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Icon brings Madison tapas in high style

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by Jason Engelhart

Monday, November 12, 2007

On Wednesday night, the owner of one icon in the Madison restaurant scene opened what is sure to become another. Moe Barketallah, owner of Frida Mexican Grill, recently unveiled his latest project, The Icon Tapas Bar and Restaurant, 206 State St.

The Icon has an understated, mature decor. The color scheme consists solely of red, white and black, and the only adornments on the white walls are a few pictures of legends of American pop culture and a series of black-and-white films projected against the restaurant's back wall. Although the choice of theme is a bit puzzling for a Spanish restaurant, the decoration is tasteful and the atmosphere is comfortable for how upscale of an establishment it is.

Most of the Icon's menu, which is available daily from 5 p.m. until bar time, consists of tapas. These are small dishes — it generally takes three or four to make a meal — that are traditionally served alongside, or on top of, drinks in Spain. Legend has it that tapas originated with King Alfonso X of Spain, who insisted that his guests not be served drinks unless there was a dish, a "tapa," served with it.

The menu at The Icon consists of six sections: cold tapas ($4-12), hot tapas ($4-10), soups and salads ($4-10), Spanish flatbreads ($7-9), entrees ($15-25) and desserts ($3 each).

The marinated white anchovies are the perfect way to start a meal at The Icon. Although some people may be intimidated by the dish's fishy name, these canapés balance the saltiness of the anchovies with a mellow but brightly flavored almond-parsley pesto.

Other items on the cold tapas menu include a refreshing artichoke and fennel salad and a beef carpaccio that is sure to leave any carnivore wanting more.

For people desiring something a bit heartier early in the meal, The Icon's wild mushroom soup fits the bill. Its subtle warmth plays nicely with the forceful blue cheese toast points that come alongside it.

The Icon continued to shine with its hot tapas. The Spanish tortilla is a perfectly executed Spanish omelet with the addition of wild mushrooms. The stuffed piquillo peppers are filled with a combination of spicy roasted vegetables and sweet caramelized onions. Although the steamed mussels initially seemed garden variety at best, the saffron cream sauce they come with absolutely makes the dish. Protein-hungry diners will likely enjoy The Icon's take on surf and turf: shrimp skewers with chorizo served over cucumbers and yellow grape tomatoes. Another star of the hot tapas menu was the beef empanada, which had an outstandingly flaky crust in spite of its moist beef and mushroom filling.

However, the most innovative dish at The Icon is their "Fish Fry," a piece of tilapia wrapped in fried fideau noodles. The crunchy pasta enveloping the perfectly cooked fish established an interesting contrast of texture that would have been sadly absent had the chef simply breaded the fish. Although its $10 price tag is a bit steep for a tapa, the portion is generous and the experience of eating it is edifying.

If your meal has left your stomach with any vacant real estate, The Icon offers a wide array of desserts, all of which cost only $3. The caramelized banana, which comes with peanut butter ice cream and pistachios, is definitely worth trying because it presents an incredible diversity of flavors and textures in just one dish.

The inherent variety of tapas and the quality of the food make The Icon one of the most satisfying places to dine on State Street. Unfortunately, it is also one of the best places to max out one's credit card. However, for people who prefer the poetry of sampling sundry small dishes to the prose of plowing through a solitary entrée, The Icon simply cannot be beat.

5 stars out of 5

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Anonymous (November 13, 2007 @ 12:30pm):

their mushroom soup is the best, jerry. the best.

Anonymous (December 27, 2007 @ 10:06am):

good place to drink,, not a the best place to each! this place is for college kids!

michael botros (February 10, 2008 @ 4:00pm):

There is a lot of wines in this place, but they are very expensive. The place really doens't feel that Spanish, and the food is not well prepared. Icon should be a bar only no food.

Anonymous (February 24, 2008 @ 2:42pm):

The food in this place is nice, although it's slightly overpriced. Unfortunately, the wine is even more overpriced and you only get very small servings.

Anonymous (April 3, 2008 @ 3:56am):

Seriously overpriced..and not real tapas. Don't go here looking to recreate the real tapas experience.

Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 9:15am):

I thought the "fish fry" was amazing. I thought all of their food was amazing--I would highly recommend this place.

Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 9:31am):

This place is WAY overpriced. And we asked for no mushrooms in our food and was told it was PRE-PACKAGED and they couldnt take it out. PRE-FUCKING PACKAGED? and you charge $15 bucks for it? ridiculous. i hope this place goes under.

Anonymous (May 20, 2008 @ 8:42am):

I went to the Icon for a cocktail hour with my friends. They were extremely rude to me! I accidently knocked over my glass and the waiter rushed over NOT to ask if I was ok but to yell at me, take my glass away and explain that no one else at my table would be allowed to get another drink. The Icon is full of arrogant staff, overpriced drinks and it's overall OVERRATED!

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