Chautara

Chautara is one of SEVERAL Nepalese restaurants in Madison. Think it's surprising that there are an abundance of Nepali cuisine in deep-fried apple pie Wisconsin? We think so too. Yet, this is the curious situation in which we now find ourselves, and there's nothing for it but to soldier on, sample the food, and blog about it.

Here are our findings: First, Chautara is located on State St. and has outdoor seating. We note this as a plus. Second, unlike certain other Nepalese restaurants on the 300 block of State St. that I could name *cough* Himal Chuli *cough*, this restaurant serves meat. And not just meat, but my favorite meat, Lamb. We note this as another plus. Third, the menu looked pretty good, a nice mix of meat dishes balanced with grains (mostly rice) or vegetables (including the nice use of chickpeas). But the specials sounded great, and I opted for the market Lamb with Daal (thinner than other's I've had, more soupy, but tasty) and some seasonal veggies like patty-pan squash. I'll give this another plus.

So I guess Chautara gets three pluses. Out of how many? Oh, I don't know. Let's say four. Three out of four is pretty good, in my book, which is the one you are reading. All in all, it was a good, straightforward meal of traditionally cooked meat and roasted veggies with a nice soup, located on State St. I know it's a Nepalese restaurant, but that epitomizes good Midwest food for me.

Marigold Kitchen

Marigold is a cute just-off-the-capital-square restaurant. Yes, I know there are many but I would say that Marigold definitely stands out. It's pricy (maybe over priced) but really, what isn't these days? If you want a cheap meal, this probably wouldn't be your first stop but if you want a quality, pretty speedy meal prepared with care by people who obviously love food check it out. In fact, why haven't you gone already?

It offers fresh seasonal fare (seriously, if I had a dollar for every time we said that phrase on this blog; sheesh get over yourself Madison. But don't really because I love you) and I really love the charming simple interior. They have great outdoor seating and the case of tarts and baked goods near the register is edible decoration, I swear.

Breakfast is your best bet here because surprisingly, there aren't a lot of (good) breakfast options in this area. Lots of veggies, goat cheese and eggs. Can't go wrong. I've enjoyed quiche (which changes regularly) and scramblers (which also changes regularly) and really, anything that changes due to the seasons is a win in my book.

The only caveat is that it can get pretty busy, so maybe go at off times. But definitely go!

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?