The Walker??s Point resto that inhabited an old German bar long before the area??s renaissance. Owner/chef Peggy Magister has a rapt audience that finds nothing crazy about her menu of chorizo-stuffed dates, parsley-crusted halibut, and soy-braised short ribs.)
Entertainment, Friday Fish Fry, Late Night Dining, Outdoor Dining, Sunday Brunch,
Think about dessert first. The pies (honeypie to banana cream), cupcakes and other sweets are all made in-house. Take a seat in a booth under photos of somebody’s relatives and have a pasty, mac and cheese or a Wisconsin grass-fed beef burger. Now back to that other topic – pies.
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Kindred’s opening menu starts in its small but share-able way, with lemongrass mussels, piri piri fried chicken leg, duck confit flatbread, parsnip gnocchi, fontina-stuffed lamb meatballs with spicy tomato sauce and edam cheese croquette. Read more…
A fine-dining, farm-to-table restaurant right on Capitol Square. One of downtown Madison’s most celebrated chefs at the moment is Tory Miller (2012 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Midwest) who took over L’Etoile when chef-founder Odessa Piper retired in 2005.
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The best seat in the house is at the kitchen counter, where you can watch your crab cakes, chopped salad and NY strip with Delmonico potatoes being prepared. The leather booths offer a little more privacy, and the bar, live entertainment and a nifty bar menu. Other standouts: fried surf clams and herb crumb-crusted halibut.
Menu of small and large plates, including scallops and a burger. Dim sum cart offers a selection of dumplings.
You’ll find morel mushrooms on occasion. And lots of rich preps of duck, lamb, beef and fish. If you don’t mind a little heat, the few seats at the kitchen counter (in view of the chefs) are the most entertaining spots in the house. Read more…
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Reservations Taken, Sunday Brunch,
Founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Sanford D??Amato; owned by JBA winner Justin Aprahamian. Unsurpassed for service and impeccable food. The global cuisine incorporates products from a long list of Wisconsin farms. The chefs prepare everything in-house, including butchering, preserving and canning. Elk, duck, fresh fish are all good choices. Offers surprise tasting and exploration menus. Desserts (a dozen offerings) is compulsory.
A worthy addition to anyone’s Indian food rotation, the lunch special at this restaurant in a gas station strip mall includes portions of as many dishes as your server can ladle into a carryout container: saag paneer, lamb curry and chicken tikka masala are possible.
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The Spanish-influenced plates are small, but the flavors are not. The interior says ??reclaimed old Milwaukee storefront.?? Weekly live flamenco guitar, and flowing gin and tonics, say ??Madrid.?? Pair all that Espana with croquetas (fritters), meatballs, tostas (open-faced sandwiches) and paella.
A friendly, casual little bar where the sandwiches can be quirky (kimcheese, Brussels sprout grinder) and tasty. Good Monday $5 burger special. Brunch menu features things like breakfast. Read more…
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You’ll find morel mushrooms on occasion. And lots of rich preps of duck, lamb, beef and fish. If you don’t mind a little heat, the few seats at the kitchen counter (in view of the chefs) are the most entertaining spots in the house. Read more…
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La Casa de Alberto avoids the “all signs point to dry beef” predicament that seems to plague griddled steak. This is tender, flavorful meat buried under your choice of toppings. And if you order the chunky guac (you should), pile it on thick!
Quirky little counter-service soup shop that has a following just for its fire-roasted red pepper bisque. But there are other great options here, which change depending on the day. Look for cheddar and Bermuda onion, and cowboy chunky chili. Sandwiches available too. Dine in or carryout.
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Friday Fish Fry, Group Parties, Late Night Dining, Sunday Brunch,
Open For Lunch, Reservations Taken, Sunday Brunch,
Cafe El Sol offers an authentically delicious Puerto Rican and Mexican cuisine. Stop by on a Friday evening for a dinner buffet with broiled and fried fish as well as live Latin entertainment starting at 6:30 p.m.
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