Madison’s Restaurant Week is always my favorite time of the year. What better excuse is there to eat at some of the best restaurants in Madison — heck, some of the best restaurants in the Midwest — than a three-course sampling of some of the chef’s most drool-inducing creations for only $25 for dinner or $15 for lunch?
Restaurant Week gives financially crunched students an opportunity to eat at the classiest establishments in Madison for a fraction of the normal cost. If you’re looking to impress a date, this week is the time to do it. You won’t be able to so thoroughly wine and dine anyone for this cheap until the next Restaurant Week rolls around in July.
Here’s a sneak peek into my gastronomical journey thus far into Restaurant Week and an account of the best of what I’ve eaten. One thing is clear, though: with some of the biggest names in the Madison restaurant scene participating — L’Etoile, Harvest and Dayton Street Grille, to name a few — judging the best of Restaurant Week is going to be nearly impossible.
My first meal was the $15 lunch at Liliana’s Restaurant in Fitchburg, which specializes in New Orleans-style fare. As I casually perused their regular menu, I was constantly distracted by all the appealing options. Nonetheless, I knew that the special Restaurant Week menu could not be passed up, so I decided on the tomato bisque for an appetizer, the blackened catfish sandwich for my entr?e and some fresh beignets for dessert.
The bisque was light and sweet, topped with a dollop of cr?me fraiche. I would describe the incredibly pleasing texture as a fluffy tomato soup. The catfish po’ boy was less enchanting than the bisque, however. I could taste a lot of fishy-ness and a lot of the “blackened” — read: charcoal — flavors. I couldn’t decide whether or not that was a good thing — maybe that’s what they were going for when they named the sandwich “the blackened catfish po’ boy”? The flavors were just too mismatched and equally overpowering to be very satisfying. However, the burnt taste was slightly offset by the spicy coleslaw that topped the fish, and the homemade roll that contained the sandwich was delicious, so overall, the sandwich wasn’t a total bust. The beignets — fried dough covered in powdered sugar –were large and served hot, fresh and delectable.
Later that night, I went to one of the restaurants I’ve always wanted to eat at: Johnny Delmonico’s. I’ve heard great things about this well-known steakhouse just off the Capital Square, so I was excited to see what they had in store. What I learned was to not believe the hype.
While Johnny D’s does, in fact, serve tasty, high quality and well-made fare, the hype of Wolfgang Puck — the world-famous chef who Johnny Delmonico’s head chef once worked with, we were told by the waiter — speaks louder than the food. In judging a good restaurant, the food should speak for itself and at Johnny Delmonico’s, it unfortunately didn’t. The serving sizes were disappointingly small, and although I understand that Delmonico’s steaks alone usually go for around $30 a pop, it would have been nice to see a little more of their much-talked about culinary skills.
The petit filet, at 4 oz., was a steak so small that when ordered medium-well, it was overly dry. The fried calamari appetizer was poorly executed, covered with an oddly crunchy, yet, mealy batter. The calamari itself was thin, overdone and thus lacking of any sort of seafood texture, although its Asian-inspired glaze was worthy enough.
The appetizers were certainly not outstanding, nor were the cr?me brulee or chocolate cake desserts. Nothing to see here, if you ask me. More exciting dining options await you in the lesser-known restaurants of Restaurant Week.
One place that did speak for itself was Kickshaw. I didn’t know what to expect from this newly opened restaurant in Fitchburg, but I was so impressed by their food that I already can’t wait to go back. The stuffed finger potato appetizer, with chevre cheese, a slice of juicy bacon and fresh herbs, was sinfully delicious, and the vegetable sarma cabbage roll boasted one of the most unique red sauces I’ve ever tasted — savory and sweet at the same time.
Kickshaw is another Madison-area restaurant that uses all locally sourced ingredients, making the seasonal menu perpetually fresh. And here is one place where you won’t be disappointed with the Restaurant Week serving size. The “Kickshaw Vice Ribs” consisted of a huge serving of ribs that were so tender they literally slid off the bone, covered in an amazing root beer barbeque sauce.
The salmon entree was cooked perfectly as it was flaky yet velvety at the same time and came with sides that paired seemingly opposite flavors — curry and pesto, for example — in oddly outstanding flavor combinations.
Kickshaw really hit it out of the ballpark with their dessert offerings. The Wisconsin pear and apple almond tartlet was a perfect pasty served with homemade beer ice cream. Yes, you read that right. Made in-house with Spotted Cow, this is one treat that you won’t find anywhere else. The “Kick-A-Lot-A Choc” plate was also outstanding, with several varieties of smooth and heavenly chocolate creations for your sampling pleasure. I was thoroughly impressed by Kickshaw that I can say it’s definitely worth the drive.
Restaurant Week is in full swing — but it’s not over yet. Until this Friday, endless varieties of culinary mastery are, for once, within budget’s reach. For this week, I’m going to let you decide what is the best of the best. Here is your chance to eat some of the most impressive and expensive food in Madison without the price tag, so I encourage you to try one of the three course dining options available to you this week. And with this edition of Madison Restaurant Week’s participating restaurants, you can be sure that you’re eating some of the very best food to be found in Madison.
Elin Amundson is a senior majoring in history and philosophy. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].
