Graze/Madison Wisconsin

I was thrilled when I heard that the wonderful L'Etoile chef was opening up a pub.  After a fantastic performance of Wicked on Saturday afternoon we decided to give it a shot.  L'Etoile has always been one of my favorite spots and the thought of enjoying food of equal quality in a lower price bracket was very intriguing.  Maybe my expectations were too high going in.

We walked over and were seated right away.  The decor is modern and sparse.  It is not the warm and welcoming feel one would expect from a pub but I was there for the food anyway.  It was a brisk afternoon and as people came in the side door, the breeze carried through the entire space creating a chill in the room. The waiter was attentive and we ordered drinks, a beer for my dining partner and a cocktail for me, right away.  Though they didn't have what I requested, the waiter went to the bar and the bartender came up with something they thought would be similar and my cocktail was excellent.

We order two appetizers, the panko breaded onion rings and the vegetable fricassee.  The onion rings were no longer hot when they came out but the barbecue sauce they were served with was good.  The vegetable fricassee was plentiful and the veggies were all from that mornings farmer's market.  Very buttery so not exactly the healthy option we were hoping for.

Next we ordered the cheese board.  The five cheeses were very good, especially the goat varieties. The fruit spread (possibly date though no indication was given as to what it was) was also tasty and matched well with the cheeses.  The bread had obviously been sliced well in advance because it was hard and stale tasting.

The main courses followed.  I chose the Rainbow Trout served with winter squash and crispy leeks.  the flavors were wonderful.  It was a satisfying dish.  The portion was not large but it was good.  My dining partner chose the pub burger served on a homemade English muffin with fries and an aioli.  The burger was flavorful but VERY small.  The fries were good but the aioli just tasted like mayonnaise.  No better than any other brew pub in town.

After completing our meal we couldn't help but feel we were missing something.  We know Chef Tory was working that afternoon because he did momentarily come into the dining area, but almost all the food was sub par.  The waiter had mentioned earlier to us that the cheese curds were very good but neither of us wanted them.  We did however notice quite a few orders going out so we decided to get an order to go.  While the curds were cooking the waiter brought out our bill.  $84.00 plus tip!!! Yikes!  Way to much for so so pub food.  I was hoping the cheese curds were REALLY good.  When they came we each decided to try one while they were still hot.  They tasted like greasy cheese curds.  We brought them home to the kids and sitter and they didn't even want them.

http://www.grazepub.com/

Bottom Line:

Unless you want to try it just to say you have eaten there, skip it.
If someone drags you there make sure you aren't footing the bill and order the trout, just keep in mind you might want a snack later.
Very disappointing...