The Merchant

I watched The Merchant move in, redesign the corner, and open to the public, since it's just about a block from work and I would often walk by on the way to the post office, farmer's market, and the dozens of other restaurants in the area. I couldn't decide if it was going to be a grocery, cocktail/wine bar, restaurant, etc. Turns out it's kind of all three.

We went there last night by accident almost. We had intended to go to Graze, a long standing favorite, but with a 45 minute wait, we were too hungry to put off our own grazing. So, we wondered over to The Merchant and snagged a table outside- PERFECT. It was a good omen of things to come.

The menu is ideal- local ingredients, seasonal options, etc. Their website describes their cooking as regional American fare that is simple and comforting. I think it's super accurate. Here's why- between the two of us we ordered: watermelon and cucumber salad with ricotta, a grilled cheese and lavender honey sandwich, two bowls of creamy roasted corn soup, and a bbq beef brisket sandwich. I thought the grilled cheese was just a little on the simple side (though, it was only $8) but the honey really elevated it. Everything else was good (the roasted corn soup in particular) and washed it all down with a lovely glass of beaujolais.

Ok, it's on the pricey side, but it IS right off the square, surrounded by plenty of pricey. Hipsters will probably like it, but we think probably will most people. Plus, did you hear about all this confusion over whether or not Scott Walker was "kicked out" of this place? Lots of rumors- but we find them amusing. Solidarity Merchant!

Taste of Madison

Ok, so we had to debate whether Taste of Madison counts as a "restaurant." We also debated if we could count food sampled from a new restaurant as eating at that restaurant. I think we decided no...but still wanted to blog about the Taste and since we did it last year, we are justified!

We just love the taste. Betsy's parents are often in town over labor day so it has become a little bit of a tradition for the four of us.

With over 80 restaurants serving small tastes of some of their specialities, you could easily spend hundreds of dollars and eat your weight in food. We paced ourselves and tried food from probably 7-8 different restaurants.....mostly desserts.

With a chocolate chip cookie dough egg roll (I remembered these from last year), a frozen piece of cheesecake dipped in chocolate, deep fried cheese curds, mango gelato, jerk pork, falafel wrap, a beignet (see, I told you we had a lot of desserts), and a chicken stuffed jalapeno, we were pretty happy. Though, I was desperate for an empanada from Caracas but sadly, they were sold out by the time we worked our way through the crowd.

Great food, great fun! Though, the music stages are annoying. Maybe we're old?

Brasserie V

Apparently brasserie is French for brewer. Who knew? The name tips us off immediately that Brasserie V will be a restaurant devoted to the beers it brews. Did you notice I sent you to the "Beer" page? I did. I was going to count the number of beers they offer, but one look at the list makes it obvious that this is a fool's errand. I've tried many but will never get to them all, and despair of suggesting anything with such a small sample of their overall offering. They have over 40 Belgian beers alone. That's a big Belgian bender, that is.

The foods good too. Too good. Actually it's just pretty good, but good enough to bring in too many people. The place is pretty crowded during lunch and dinner, even the nice long bar. There's not exactly a lot of room to wait either. You should call for reservations if you want to go when normal people eat.

Ok, seriously the food. It's good. Nice franco/european fare, like steak-frites with aioli, but with a Madison effort to source food locally and inform their customers about the farms and dairies that make their meal possible. In addition to the steak-frites, I've had the V Burger and the Pork Belly, and they've both turned out pretty nicely.

I would say that Brasserie V shoots a little higher than it seems they can cook. Their food prices are moderately upscale, and the food they serve is good but not great. I like their steak-frites, but I've had better, just down the street at Jacs. The pork belly was good, but not as good as Graze and not in the same universe as the food at L'Etoile. If you go there, go for the relaxed atmosphere, the excellent selection of beers, and the good sandwiches.

Steenbock's on Orchard

Hearing that a new restaurant opened up on campus didn't really excite me all that much. I mean, I think I was burned pretty bad by the horror that was the old Union South. However, Steenbock's is in the new Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery and it is....cool. The whole building is amazing- serene, modern, water everywhere. The instant I walked inside I wanted to hang out forever.

Anyway, that's all about the WID and not the restaurant. Steenbock's on Orchard is bringing a whole new level of class to that part of campus. We went during restaurant week (which is probably our favorite week of the year) and so with three courses (well, six with the two of us) we feel as though we got a good sense of the potential. The food was excellent- fresh, local. Which in this town is almost a given I suppose. Apparently they make their own jams and cure their own meats which is pretty groovy. It's light, lots of windows, super tall ceilings and you can easily hear all those water fountains and displays as you sit, relax, and eat a good meal. Between the two of us we tried salad, soup, sandwich, pasta, chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake. Yah, this place knows us well.

It is seriously nice to have a place like this in the south/west part of campus- especially partnered with the fabulousness that is the new union south. It's a new happenin hot spot!

Fresco

First, go check out the pictures in the Gallery page of Fresco's website. I'm serious, go check it out. I'll wait.

If you've gone to their website, continue. If not, return to the previous paragraph.

Ok, that's the biggest reason to go to Fresco. Rooftop restaurants in Madison are not exactly common. It's a beautiful city, but it's not very tall, and most of the eateries are solidly ground level or below (RIP Underground Kitchen... at least temporarily). Fresco is located on the top floor of the Overture Center for the Arts, which also houses the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. It's a short walk from the Capitol, which can be seen from some spots in the restaurant. The inside section is separated from outside by all glass walls, maintaining the view even in the comfort of indoors.

But let's not get carried away. Despite being a "rooftop" restaurant, I think it's on the 3rd floor, so it doesn't exactly tower over the land below. And the view from Graze is probably a better one, despite solidly terrestrial footing. So let's stop gushing and get to the food, shall we?

Almost. Fresco is also unique in Madison for it's modern-artsy decor. Funny shaped plates, uneven bowls, bright solid colors. It feels right, existing one floor above a modern art museum.

Ok ok the food. Pretty good. Not amazing, but solid. The menu is relatively small, which conveys confidence that what's on there will be good. Most of the dishes are meat or seafood, which seemed a little unusually heavy but probably fit with the fancy-pants city restaurant theme. Their menu is largely seasonal in fruit and vegetable selection, though the abundance of seafood indicates less than strict localvore sensibility. The menu changes regularly (another indicator of excellence), so I won't talk details. General feeling was their dishes were good but under vegetabled. Some of the parts of the dish I was most excited about were little more than garnishes for the meat. The food was done well and presented nicely.

Let's be honest here. The menu is pricey ($20/entree), but the reason to go here is for the ambiance. I've actually never been when it's dark (the two times we've made it were at the height of summer), but I bet it's a romantic spot to have a dinner. Personally, if I had money to burn I'd go to some of Madison's other fine dining establishments. But it is worth a visit, if just to see what Madison looks like from the 3rd story.

Maharani

I'll start with some advice. Do not go to Maharani if you're in a fight with your significant other. We tried it- BIG mistake. Amusing to look back on but totally unfair for the restaurant. We have been there before (peacefully) but for some reason some small argument seemed to escalate and linger over our garlic naan, mango lassis and curry. OOPS. (in case you're wondering, we totally made up the second we left- perfect timing I know).

We have frequented all of the Indian restaurants in Madison (that we know of) and while I have nothing really negative to say about any of them I will say that they all feel kind of the same. Buffet of assorted Indian specialities and classics (for instance-samosas, which are a real highlight for me), kind of awkward service, attentive filling of the water glasses, and a bit on the pricey (overpriced?) side. I guess I would give Maharani a bit of an edge because of its location- very close to the capital- and most of the other Indian restaurants are a bit out there (though, Flavor of India is one exception). Check out some of the reviews they have on their website- I could get behind most of those comments but I wasn't inspired enough to get all crazy.

Sometimes you just want Indian food- and so Maharani is a great option if you're in the mood. Nice convenient location, buffets at lunch (and brunch on the weekends), and a overly animated websites (seriously, go check it out).

Pita Pit

This may be the shortest post in Mad Sampler history but I'm wracking my brain to come up with something witty to say about Pita Pit. They make pita sandwiches and write funny descriptions of the contents. Bam! We ate there once, both our pitas were good (philly steak and turkey), and we'll likely eat there again. I kind of have a thing for "theme" restaurants. And given that I think that pitas are amazing, this is a great themed restaurant for me.

Prices are good and if you use badgerbites, they deliver.

Cheap eats, pitas of every size and shape though if you want to go someplace with food you could NOT easily make yourself at home, you probably don't want to go here.