Johnny Delmonico's

It's restaurant week! And that means select restaurants in the city put together a prie fix menu of three courses- $15 for lunch, $25 for dinner. It's a great opportunity to go to new places and taste the best at each!

My friend Jill and I went to Johnny Delmonico's for lunch. A steakhouse (one of two in the same block) and not a place I might have thought of for lunch. It's right off the square and actually, I had never seen it. But now I have! And I think I would go back. I had a greens salad with a nice lemony salad dressing, the pasta of the day, lamb ragu, and a mini creme brulee. I was a happy diner. I tasted some of Jill's fried calamari- served with a tangy citrus sauce- and while at first, I was unsure, I really enjoyed it.

The decor was a little posh- we sat in the "library." but it was relaxed, and well lit, and by taking a peak at the regular menu, reasonably priced (at least for lunch). Good to add another lunch option for the capital area!

Sardine

We are kind of conflicted in our review of Sardine. We went during restaurant week so it's hard to say if that gave us a typical experience. Let's start with location- it's wonderful. Overlooks Lake Monona and tucked back behind Machinery Row. In fact, I have NEVER noticed this place before despite biking by on my way to work almost every day. I'm sort of paranoid this is becoming a theme. Oh well.

We made reservations and were seated right away. Turns out our waitress was someone I knew- we took a class together a couple of summers ago. So it seemed that all would go well. Cool building, great location, a meal out together during a busy week. But there were a few bumps along the way. Service was fairly slow- and while glancing about, we realized that all tables had a bread basket and a water carafe- we had none. And we never got any. Ok, ok. I can let that go. But it did take awhile to get our first course- I had a House salad (mixed greens and bibb lettuce, shaved shallots, crispy chickpeas, roasted beets and sieved egg in tarragon champagne vinaigrette). It was nothing short of amazing, especially given the crispy chickpeas and roasted beets. YUM. My faith was renewed again. Though without water or bread it was a leap of faith on my part.

Next course was roasted chicken with balsamic butter sauce, frites, and a petite frisee salad. Bob had the duck breast with aged balsamic vinegar, roasted figs, and summer vegetables. These were received well though I think we both decided mine was a bit better. It may have been too much chicken (a whole half of one) but it was really moist and tender. The duck, we decided, was "ok."

Finally, we got our dessert. I got a vanilla bean and berry pot de creme while Bob ordered a key lime meringue tart with coconut rum sauce and toasted coconut. Bob insists he "won" the dessert round but mine was just so tasty. A custard creme brulee masterpiece. Though I will admit the lime tart was excellent.

After dessert I was feeling fairly positive about Sardine but while our food was good, I'm just not sure we loved it enough to go back. EXCEPT I have just learned they offer a mean brunch on the weekends; we may have to give it one more go just to get a more well rounded experience. And to eat overlooking the lake.

Dane County Farmer's Market

Another "not technically" a restaurant. But it IS a good place to get food. Enjoy food. And buy food. Sounds like a restaurant to me.

Most people who know about our farmer's market know it's the biggest (dare we say best?) one in the country. Every Saturday around Capital Square dozens and dozens of vendors share their delicious local produce. We go regularly, sometimes just to eat (try the hot, spicy cheesebread!) or sample cheese, or people watch. But of course we also go to prepare for a week's worth of meals. The fare varies depending on season but you can always get home baked pies, bread, pastries, and have I mentioned the hot spicy cheese bread?

The experience is so unique and special- definitely a very "Madison" experience.

Expect to get samples of cheese, sauces, and the occasional raspberry. Plan to spend your cash on the freshest produce and while you wander around the square listen to the street performers and pick up some literature on the latest political controversy. There's really something for everyone. And if you go late enough, you can get some bargains from vendors desperate to get rid of their wares before their trip back home.

Ancora Coffee

Does a coffee shop count as a restaurant? I don't really care, I was just asking. Ancora is down the street from where I work so if I want a snack, a chai (not a coffee drinker) or lately, a tasty sandwich, Ancora is perfect.

Everyone in there is so nice- 1 point. The food and drinks are always fresh and high quality- 1 point. It's a waaayyy better place for a meeting than my office building- 1 million points.

I usually get a chai latte with soy milk (to walk; I really love saying that). I've also been getting the mediterranean panini. wow. they grill it for you, wrap it up in foil and i take it back to my desk and enjoy a hot sandwich with olive tapanade and mozzarella cheese.

Ancora also sells yogurt and fruit parfaits, various scones and muffins and big fat yummy cookies. Plus, all that coffee stuff. Including the clover- an insanely expensive coffee machine (seriously, it's like $11,000) that produces the best coffee ever. or so they say. again, not a coffee drinker.

But Ancora has great variety and while a bit on the pricy side it's a winner. Good food. Good drink. Plus, if you bring in your own mug (which they highly recommend) you get a discount.

Pizza Brutta

We've reviewed pizza places before. But Pizza Brutta is a lot more than a pizza place. First of all, the pizzas are made in a wood fired oven. Kind of feels like you're in Naples (Italy that is). And you can get pizza with arugula, buffalo mozzarella, roasted vegetables, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, spiced salami, the list goes on. All high end ingredients. We often get a pizza bianco (made with an olive oil base; who says all pizzas have to include red sauce?!); either the prosciutto arugula or caprese. Never been disappointed in either.

The salads are also delicious. And while I'm thinking of it, so is the gelato. And if you go during lunch, they have a separate menu with amazing sandwiches like the tonna or mozza. yum.

Overall advice: get a glass of wine (another reason it's a step above a regular pizza place) and relax. I also definitely recommend sharing a pizza- they are a bit big, though having extra for lunch the next day is not a bad thing.

Samba

Samba labels itself as Brazilian. I don't know if that's true or not, but whatever it is, it's unique among restaurants to which I've been. The first thing that strikes you on the upstairs dining room is its enormity. The upstairs itself has a ceiling tall enough to accommodate a mezzanine. There is also a stage for Jazz performances during dinner.

All these structural elements compliment the theater of the meal itself. You begin with the cold "salad bar." I say "salad bar" because most salad bars are uninspiring collections of, well, things to make salads. At Samba, the salad bar is a magical place. It's placed around a large four sided column with a huge floral centerpiece on top. The magic comes from the variety and quality of food, with different themes on each side. I've on the cold salad side, I had sweet potato salad and calamari salad, both flavorful and delicious. I also noted the balsamic goat cheese, pickled beets, fresh sauteed vegetables (the asparagus looked especially good).

After the salad bar comes the reason all go to Samba: the Rodizio course. Essentially, waiters (dressed ridiculously... do they dress like jungle guides in restaurants in Brazil?) circulate around the room with roasted meats and pineapple taken directly off spits. They cut small chunks of the meat directly onto your plate. And the meat, well, it's delicious. Always cooked perfectly, often a little crispy and spiced on the outside and amazingly juicy in the middle. My favorites are the flank steak and the chorizo, and the cinnamon pineapple is good as well. You can start and stop the flow of meat at your whim using a simple table indicator. I must admit I felt like a king with this thing.

Bring me more meat!

La Mestiza

In the small, charming space La Mestiza currently occupies, used to be a...Subway. Wow, talk about an upgrade. When I heard they opened up so close to where I work, I was, to say the least, excited! I went for lunch with a friend and was satisfied. I took Bob for dinner soon after that, and both of us recently had lunch there again after a hot afternoon during Art Fair on the Square.

It's colorful and affordable- two qualities I enjoy. I think the food is "good" not "great" but I really do like the trio de tacos. One steak, shredded pork, one chicken. All good. Throw in some cilantro, some pineapple and onions and it's really a respectable (and cheap) lunch. Besides, with the thick and crispy chips and two types of salsa, you'll have more than enough food. Though, why not get a horchata? I'm not sure. You should get one. It's delicious.

Bob had the platter mexicano and I literally did not even see it disappear off his plate. Apparently it was that good- a taco, a flouta, and a quesadilla. And lots of goodness.

With two locations, it really poises itself as a decent Madison mexican food joint. We've already discussed the downfalls of La Hacienda and the wonders of Tacqueria but if you're in the capital area and want a relaxing, higher than mediocre lunch, stop by and see the super friendly staff at La Mestiza. Get a drink. Enjoy the chips and salsa and pick from a great menu of traditional (with a bit of an anglo flair) options.

Ellen's Stardust Diner

Confession. This restaurant is not really in Madison. And by not really I mean not at all. But I recently went there while meeting a friend in NYC, and the experience was so entertaining I felt the need to share. Overall, let me just say I am GLAD such a place does not exist in Madison.

At first, it just looked like a fun glitzy diner in the heart of time's square. I waited outside for my friend Meredith and after a "it's SO good to see you!!!" hug we went inside and sat down. No one really noticed. Especially the wait staff. They were too busy singing and dancing on tables. Seriously. After a minute, one of the staff grabbed the mic and said something to the extent of "This is no regular diner. Because besides serving you food we also entertain you!" Panic starts to ensue for both of us. "We are all theater, acting or singing students here in New York and we are putting our talents to work here for all of you!" Oh. dear.

And they did. Though talents might be a wildly generous term. They alternated singly- loudly and on top of your table. Then they passed around an obnoxious tip jar. Then they sang AGAIN! But hey, at least they took requests. Finally we flagged down someone to give us menus and take our orders. The flagging had to continue as we rudely interrupted the show several times.

Here's the thing. This might have been a fun experience for someone with "deer-in-the-headlights-first-time-in-the-big-city" syndrome but for two friends trying to catch up it went from annoying to just hilarious :).

We had a good time- I mean, we were together we talked over the singing, and we made the best of it. But i have never been to a restaurant with quite so much stimulation. Not sure who Ellen is but she should consider less stardust and more customer service training.

La Hacienda

Here it is. The Mad Sampler's first negative review. It took us awhile but I think we've found a worthy candidate. Hey, it's not our fault that Madison not only has tons of restaurants but that it has TASTY restaurants.

La Hacienda should be a great place for us- we can walk or bike there, it's just right down the street, they have nice outdoor seating and considering it's located in a highly Latino part of town, one has some expectations of quality! Am I right? Mexican food is one of our favorites, so we were excited to find the best Mexican food in town.

Well, La Hacienda is not it. It's not that this is a terrible restaurant, it's just "ok." And in Madison, ok can't get you all that far. The food was bland (especially compared to a FANTASTIC mexican restaurant down the street a bit- see last sentence) and the menu was too huge (I really hate that- just tell me what you're really good at making!) and basically that sealed the deal. I got the tostadas and was pretty disappointed. Not much flavor but unfortunately piled so high on my plate (another annoyance- I'm here for 1 meal, not 8!) I enjoyed sitting outside and MAY give it another try but if you're looking for authentic Mexican food- Taqueria Guadalajara does NOT disappoint.

Glass Nickel Pizza

A pizza joint is usually nothing special. You crave grease and cheese, you call a special number, some is delivered to you. And there are plenty of good pizza places in Madison. But there are three that rise to the top. And today it's about Glass Nickel Pizza. You'll just have to wait to hear about the other two top notch pizza places (ok fine, it's this one and this one).

Glass Nickel has so much variety. It's always a tough choice to pick your pizza. And it's not just pizza- I have enjoyed a calzone (the size of my head), breadsticks, cheese bread, AND cinnamon nubs. Which are as good as they sound. Pizza is so so much more than cheese and sauce at this place. It's a higher art form. The Mediterranean is my favorite, though I always get it without olives. But the Thai Pie is unlike I've ever tasted before (seriously, it feels very strange at first to taste spicy thai flavors on a pizza) and I mean that in only a good way.

The ingredients always taste fresh and online ordering, for whatever reason, really makes me happy. I think your goal should be to work your way through the speciality pizza list. It's all worth it. So what, you'll gain 20 lbs. At least you'll be happy.

The other great thing about the Madison West location is that they offer a new speciality pizza each month. This month? Mac n' cheese. I can't WAIT to check it out.