Restaurant Week!
Where should you go? Honestly, I'm less than enthusiastic. Below is a full list. Here is a summary of the "Yes" and "Whatevers" (the rest are nos).
YES: Harvest, Lombardinos
Whatever: Cocoliquot, Fyfe's, The Old Fashioned.
The rest: No, or I don't know. That gives you five places to visit. Make your reservations now!
Full list:
Blue Marlin: NO
Captain Bill's: DK
Café Continental: No
The Casbah: NO
Cocoliquot: Whatever, yes, I guess.
The Dardanelles: NO (good God no)
Fyfe's Corner Bistro: Um, whatever. Sure
Harvest: YES (but I thought you hateded it, you say. Well, still... Give it a shot, I'm going to again).
Laredo's Mexican Restaurant, East: HELL NO
Laredo's Mexican Restaurant, West: HELL NO
Lombardino's: Yes
The Mariner's Inn: D/K
Monte's Grill Verona: D/K
The Nitty Gritty, Downtown: OMG NO!!! Seriously, could you even spend $25 there on a normal day?
The Nitty Gritty, West: See above
The Old Fashioned: Um, I don't know. Sure. Whatever.
Ovations at The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club: NO
Quivey’s Grove Stable Grill: D/K
Quivey's Grove Stone House: D/K
RP Adler's: D/K
Tutto Pasta Cucina Italiana: NO
YES: Harvest, Lombardinos
Whatever: Cocoliquot, Fyfe's, The Old Fashioned.
The rest: No, or I don't know. That gives you five places to visit. Make your reservations now!
Full list:
Blue Marlin: NO
Captain Bill's: DK
Café Continental: No
The Casbah: NO
Cocoliquot: Whatever, yes, I guess.
The Dardanelles: NO (good God no)
Fyfe's Corner Bistro: Um, whatever. Sure
Harvest: YES (but I thought you hateded it, you say. Well, still... Give it a shot, I'm going to again).
Laredo's Mexican Restaurant, East: HELL NO
Laredo's Mexican Restaurant, West: HELL NO
Lombardino's: Yes
The Mariner's Inn: D/K
Monte's Grill Verona: D/K
The Nitty Gritty, Downtown: OMG NO!!! Seriously, could you even spend $25 there on a normal day?
The Nitty Gritty, West: See above
The Old Fashioned: Um, I don't know. Sure. Whatever.
Ovations at The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club: NO
Quivey’s Grove Stable Grill: D/K
Quivey's Grove Stone House: D/K
RP Adler's: D/K
Tutto Pasta Cucina Italiana: NO
posted by shakha at 1:30 PM
8 Comments:
Guide me for Harvest, then:
First Course
White Bean Soup or Salad of Field Greens, Walnut Vinaigrette or Chicken Croquettes, Parsnip Puree
Second Course
Risotto, Market Vegetables or
Herb Roasted Chicken, Potato Purée, Roasted Vegetables, Herb Chicken Jus or Beef Shortribs, Potato Purée, Roasted Vegetables, Red Wine Beef Jus
Third Course
Vanilla Crème Brûlée or Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake or House-made Ice Cream
Okay:
First Course: either the soup or the croquettes. Avoid the salad. Blah. You could make that at home for 50 cents. Even if you can't cook. Seriously.
Second Course: either the Chicken or the Shortribs. Avoid the risotto - not because I don't like risotto, only because it is nearly impossible to make well at a restaurant. It doesn't hold well. It needs to be made fresh. THat takes 30 minutes for EACH PATRON. Whioh would mean either LOTS of people in the kitchen cooking, or one AMAZING cook (with several arms).
IF you get the croquettes for the first course, don't get the chicken for the main course. Chick followed by chicken: blah. I would go for the shortribs. Why? Tasty. Perfect for this time of year. AND they hold well: you can cook them indefinitely. WHich means if the batch tastes good, you're good to go.
Dessert: Your choice. If the ice-cream is flavored it could be cool/nice. Ginger ice-cream, for example, would be SWEET! If you go with the shortribs, the breme brulee may be a bit much (heavy, heavy, heavy).
Now, to the Devil's Food Cake: if it is REAL such cake, I would definitely go for it. WHat makes it real? Spice. And I quote:
Oxford Companion to Food: Devil--a culinary term which . . . first appeared as a noun in the 18th century, and then in the early 19th century as a verb meaning to cook something with fiery hot spices or condiments. . . . The term was presumably adopted because of the connection between the devil and the excessive heat in Hell. . . . Boswell, Dr Johnson's biographer, frequently refers to partaking of a dish of "devilled bones" for supper, which suggests an earlier use. . . Deviled dishes were very popular throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries, especially for seafood preparations and some appetizers.
So a GOOD devil's food cake (or at least one I would like) would have hints of heat to it. I think that would make a really nice end to a meal - giving you something rich, but with some kick to cut through all the heavy stuff.
So, what would I get?
Soup
Shortribs
Chocolate Cake
Or the croquettes. I love parsnips. Although they would likely make the meal almost TOO heavy (fried chicken, shortribs - which are incredibly rich - and then some kind of dessert).
Tell me what you decide!
yo
i went last night.
i had the chicken croquettes, the short ribs, and crème brulé, and a glass of the house cab that i didn't bother to get the name of.
croquettes were interesting enough and its parsnip puree was tasty, but if you're going to get the short ribs go simple with the greens. if you're having a crazy hankering for parsnip, be reassurred that hte ribs come with some roasted cubed parsnips.
i agree with shamus (just this once): white bean soups are nothing special, something even i can make well at home for--actually i don't agree with him-- $0.20 per person. so why pay someone else to do it?
all the desserts are good, although i feel like the espresso ice cream is particularly unique, you won't get anything this good anywhere else in madison. the crème brulée (usually my fave) was good but nothing special. the crust on top was too thick but the custard was great. chocolate cake was simple, as it should be, adn delicious.
be reassured that all desserts are generously portioned. and i had one of the only good decaf espressos in my life.
hope i haven't spoiled too much...
-k
Thank you for thinking I could make salad.
a)I had no idea about risotto.
b)Chick followed by chick is noted.
c)I was just reading about short ribs in Heat by the Among The Thugs guy.
d)True story. My friend saw Cindy at L'Etoile with a big bucket o brulee.
e)I had NO idea about Devil. I'm totally calling You Have a Way with Words to stump them!
KEV - You ruined nothing.
I'm am about to make a reservation for three.
I meant to say Cindy CRAWFORD.
Your two are the only two I was considering! Lombardinos is my faaaaaave. Are there worthwhile vegetarian options on the menu? (I haven't looked at the menus yet).
This is not about eating OUT so it's not necessarily blog-specific, but UW currently is running a study about WHAT we eat vs. the WHERE.
http://www.uwfoodstudy.org/.
I'm glad someone else hates the Dardanelles like I hate the Dardanelles. I've given it a chance. I've given it two chances. I don't consider myself all that picky. But it's just Bad.
But there was that time when the Isthmus misprinted their add for an "exotic Valentine's dinner" as an "erotic Valentine's dinner" and they wrote and complained. That was a good laugh. So they're good for something.
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