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...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Johnny Delmonico's/ Madison Wisconsin
Though we have eaten at many downtown Madison restaurants, for some reason Johnny Delmonico's was one we had not tried. After trying unsuccessfully to get a reservation at L'Etoile (still one of our all time favorites) for our anniversary, we decided to give Delmonicos a try.
Parking is easy enough (there is a ramp kiddie corner to the restaurant) and it is a very quick walk to the door. We were seated right away and though we had to wait sometime for the waiter to come to our table, he was very pleasant when he arrived. I had some questions about the cocktails and though the waiter did not know the answers right away, he quickly checked and came back to our table immediately. They do offer Stella Artois on tap which is the preferred beer for my dining partner and I when we go to a nice restaurant and the cocktail I ordered was flavorful and strong.
For appetizers we ordered a half order of the calamari and the shrimp cocktail. The calamari has a wonderful sweet and spicy asian sauce and is really a must have. I would say it was probably the best calamari we have ever had. My date said he could just eat that and be happy.
Next came the mixed green salad for me and the soup of the day (butternut squash) for him. Both were wonderful. The greens were fresh and peppery and the soup was amazingly smooth with a hint of maple.
For the main course my partner chose the Shichimi Togarashi -Crusted Ahi Tuna. The tuna itself was well prepared but had little to no flavor, the broth was nice and mild but the garnish was very spicy. The taste itself was "fine". He was glad he ordered it but would not order it again. I chose the ribeye done medium rare, oscar style, with the double baked potato. It was absolutely perfect. It is easy to see why Johnny Delmonico's is consistently voted best steakhouse and the double-baked (twice baked) potato was again the best either of us had ever had. The portions were generous and we actually boxed half of it up to bring home. Suprisingly, the waiter sliced the steak for us and included bread which made for a wonderful steak sandwich the next day. We also ordered a side of wild mushrooms which never arrived at the table but did appear on the bill. The waiter removed them without hesitation. The timing between courses was perfect and though we were there 2 hours, it felt right.
No meal is complete with out dessert so we settled on the seasonal creme brulee (though no indication was made as to what the flavor might be ahead of time, it was vanilla bean and excellent) and the homemade chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, coffee and a cappuccino. The cake was just so-so (as a dear fried of mine would say not worth the calories) and the cappuccino was luke warm. Certainly not what we had expected.
Total bill was 130.00 plus tip
Bottom Line:
Service is very pleasant but can be spotty
Get the calamari
Order a steak with the double baked potato and you will be happy
Definitely baby sitter worthy
4/5
http://www.johnnydelmonicos.com/
Parking is easy enough (there is a ramp kiddie corner to the restaurant) and it is a very quick walk to the door. We were seated right away and though we had to wait sometime for the waiter to come to our table, he was very pleasant when he arrived. I had some questions about the cocktails and though the waiter did not know the answers right away, he quickly checked and came back to our table immediately. They do offer Stella Artois on tap which is the preferred beer for my dining partner and I when we go to a nice restaurant and the cocktail I ordered was flavorful and strong.
For appetizers we ordered a half order of the calamari and the shrimp cocktail. The calamari has a wonderful sweet and spicy asian sauce and is really a must have. I would say it was probably the best calamari we have ever had. My date said he could just eat that and be happy.
Next came the mixed green salad for me and the soup of the day (butternut squash) for him. Both were wonderful. The greens were fresh and peppery and the soup was amazingly smooth with a hint of maple.
For the main course my partner chose the Shichimi Togarashi -Crusted Ahi Tuna. The tuna itself was well prepared but had little to no flavor, the broth was nice and mild but the garnish was very spicy. The taste itself was "fine". He was glad he ordered it but would not order it again. I chose the ribeye done medium rare, oscar style, with the double baked potato. It was absolutely perfect. It is easy to see why Johnny Delmonico's is consistently voted best steakhouse and the double-baked (twice baked) potato was again the best either of us had ever had. The portions were generous and we actually boxed half of it up to bring home. Suprisingly, the waiter sliced the steak for us and included bread which made for a wonderful steak sandwich the next day. We also ordered a side of wild mushrooms which never arrived at the table but did appear on the bill. The waiter removed them without hesitation. The timing between courses was perfect and though we were there 2 hours, it felt right.
No meal is complete with out dessert so we settled on the seasonal creme brulee (though no indication was made as to what the flavor might be ahead of time, it was vanilla bean and excellent) and the homemade chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, coffee and a cappuccino. The cake was just so-so (as a dear fried of mine would say not worth the calories) and the cappuccino was luke warm. Certainly not what we had expected.
Total bill was 130.00 plus tip
Bottom Line:
Service is very pleasant but can be spotty
Get the calamari
Order a steak with the double baked potato and you will be happy
Definitely baby sitter worthy
4/5
http://www.johnnydelmonicos.com/
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