $3-$21. 322 W. Johnson St. 608-709-5200. Madison - Downtown. redrockmadison.com
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in the Machinery Row complex. Yes, they do serve fresh grilled sardines, as well as salmon, bass, skate and mussels, with pasta, beef and chicken rounding out the thoughtful menu. Sunday brunch is also a special treat here. $6-$20. 617 Williamson St. 608-441-1600. Madison - Near East. sardinemadison.com
Swad Indian: Swad has a 150+-
item menu with a larger than average seafood and tandoori section; also on the menu, goat curries. Large 19-item vegetarian menu. Also a southern Indian menu section (dosa, uthappam, vada). The lunch buffet is a good deal, with standout soups and vegetarian curries. Notable is the saag paneer, freshly made vegetable pakora and the peshawari nan, bread stuffed with cashews, raisins, almonds, coconut and fennel seed. $3-$16. 6007 Monona Dr. 608-819-6950. Monona. swadmonona.com
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Sardine: Lakeside dining
Sujeo: Asian fusion cafe from Chef Tory Miller, in the ground floor of the Constellation. $2-$15. 10 N. Livingston St. 608-630-9400. Madison - Near East. sujeomadison.com
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can-eat Brazilian barbecue and steakhouse, with a 40-course “salad bar” and then meats served to you at table including sirloin, ribeye, pork sausage, chicken, and lamb. Fish-eaters can request a fish substitute (Tues.-Sat.) Sunday brunch draws from the salad bar and the meats, but with pastries and eggs, too. Call for reservations. $19-$37. 240 W. Gilman St. 608-257-1111. Madison - Downtown. sambabraziliangrill.com
Taqueria Guadalajara:
Tacos, tortas, huaraches, sopes, and gorditas. House specialties include parrillada for four (tableside grill of traditional meats, and cactus) and somewhat pared-down versions platillo mi rancho and platillo Guadalajara. $2-$11. 1033 Park St. 608- 2501824. Madison - South. lataqueriaguadalajara.com
Teddywedgers: Relish Wisconsin’s Cornish history with a big, hearty meat-and-vegetable-filled pasty. We’re partial to the breakfast bacon egg and cheese version, as well as The Big Cheesy. Half-orders available, and may be all you need to fill you up. $4-$9. 101 State St. 608257-2383. Madison - Downtown. facebook.com/teddywedgeres
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Stalzy’s Deli: New York-style deli with housemade corned beef, pastrami. Potato pancakes, great roast beef sandwich, too. $6-$15. 2701 Atwood Ave. 608-249-7806. Madison - Near East. stalzysdeli.com
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From-scratch bakery (doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, scones, etc.), full coffee bar featuring Johnson Bros. beans, sandwiches midday (10:30 am- 4 pm). Wedding cakes by special order. $2-$10. 4604 Monona Dr. 608-441-7673. Madison - East. rosiescoffeebarandbakery.com
Samba Brazilian Grill: All-you-
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menu. Cozy space, with competition for limited seating during brunch. $1-$14. 831 E. Johnson St. 608-2591506. Madison - Near East.
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the pie or slice, at this hipster’s dream pizzeria. Long list of toppings, including Fountain Prairie ground beef, pine nuts, and more. Also offers Chocolate Shoppe ice cream. (Roman Candle Sparkler at the Madison Children’s Museum has a limited menu.) $2.50-$14. 1054 Williamson St.-$608-258-2000. Madison - Near East 1920 Parmenter St. 831-7777. Middleton. 2685 Research Park Dr. 608-278-1111. Fitchburg. 100 N. Hamilton St. 608287-3982. Madison - Downtown. theromancandle.com
Taco Bros.: Big chalkboard menu,
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Roman Candle Pizza: Pizza by
$14-$20. 503 W. Main St. 608-3181761. Sun Prairie. 912 E. Johnson St. 608-238-6040. Madison - Near East. salvatorestomatopies.com
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NT a curries, noodle dishes and stir-fries. breakfasts 24 hours a day, but only OA K friendly staffers, a few booths, ER R Ipicnic table and some stools in . AV E S TThursday $7-$15. 6802 Odana Rd. 608-828through Sunday evening. the G D D E E. L T GE RU 9565. 2840 University Ave. 608The pulled pork and grits is a star,L window AV for seating. The best fillings AK E . chicken, carnitas, braised 238-3100. Madison - Near West. as are some of the sweet treats, like are jerk EL A N beef, and carne asada, served in Madison - West. sabaithong.com a chocolate malt with Sassy Cow D W AVtacos, burritos, chimichangas, queice cream, and a stack of blueIL E. Salvatore’s Tomato Pies: L berry pancakes. $1-$13. 301 West sadillas, nachos or as a taco salad. A R Tomato pies in the Trenton, N.J., D AV Johnson St. 608-709-5569. Madison The guacamole is avocado-heavy immigrant tradition: cheese first, E. Downtown. shortstackeats.com and fresh. $2-$9. 604 University then toppings, then sauce. Specials, Ave. 608-422-5075. Madison - Near including a fig and bacon version Sophia’s Bakery and Cafe: West. thetacobros.com that’s gained a wide following. Sweet and savory pastries, breakfast L
Restaurant Muramoto: A new menu is a return to the izakaya style and the result is thrilling. The fusion-sushi menu is intact, but alongside it is a small plates pub menu helpfully divided among fried, skewers, rice and noodle bowls, etc. The kitchen, under longtime executive chef Brett Olstadt, is preparing some of the city’s most exciting food. $6-$15. 225 King St. 608259-1040. Madison - Downtown. muramoto.biz
Short Stack Eatery: Hip RUSSEL
sushi rolls plus a long list of signature rolls. Vegan roll available. Plus appetizers, salads, and some fusion entrees. Try the white snow, the shogun or the super volcano MORRISON ST. rolls. Lunch specials: grill plates with stir-fried veggies and rice. $4-$29. 106 King St. 608-2941234. Madison - Downtown. redsushi.net
Sa-Bai Thong: Thai food, featuring
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A GUIDE TO ADVERTISERS AND MENTIONED RESTAURANTS SEE THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS AT ISTHMUS.COM Tornado Steak House: Classic supper club atmosphere with top-notch steaks, pork tenderloin, venison, rabbit, and seafood. $17-$42. 116 S. Hamilton St. 608-256-3570. Madison - Downtown. tornadosteakhouse.com
Tutto Pasta Trattoria: This is the place for pasta, with 40 varieties including conchiglie, penne, capellini, fettuccine, fusilli, rigatoni, with an excellent linguine alle vongole verace. Dinner is served into the wee hours of the night. $6-$12. 305 State St. 608-294-1000. Madison- Downtown. facebook.com/pages/tutto-pastastate-street/190389501575 Umami Ramen and Dumpling Bar: Japanese ramen and Chinese dumplings, served in a converted house in the heart of Willy Street. The pork buns and the tonkotsu ramen are tops. Ramen, however, is dine-in only. Brunch weekends. $4-$12. 923 Williamson St. 608819-6319. Madison - Near East. umamimadison.com
University Club: Sandwiches and salads, plus more substantial entrees like cinnamon grilled pork chop or pan-seared rainbow trout, with preference to local and regional food. Open to the public. $7-$13. 803 State St. 608-262-5023. Madison - Downtown. uclub.wisc.edu UW Hospital’s Four Lakes Cafe:
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A wide variety of food stations, open daily. H4/1 on the first floor of UW Hospital. 600 Highland Ave., 608263-6217. Madison - Near West.
UW Memorial Union Terrace: Get pizza, casseroles, chicken, fish and, of course, fudge-bottom pie from the Lakefront Cafeteria or, in summer, brats right outside. $4-$8. 800 Langdon St. Madison - Downtown. union.wisc.edu.
PAULIUS MUSTEIKIS
Tip Top Tavern: Revamped tavern in the
Eken Park neighborhood. Food and cocktails from some of the team behind Lazy Jane’s and Mickey’s. Check out the “Little Oscar,” upperend fried bologna with yellow mustard and mayo on white — crusty and tangy, griddlecrisped with butter to a mouth-scraping crunch. Chicken fingers are tuned up nicely, and the green chile mac and cheese is popular. Solid beer list, house cocktails riffs on existing classics. Run by people who know food. $3$10. 601 North St. 608-241-5515. Madison - North. thetiptoptavern.com
Tony Frank’s Tavern: Some of the best
burgers in Madison; sandwiches and soups. $3-$6. 1612 Seminole Hwy. 608-271-2177. Madison - Near West. facebook.com/pages/ tony-franks-tavern/118490148224113
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ISTHMUS DINING 2015
The Victory: Great cups at this coffee-intensive cafe with choice of preparations and a full range of espresso drinks. Also baked goods, panini and sandwiches. A little bit of Brooklyn right on the east side. $2-$6. 2710 Atwood Ave. 608240-0366. Madison - Near East. thevictorymadison.com Vintage Brewing Company: Food centers on comfort standards. Good burgers; try the Blue Heaven. Brewing on site. $5-$20. 674 S. Whitney Way 608-204-2739. Madison - West. vintagebrewingcompany.com
Vintage Spirits and Grill: Fun
food for the bar crowd. Sandwiches, salads, burgers, and a fish fry featuring walleye or cod. 14 tap beers. $5-$9. 529 University Ave. 608250-0700. Madison - Downtown. vintagemadison.com
Vom Fass: Purveyor of fine oils,
vinegars, wines, spirits, spices and gifts. 3248 University Ave. Madison -Near West. 608-204-0300. Second location coming to 119 State St. VomFassUSA.com.
Weary Traveler Freehouse: Favorite
neighborhood gathering place, home of “Bob’s Bad Breath Burger” (with garlic, onions and cream cheese), sandwiches and other world-cuisine-influenced entrees, like the West of the Andes sandwich. Excellent late night menu. $4-$13. 1201 Williamson St. 608-442-6207. Madison - Near East. wearytravelerfreehouse.com
Willy Street Co-op: The deli has to-go entrees like the spicy kung pao tofu, eggless egg salad and sides like the emerald sesame kale. Veggie and vegan entrees and sides; hot entrees daily; salad bar for fresh organic salads; juice bar. $2.50-$10. 1221 Williamson St. 608-251-6776. Madison - Near East. 6825 University Ave. 608-284-7800. Middleton. willystreet.coop
The Wise: A new Wisconsin-
inspired menu in a new space within the Hotel Red, across from Camp Randall, is coming this spring. 1501 Monroe St. Madison - Near West. 608-819-8230. hotelred.com.
Wollersheim Winery: Historic winery with tours and tastings year round. Wine garden and wine shop with wine accessories available. $6$22. 7876 Hwy. 188 608-643-6515. Sauk City. wollersheim.com Woodshed Ale House: Craft
beer, including brews from Madison’s Vintage; plus wine and cocktails. House-made pizzas are available with a variety of toppings. $9-$11. 101 Jackson St. 608-3708200. Sauk City. facebook.com/ WoodshedAleHouse