The Africana is located right across the street from St. Bernard’s Church on Atwood. If you are approaching from the Monona side of town you can’t miss the colorful mural painted on the side of the building. We arrived early this evening and found we would have no trouble getting a table. As we ate, the place began to fill up. The service was a bit slow this particular night because the waitress who was scheduled that evening was sent home because of the Swine Flu, something tells us that we will see a lot of businesses challenged this winter with this same problem.  

The interior is painted a deep burnt orange with dark brown accents and colorful drapes on the windows. The tables and chairs have more of a diner feel to them but the seating was ample and we were not expecting “up-scale” décor. In reviewing the menu we found the entrées broken into three “build-your-own” combinations of Sauce, Grilled and Fried dishes. The Sauce dishes included a choice of sauce, side dish and type of meat. Choices of six different sauces are available with recommended side dish accompaniments.  The sauces included Peanut, Okra, Egusi (Pumpkin Seed), Yassa (Onions, mustard and lemon), Kedjenou (tomato, garlic) and Vegetable. Paired with these sauces are side dishes of Rice, Couscous, Fufu (yam) and Attieke (Couscous of Cassava). The meat included chicken, beef, lamb, fish and goat.

The Grilled and Fried entrées comes with a choice of fish or chicken with an onion and pepper and a carrot salad. You also have a choice of side dish which included 3 styles of rice, fries, Alloco (fried plantains) and Couscous.  

One of us selected the grilled dark meat chicken and fried rice the other was more adventuresome and elected the goat with white rice and vegetable sauce. The meal comes with a bowel of vegetable soup whose main ingredient was cabbage with carrots, zucchini and potato. It had a flavorful broth that was milder on the spices than we had expected. Unfortunately the soup was also cold when we got it, which we attributed to the wait staff challenge.

The goat in vegetable sauce was a hearty stew with chunks of carrot, tomato and tender goat meat (and bones). The flavor was quite mild; again without the spiciness we had anticipated. The second entrée seemed to be the better of the two. The dark meat chicken included two legs, two backs and a thigh that were grilled to perfection. You don’t see many restaurants serving the back of the chicken very often. This was always my grandmother’s favorite part (I don’t know why). The skin was crispy with a great grilled flavor and the meat was moist and flavorful. Topping the chicken was a salad of red onion and green peppers with a light dressing that complemented the veggies and the chicken. Alongside were a carrot salad and fried rice with a strong spice profile of cumin and pepper that was what we had expected to be more prevalent in the other dishes. We were quite full from the meals we ordered and did not opt to try any of the desserts (Crepes, Flan, Mango Ice Cream and Chocolate Cake).

Both of us enjoyed our meals and noted that we would definitely come back and try some of the other combinations Africana offers.

Africana, 2701 Atwood Avenue, is open for lunch buffet daily from 11am till 2:30pm and dinner from 5 pm till 9:30pm. At 10 pm Wednesday through Sunday the bar is open until 2 am, with a DJ and dancing on Friday and Saturday. Africana offers nightly specials and catering services as well.

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For $25, choose one item in each course and with a glass of Capital Oktoberfest Beer, or Wollersheim Dry Riesling Wine.

Appetizer
German Meatballs
Warm Potato Salad
Goulasch Soup

Second Course
Wienerschnitzle
Beef Rouladen
Bavarian Sampler

Dessert
Apple Strudel
Black Forest Cherry Cheesecake
Linzer Torte

Or, try the Stable Grill Oktoberfest Menu, being served Monday thru Saturday. $20 includes a three course Oktoberfest Dinner with three shorty Oktoberfest Beers.

Appetizer & Beer
German Meatballs
Capital Oktoberfest

Entree & Beer
Bavarian Sampler
New Glarus Staghorn Oktoberfest

Dessert & Beer
Black Forest Cherry Cheesecake
Tyranena Gemuetlichkeit Oktoberfest

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Brazilian Steakhouses have sprung up around the country, and Madison’s representative in the category does not disappoint.  While it doesn’t fit the bill for a quiet, intimate dinner for two, Samba Brazilian Grill has enough flair to qualify as a special occasion spot, a place to wine and dine your business associates, or as a nice dinner out with friends.  

Sitting down to dinner at Samba means learning a new dining process.  There’s little ordering to be had – just show up and the staff has a pretty good idea that you are there for the meat-on-a-stick.  And you don’t need to tell them exactly what meat you are there for – you get any and all of it, in whatever quantity you wish.  The protein feast is supported by the unlimited and plentiful salad bar , which beckons diners with a wide variety of dishes.  If you are not a carnivore, you can order only the salad bar for a reduced price, forgoing the protein bingefest.  The salad bar alone contains over forty items.

The nightly grilled meats vary, but often include various marinaded versions of flank steak, tenderloin, pork cuts, various preparations of chicken, duck and other poultry, different sausages, and more. 

The servers come around to the tables with the skewers of meat dishes, carving portions out per diner.  The restaurant encourages a leisurely experience, providing a wooden baton colored with red and green ends.  Want to take a break from the meat making the rounds?  Simply flip the baton red side up, and the servers will leave you alone.  As long as the green end is up, you are going to be offered a serving of every piece of meat that comes off of the grill.

We enjoyed our trip to Samba.  The various cuts of meat were flavorful and high quality.  The salad bar, while extensive, wasn’t as exotic or satisfying as we thought it might be.  Then again, we were not there for the salad bar, to be honest.

We’ve been to Brazilian Steak Houses around the country.  Samba ranks up there with all of them.

Mad Diner Ratings:

Service:           
Atmosphere:    
Value:              
Food:                
Overall Rating:

Restaurant Details:
240 West Gilman Street
608-257-1111

Food service:
Sunday through Friday
from 5-10 pm  
Saturday
from 4-10 pm  
Sunday Brunch:
10am – 2:30pm

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We have now been to the 1855 Saloon and Grill five times and believe that we have experienced enough to even out any reviews that we may have made after each individual trip.

We’ll start with the first time that we went to the 1855.  We had heard that this was a very popular and very crowded new place, and so we decided to go shortly after they opened, for lunch, under relatively stressless staff circumstances.  Our experience was very positive.  We arrived at around 11:15 AM on a Saturday, and by 11:30 the place was packed.  We ordered a caesar salad with sliced beef filet, bleu cheese, eggs and red onion, as well as a panini melt, consisting of “rustic bread, roasted turkey, capocollo ham, pepperoni, crispy bacon, pepper jack cheese and tomatoes”. 

We left very satisfied with both the service and the food, and we eagerly anticipated another return to experience dinner.  And so, obviously, we returned for dinner.  On our first return visit, we arrived by 5:30 on a Wednesday evening.  We were again seated immediately, but within minutes of arrival a waiting list began to form.  The service suffered from the influx of diners, yet it was still adequate.  On this visit, we ordered the Pesto-brushed salmon grill and the Rustic loaded filet. 

Dinners are served with bread and with two butters.  One is your average butter, the other is a roasted vegetable sun-dried tomato butter, which is above average.  The rustic loaded filet was described as “a beef filet cutlet stuffed with prosciutto, sausage, pepperoni, tomatoes, Parmesan, spinach and mozzarella, served with mixed raviolis and a tomato cream sauce”.  And that is exactly what it was.  This time, the salmon did disappoint, being charred and dried out with a very strong fish taste.  The filet, however, was again “adequate”.

On subsequent visits, we’ve asked more people to tag along to get their impressions as well.  On those visits, various diners tried the Prime Rib (Saturday evening special ), filet with crab cakes, steak with beer battered shrimp, shrimp toasted with almonds and cocunut, and an assortment of cheeseburgers.  Again, the food was very adequate, if not spectacular.  On the other hand, with the menu being very moderately priced, spectacular probably should not be an expectation.

The 1855 Saloon and Grill is owned by the same owners of Tru’s in Cambridge.  You will find many similarities in the menus between these two restaurants.  The formulas for both restaurants become obvious fairly quickly.  While on the surface the menus seem almost overwhelming due to selections, those with a discerning eye will find that many of the items are basically the same dish, with minor modifications.  Unique recipe items are used time and time again in various dishes, giving a superficial plethora of flavors.  In reality, peppers, Parmesan, artichokes, prosciutto, bacon and spinach are used in several dishes anchored by different meats to offer seemingly endless options.

Don’t get us wrong - that isn’t a criticism.  It shows a practical creativity that will allow these restaurants to stand out, and yet still charge very reasonable prices.

The main quibble that we have with the 1855 is with their service.  The staff is very young, and very inexperienced.  There is no professional service to speak of, just youthful workers making their way through, apparently, high school.  A recent visit, unfortunately seated in the vicinity of the server stations and kitchen, provided us an indepth understanding on where the staff stood with American Idol contestants.  It also allowed us to chuckle at flashbacks created by overhearing the very childish flirting techniques of high school aged teenagers.  After listening to the rambunctious teenage banter coming from the kitchen window area, you couldn’t pay us enough to return to that awkward age of false bravado aimed at covering teenage insecurity.

But perhaps the most perplexing moment dealing with the 1855 staff came when we ordered a bottle of wine (Seghesio Sangiovese) to have with our dinner.  Our very nice, yet very young and green server asked us if we wanted that “to go”.  This is a question that we haven’t yet figured out.  Needless to say, we clarified our request and asked to have it served with dinner.

We like the 1855 Saloon and Grill for what it is;  a solid restaurant in an area desperately needing such a thing.  As such, one can overlook the hiring compromises that the owners have clearly needed to make, while applauding the crafty yet practical creativity that went into making the menu interesting, and yet still affordable.

1855 Saloon and Grill
218 South Main Street
Cottage Grove, WI  (608) 839-3700

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Sardine

New restaurants open in Madison with amazing frequency.  So, when a restaurant wins the 2007 Mad Diner Award for Best New Restaurant by a landslide, it deserves an in-depth look.  This prompted us to invite some friends and head to Sardine to weigh in on the decision.  We had relatively early reservations on a Saturday night, and had no problem getting seated on what turned out to be a busy dining evening.

Sardine’s early 20th Century Industrial interior combined with the bistro ambience would lead one to the conclusion that this restaurant was a long established Madison tradition rather than the 2007 winner of the Mad Diner Best New Restaurant award.  One of the most alluring features is the wall of french doors leading to a view of Lake Monona.  In a lake-laden town like Madison, one would expect many such lakefront dining opportunities, but puzzling as it may be, few restaurants offer such a view.  Our visit fell in the heart of a very long winter, but that did not detract from the atmosphere.

Arriving deliberately early for our reservations, we were seated in the spacious bar.  Service was helpful and friendly, and we were set up with our drink order while perusing the menu for appetizers to enjoy.  Sardine offers a reasonably diverse selection of local, domestic, and imported beers ranging from Lake Louie Scotch Ale to Stella Artois.  A selection of wines by the glass is also offered.

We selected two appetizers for the table to share.  The shellfish eaters among us ordered the steamed mussels and frites with mayonnaise ($8).  The mussels were plentiful and served in a very well seasoned broth with springs of fresh thyme.  Warm goat cheese and crostini with arugula salad ($9) was flavorful, with the creamy goat cheese accented with tomato and olives. 

Sardine’s menu has not changed dramatically since the restaurant first opened in 2006.  We had heard rumors at that time that one of the signature offerings would be, not surprisingly, sardines.  However, we’ve not seen it offered on any of the trips that we’ve made to the restaurant.  One of the members of our party questioned this, and we were told that sardines are offered when in season.  Our server wasn’t sure when the sardine season was… perhaps summer, and perhaps supplied from the Mediterranean.

On this visit four different dishes were ordered.  The orecchiette with broccoli rabe, oven roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, niçoise olives and parmesan ($13) was prepared to al dente, with a very light sauce which allowed the tomatoes, olives, and cheese to stand out.  The seared artic char over braised white bean pistou, grilled bread and petite salad ($22) was a robust meal on a winter evening. The white beans were prepared perfectly so that they maintained their structural integrity on the plate, and were firm to the bite. Outside of Lombardino’s, this was the best use of beans in an entree that we’ve experienced in Madison.

The Steak frites, a grilled ribeye steak with compound butter and frites ($23) was deemed cooked to perfection.  The ribeye, while not being as thick as steakhouse trends have taken servings, was very well portioned for the price.  The frites (or thinly sliced french fries) were mounded high on the plate as an accompaniment.  The Pan-seared skatewing, sautéed broccoli rabe, fingerling potatoes with a lemon butter sauce ($18) was a good sized portion of white fish, dotted with capers, and served with  a wedge of fresh lemon along the side.  The broccoli rabe added a fresh green accent to the dish.

We also ordered some garnitures (or side dishes).  The hericots verts and the sauteed spinach (both $4) were fresh and cooked to a perfect crispness.  They added a nice touch to the entrees.

Though satisfied by the meal, we could not pass up dessert when offered.  Two desserts caught our eyes.  The seasonal sorbet ($6) was an intensely flavored pear sorbet, dotted with fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint.  The creme brulee ($6) was perfectly prepared, with a crunchy caramelized sugar crust leading to a creamy, warm butterscotch custard underneath.  This was the hit of the table.

In conclusion, our Madison Diners did not lead us astray when they told us that Sardine should win the Mad Diner Award for Best New Restaurant.  We would encourage Sardine to freshen their menu on a regular basis, as it is somewhat limited and return visitors may wish to seek out more dishes than are offered.  Still, we expect that Sardine may be around long enough to one day qualify for the Mad Diner award for Best Madison Tradition!

Sardine
617 Williamson Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 441-1600
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5pm to 10pm;
Friday & Saturday 5pm to 11pm;
Sunday 9am to 9pm, Brunch 9:00-2:30

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Liliana’s Restaurant

Hours:
Lunch Monday through Saturday 11am-2pm
Dinner every day 5pm-9pm

Liliana’s: A Tale of Two Restaurants (It was the best of meals, it was the worst of meals…) 

Liliana’s Restaurant has opened in Fitchburg. Owned by Executive Chef David Heide, the menu focuses on recreating the ambience and the flavor of the French Quarter in New Orleans.  And, for the most part, the restaurant succeeds.  We’ve now been to Liliana’s twice, and each time we’ve come to the same conclusion.  A trip to Liliana’s is like a tale of two restaurants.

We’ll start with the overwhelmingly positive aspects of Liliana’s; the inventive flavors.  We had expected this restaurant to successfully launch a unique, flavorful menu when we first heard that Chef Heide was behind this establishment.  We first ran into him way back in 2004, when he put on a wine dinner at Picasso’s.  We became believers that evening.  And so with eager anticipation, we made reservations for four, heading out into the pre-Christmas restaurant rush for our first taste of Liliana’s.

The food did not disappoint that evening, but the logistics did.

Our party made reservation for the evening with the knowledge that we had a “must attend” event to go to afterwards.  And so we planned for two hours at Liliana’s, assuming that this would give us an ample, leisurely window for dining.  We were wrong, but more on that later.

We ordered our meal, including appetizers (hush puppies and onion straws) and entrees.  The entrees ordered included Andouille-crusted Tilapia with Sweet Potato and Mushroom Ragout; a Black Angus Sirloin served with a Creole salad; Jambalaya with Andouille, Tasso, Lardons, and Shrimp; and Sea Scallops with Orecchiette in a Saffron Cream Sauce.

We settled in with our drinks, and quickly realized that we had a logistics problem.  The tables are so small that once drinks, wine, water and bread were deposited on it, there was no room to maneuver.  It became a challenge to sit and relax, while awkwardly trying to reach for food or beverages without knocking anything over.  This became much worse as the appetizers were served, and dinner changed from a pleasant evening with friends to a stressful and frustrating exercise of moving items around the table in an effort to find space to place everything.  The very small size of the table was compounded by the fact that the restaurant serves their food on over-sized serving dishes.  Additionally, we were seated in an area in the middle of the room, where many people were crammed around small tables which were so close together that the waitstaff was unable to adequately serve without bumping into the neighboring diners.

But the food was wonderful.  The appetizers satisfied, the salads were excellent, and the curry-laced carrot soup served up unique and interesting flavor. 

Then the next snag was hit.  After the soup and salad course was completed, we sat for a significant amount of time awaiting our entrees.  While we had planned a very reasonable two hours for our dinner, we actually had to eventually call the manager over to tell him that we were afraid we were going to need to leave in order to meet our social obligations before our entrees were even served.  As we were discussing our options with the manager (one of which was to get the entrees to go and eat them for breakfast the next day!), the entrees were finally served to us.  And while the food was wonderful, the stress of the very small table which was unable to hold service for four adequately combined with the fact that we were now officially late for our next social obligation created a situation where enjoying our entrees was simply not possible.  We raced through our very good entrees without the luxury of savoring them, and ran out the door.

Accepting responsibility for the fact that we had gone to Liliana’s shortly after newly opening, and compounding the opening-glow rush with the Christmas holiday rush, we acknowledged that it would be unfair to hold the logistical challenges we faced against the restaurant.  And so we tried it again.

This time, our party consisted of two diners.  We were lead to a very small table. We came within a heartbeat of demanding a bigger table, but to our regret, we chose not to push the issue.  Here’s the rule of thumb if you plan on dining at Liliana’s comfortably:  If you are a party of two, try to be seated at a table for four.  We looked around the dining room floor and noticed that there were many parties of two who were comfortably seated at tables for four.  We were not fortunate enough to be one of those parties, and we once again settled in for a crammed and logistically challenging dining experience.

We perused the menu and noticed that it had changed slightly from our previous visit.  On this trip we skipped the appetizers and headed straight into the salad course.  Salads ordered were a Truffled Salad of Belgian Endive, Field Greens, Toasted Walnuts, and Stilton Cheese ($8); and Liliana’s House Salad of Mixed greens with Creole Vinaigrette ($5).  Both salads were spectacular, with fresh produce and very well balanced dressings.

Next on tap were our entrees.  On this visit, we ordered the Andouille, Chicken and Blackened Shrimp Papardelle Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce ($16); and Country Fried Chicken with Jalapeno-Cranberry Cornbread and Creamed Spinach ($16).

We’ll preface this next rant by saying that we don’t want to rant about this restaurant.  We really like this chef.  We really like the atmosphere.  The food is truly great food.  But. We were completely flabbergasted to see what passed for the Country Fried Chicken entree.  The expression on our faces as ONE chicken LEG was place in front of us must have been priceless.  We understand that one of the goals of this restaurant is to keep the price of the entrees down and to provide value, however we can not even remotely consider a serving which consists of ONE small chicken LEG to be of any kind of value.  We’ll throw out a personal plea to this chef – charge a few dollars more (if you must, though we consider $16 for a chicken leg to be outrageous) and serve a more reasonable portion. 

To top the situation off, the approximate four bites of edible food on the chicken leg were greatly reduced once we cut into it.  It was cold to the touch, red, and and had the texture of undercooked chicken.  When this was brought to the waiters attention, he first explained that the chicken was slow roasted and so this was to be expected.  We countered this statement with the fact that we use the slow roasting technique often in our personal kitchen, we know what it entails, we understand the end results, and what we had cut into was simply not the result of slow cooking.  Our waiter checked with the kitchen and came back to confirm that the state of the chicken was not due to slow cooking, it was due to the fact that the chicken was organic.  Again, we know organic food.  We work with organic food often.  The chicken was undercooked.  The waiter was very helpful, and offered to get us another piece of chicken despite the fact that it was “prepared properly”, but it was really rather irrelevant at that point.

To summarize our tale of two restaurants:

The tale of the best of meals tells of a restaurant with unique and inventive flavors, a very attractive ambiance, and a chef who is creative with incredible potential.  We would recommend that you try this restaurant to experience all of this.

The tale of the worst of meals tells of a restaurant that experiences logistical issues of tables too small, serving plates too big for the tables, and some kinks to work out in the kitchen.

We would still recommend that you try this restaurant if you like Creole food with an upscale New Orleans atmosphere.  We will go back again, and hold hope that some of the kitchen issues are addressed.  And we’ll ask for a bigger table.

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Erin’s Snug Irish Pub has opened on the far East side of Madison.  Located way out in what used to be considered the outskirts of town, but now nestled into the development which has sprung up around American Family Insurance, it seems a natural fit for the area.

A midweek visit for dinner found readily available seating, if not parking.  The bar part of the pub was chock full of the after work crowd, and one can easily see why.  Much time, thought and attention has been given to this establishment’s bar.  Additionally, if you work in that area, the respectable watering holes are relatively few and far between.

But, we weren’t there to drink, we were there to dine.  Well, and to drink, one must confess.

We started out with pints of Smithwicks.  A note to those of you who have never ordered Smithwicks in Ireland.  Sure, it looks like it is pronounced Smith – Wicks.  But it isn’t.  And if you try to order it that way in County Cork, you’ll be booted from the pub.  In the east of Ireland, around Dublin, you can get away with ordering Smithwicks by pronouncing it “Smitticks”.  And that’s the way to order it in the US as well.  As you work your way west in Ireland, and as you consume more and more Smithwicks, the pronounciation becomes more rapid and slurred.  By the Ring of Kerry, you are bellying up to the bar and ordering a “Smcks”.  That’s right, no vowels.  But in reality, that’s neither here nor there, as this is, after all, a seemingly quick review about a Madison Irish Pub.

Erin’s goes out of their way to satisfy the American idealized notion of a true Irish pub.  It actually does a good job of that, living up to the stereotype that American’s have.  They have the right beers, they have the right Scotches, they have the right Irish Whiskeys.  These are all good things.  They also offer flights of Scotch, Whiskey, and a mixture of both.

They even have the right items on the food menu.  Bangors and Mash (well, that’s British, but…), Corned Beef, Shepherd’s Pie and Colcannon all make an appearance.  And American dishes appear as well, to satisfy the non-Irish in the crowd.  On our visit we tried the Shepherd’s Pie and the Chicken.

The Shepherd’s Pie was a ground beef based stew topped with Colcannon, served in a mini-crock.  For those unfamilar with Colcannon, it is a mixture of smashed potatoes, cabbage and kale. 

The chicken was not “chicken”.  While listed as “broiler” chicken on the menu, it was, in reality, a cornish game hen, and it was clear that this had caused the servers flack often.  Our waiter was very quick to point out that this was not a chicken, but a Cornish Game Hen as we ordered, causing us immediately to change our order from “one half a chicken” to “a whole chicken”.  Diners be warned.  It may seem very odd to order a whole chicken, but there isn’t much meat on one half of a Cornish Game Hen.  We thanked the server for the warning.

In an attempt to make the “chicken” more Irish, we asked for a substitute of Colcannon in exchange for the standard mashed potatoes.  Our server readily agreed, but the kitchen did not deliver, and our server didn’t catch it.  The hen was served over the standard mashed potatoes, which were actually fine.

Erin’s has been open for a few weeks now, and we’ll go back.  It is a very good place for a casual, inexpensive dinner, particularly on a cold winter afternoon or evening.  And next time we’ll try the Whiskey Flights.

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Recently, I took part in a Madison foodie panel, during which there was surprising sentiment expressed that “Foodie” was a bad thing to be.  I’m pleased to say that L’Etoile caters to foodies.  More on why that is, sprinkled throughout this tale.

I called for reservations several days in advance.  I was counseled, upon request, that if I wanted a window table, we needed to be amongst the first in the restaurant.  And so I made reservations for 6 PM.  As I went to hang up the phone, I heard the voice at the other end question whether or not we were celebrating a special event.  Because, you know, it is that sort of special event place, in a very non-TGIF sort of way.

I’m somewhat embarrassed and yet still defiant enough to admit to the fact that I confirmed a special event celebration – an anniversary.  Now, reality is, it was not an anniversary.  Yet, I wanted to see what they did to honor that sort of event.  Additionally, after 18 years or so of co-habitating with another with nary an anniversary celebration observed, I didn’t see anything wrong with confirming that there was indeed an anniversary celebration to be had.

Blue Cheese Hand-Stuffed Olive

We arrived slightly early.  During the week dinner seatings begin at 6PM, yet one can sit in the very small bar starting at 5:30.  The bartender took very good care of us, disappearing for quite some time to fulfill my request of blue cheese stuffed olives to go with my martini.  As he came back from the kitchen, hand stuffing the olives with the cheese, he reverently pointed out the fact that he was using Hook’s Blue Paradise Cheese.  Hook’s cheese is a passion of ours, and so we appreciated the hushed confession.  Few places in Madison will hand stuff an olive with Blue Cheese upon request.  Even fewer will use Hook’s Artisinal Cheese.  Exhibit One as to why L’Etoile is a place for foodies.

The bartender served my martini with a flourish, and poured my companion his Lake Louie Scotch Ale.  He then called us by name as he wished us a Happy Anniversary.  To top off his attention to detail, I watched as he subtly inched a candle closer to the patrons next to us who were struggling to read the drink list in the dark recesses of the bar area.  I can not think of many bartenders who would even notice the need.

We were seated, eventually, at a prime table with the most amazing view of the Capital that one can find while dining.  There are not many scenes in the city that are as breathtaking.  We also noted that the staff had printed out a special menu for us, wishing us a personalized Happy Anniversary.  It was a nice touch.

Amuse Bouche

Our server approached with an Amuse Bouche – a very small hors d’œuvre meant to literally entertain the mouth.  In all the years that we’ve been going to L’Etoile, the Amuse Bouche has seldom changed dramatically.  It is a bite sized, wafer-thin cracker with herbed cheese and a nut on top.  And this is another reason that L’Etoile is a haven for foodies – the small attention to detail provided one very small bite of flavor to be savored.

Taste of the Season

Unexpectedly, we were served yet another small favor – the Taste of the Season.  This consisted of a very small tea cup filled with intense tomato flavor – clear tomato water infused with oregano with a skinless cherry tomato dropped into the liquid.  If you love tomatoes, this was simply amazing, and I am desperate to know how they infused such flavor into a clear water.  Now, having gone to L’Etoile at this particular time of year in hopes of finding the menu brimming with Heirloom Tomato based dishes, and discovering none to be found, this went a very long way in making up for the disappointment.  I suspect we scheduled our visit a week too late to partake in the heirloom tomato adventures.

Minestrone Soup

And because there were no heirloom tomato-based fist courses to be had, we settled for the Minestrone Soup ($11) and the Warm Chevre Salad ($12.50).  Each was topnotch.  The Minestrone was a rich broth brimming with seasonal vegetables and made with Willow Creek Farm Italian Sausage.  The Chevre Salad was made with Fantôme Farm cheese, and topped with Shooting Star Farm Frisée, Willow Creek Farm Bacon Lardons, and a Raspberry Vinaigrette.  It made for a fresh, light start to the meal.

Willow Creek Farm Pork Chop over a Creamy Herb Polenta

Our entrees arrived with perfect timing.  The Willow Creek Farm Pork Chop ($35) was sliced and served over a Creamy Herb Polenta.  The pork was tender, juicy and flavorful, and the Pork Dijon Jus and Concord Grape Gastrique added an elegant finishing touch to the preparation.  Served along side were perfectly sauteed Collard Greens.

Scottish Highland Sirloin

The Scottish Highland Sirloin ($38), from Fountain Prairie Farm, was also served sliced, atop Mashed Yukon Potatoes.  Cooked to a perfect Medium Rare, it was a very nice cut of beef.  Served along side the steak were Haricots Verts, a Spring Onion and Exotic Mushroom Ragout, some Hook’s Blue Cheese and Bone Marrow Compound Butter, and and a Red Wine Jus.

And the entrees again point out the Foodie allure at L’Etoile.  Ingredients are not only highly local and seasonal, but the originating local producers of the ingredients are proudly promoted throughout the menu and the meal.  This is what sets L’Etoile apart from many of the other upscale Madison restaurants.

L’Etoile won the 2006 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and it is easy to see why.  The list has excellent variety and quality wines.   We chose a Tablas Creek Vineyard 2003 Esprit de Beaucastel, a Rhone blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, and Counoise ($65), and were pleased with it’s elegance and long finish.

Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Course

We finished our meal with a Flight of three Ports ($13), and the Wisconsin Artisan Cheese course.  We had a choice of five cheeses ($16).  We knew we wanted the Hooks Blue Paradise, and the Uplands 13-month Pleasant Ridge Reserve, as well as the Bleu Mont Dairy All-Cracked Up Gouda.  We asked our server to round out the rest of the selection, which he did very admirably.  The cheeses were served with Toasted Hazelnut and Apricot Bread and thin slices of Antique Apples.  We experienced yet another foodie moment as our server informed us that two of our cheeses, though from different cheesemakers, shared milk from the same local dairy.

We don’t go to L’Etoile often, reserving it as a special treat scheduled around our favorite points in the produce season.  And while the last few times we had gone, we had been less awed than usual, this trip to L’Etoile was a first class experience in terms of both the meal and the service.  If you consider yourself a foodie, or even if you simply enjoy creatively prepared, flavorful, seasonal food with excellent service, treat yourself to a trip to L’Etoile.  You won’t regret it!

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Hours:  Wednesday – Saturday 5:00 – 9:30

A short trek from Madison, nestled in the hills of Green County just 5 minutes south of New Glarus, awaits the Dining Room at 209 Main, a restaurant that makes the trip well worthwhile.

We first ran into David “Wave” Kasprzak at a cooking exhibition held at the Orange Tree Imports.  He was friendly and real, and he cooked in a way that was refreshing – I hate to use the term “fusion” because it has become so trendy, but Wave was fearless in his combination of ethnic flavors and influences, combining culinary styles with the blink of an eye.   Wave and his wife Jane Sybers opened the restaurant in 1996, and Asian, Southwestern, and Mexican flavors are found running through the dishes at The Dining Room, and all to good effect.

A recent Saturday night found us at The Dining Room at 209 Main, eagerly awaiting our dinner.  We’ve been here before, and we know the unique experience that was ahead.  We started our meal with two appetizers – Cornmeal Crusted Portabella Mushroom with pickled ginger, peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce ($10) and Grilled Sausage Trio with creamy sauerkraut and refrigerator pickles ($12).  Both were tremendous, but for uniqueness, the mushrooms won any appetizer contest that may have been ocurring at the table.

Entrees included Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filet with worchestershire sauce, blue cheese cream, fresh asparagus and mashed potatoes ($28), Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and shitake mushrooms served with seared spinach, roasted red pepper broth and garlic oil ($20), Cornmeal and Habanero Encrusted Pork Cutlets with pablano cream sauce, cheddar grits, and sweet pepper tortilla salad ($23), and the Mixed Grill of lamb tbone, flat iron steak, and pork tenderloin medallions with a red wine horseradish reduction sauce, mashed potatoes and asparagus ($28).

There was no doubt that the Pork Cutlets won the table’s entree contest.  The cornmeal and habanero added a crunchy, spicy crust to the ample cutlets, with the pablano cream sauce adding to the mild heat.  The cheddar grits provided a very robust backdrop to the meat and the sauce, more than adequately standing up to the flavors.

That is not to say that the beef tenderloin filet didn’t win praise from the diners.  A very nice cut of meat, decoratively placed on a bed of potatoes and surrounded artfully by the accompanying sauces, it is one of the better, more interesting upscale filets that you will find within driving distance of Madison.

The desserts were works of art.  They consisted of Sticky Toffee Pudding with Roasted Pecans ($6),  and Chocolate Tart with Raspberry Sauce ($6).  And of course we ordered the Cheese Course, consisting of Hooks Seven Year Cheddar with croutons, seed mustard and sliced apples ($8).  Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a weakness for any cheese coming from Hooks, a local Artisanal cheesemaker.

We heartily recommend The Dining Room at 209 Main.  Take the short drive in the fall, as the trees turn their colors, enjoy the scenery, and be prepared for one of the best meals that you will partake of in the Madison area.

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