Sardine Bistro & Bar, Madison, WI

Well, after a number of years living in Madison (over two separate stints), I think I've finally found my favorite restaurant. This is a big deal as I almost never choose favorites... and even saying that, I still have some caveats, but this is it for me in Madison. I might even be done looking (not least of which due to me moving back to CHI).

First, this place is right on Lake Monona. You can sit inside a very nice old-school warehouse space that's been updated to a French bistro theme, or even out on the deck, overlooking the lake (and some parking). 

Second, they do drinks right and have a happy hour everyday (at the bar, 4-6pm). I'd been in once before but didn't stay to eat or drink anything. It was a snowy spring day and with the happy hour bar seats all taken, I didn't think I'd get in very quickly. So, I left that day and made a mental note to return - boy am I glad I did.

Third, the menu is really well done and easy to find something. Take your pick... 

Finally, this staff is the real star and one of the main drivers of me anointing it with "favorite" status. Now don't get me wrong... there are many good restaurants in Madison. I've already written about some here on this site, like A Pig In A Fur Coat... but Sardine is hands down the best staff I've come across in all my time in Madison (though a few others come very close too).

I think, in general, restaurant staff service has gone down since the pandemic began, and who can blame these workers? But, it's noticeable now that we're coming out of it. And an all-star staff like the one at Sardine stands out like a beacon of light.

They helped me from the jump, even though I was dining solo at the bar. Water, drink, salad and main, plus dessert with decaf espresso (who even orders that?!). As one example, there is a fantastic woman clearing plates behind the bar who's not much taller than the bar. She literally has to get on her tip-toes to see if you're done with your food. But, every time I cleaned a plate (and I cleaned them!) or got to halfway on my water, she was right there to clear it away or refill. 

The rest of the folks behind the bar were equally great in their own ways. Friendly, talkative, willing to explain things. It was great. I even mentioned this to one of the bartenders before I left and they mentioned that they all love working there. It shows. I loved being a guest too.

For those curious about my meal choices, I did the House Greens to start - delicious and seemingly so simple. Then I went all-in on a Ribeye with their Steak Frites. I asked them to sub the Frites out for Fingerling potatoes and they obliged (though did have to check with the kitchen). The steak was cooked to my order and served with my side and a mustard sauce (didn't need that!). 

Something about those fingerlings too. Take a good look. I can only presume they were placed raw into a very hot skillet or pan and roasted off in an oven. They outsides were very crisp and the insides perfectly tender. Now how many times have you noticed the potato enough to think about and comment on it?!

To be fair, I wasn't planning to go in and have a 3-4 course meal, with a drink and coffee, but the place makes you want to stay longer & order more. It's genius really.

So, I wound up getting something with chocolate for dessert in the form of their Opera Cake. It was not too big or not too small, but just right. Delicious too... and went very well with that decaf espresso I'd ordered.

To say I would go back is an understatement. I am trying to think of reasons to go back now. I'm sure a happy hour burger visit is in my future before too long. And I think folks in Madison and the surrounding area should check this place out for yourselves - now!

Wisconsin’s Supper Club Culture: Ishnala Supper Club & The Del Bar, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Have you heard of the concept of a supper club? If you're not from the Midwest, I think the chances are decent that you have not. Not only that, but you've probably never been to one either. One of the benefits of living in the state of Wisconsin is that these supper clubs are still prevalent and one can visit one relatively easily.

A quick Google of the history of supper clubs tells us that these places essentially transitioned from speak-easys to supper clubs soon after Prohibition ended. They morphed into legal establishments where one could enjoy a great meal, with people you knew from your town, for an evening of lively conversation & entertainment. They often had music or comedy during the evening as well. And when you decided to attend a supper club for dinner, this was usually the whole evening. You weren't getting up after the food to go to another place, you were in one place for the night. Part of that, I suspect is the car culture also starting to blossom around this time. Many of the clubs were a "drive" from a suburban area and once you arrived, you were not going to go back out driving. Plus, you'd probably had one, two, three plus Old Fashioneds by that point (also a distinctly Wisconsin thing). Better sit tight, let the hooch wear off by the time you and your group want to head home.

Today, they're often well-run dinner establishments with a focus on high quality meats, service, and cocktails. Often located on a picturesque piece of land or in a historic building, with the décor to match the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Think timber structures and lots of knotty pine inside.

To that end, I went to visit a couple in the Wisconsin Dells area, specifically the Ishnala Supper Club on Mirror Lake and The Del Bar, on a main thoroughfare in The Dells. I only went to check out the former spot, taking pictures all from the outside and the surrounding grounds. And I went into and had dinner at the latter. 

Take a look and see if you'd like to have an evening like these...

...Ishnala to start, simply in order of how I walked around...

Imagine if you were waiting for your table on a balmy summer night, had a drink in hand, and got to sit out here for a spell with your special someone or a larger group/family...

Even a somewhat out-of-the-way beach and what looked like a cool place to rent out...

The dining room is two stories, which I presume is to seat more people with views of the lake out back...

Kinda cool you could get some history as you were there wandering too... (this canoe is original Native American, found at the bottom of the lake, weighed down with large stones. The Native Americans used to "hide" their water craft before moving away for the winter, then come back in warmer weather and get the canoes back out - genius)...

And now for The Del Bar, which I believe was designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple and is a great place to hunker down for some dinner & drinks...

People line up out here each day before opening to score a good seat at the bar, for their happy hour specials

Cool Prairie-like style in many of the furnishings of the place too... 

While they are one of the 2% or less of restaurants in the USA to serve USDAS Prime Beef, I went with their Pork Chop. It was delicious. I do want to go back for an appropriate occasion and have a steak though they also looked pretty awesome.

They're not always easy to find or easy to get to, but I think you should seek out supper clubs near or far from you and check 'em out. I know you'll be glad you did.

Cadre, Madison, WI

I don't know about you, but it feels like we're all a little more comfortable venturing out and doing things we used to do without thinking about it too much. If you follow this blog, you know that for me that's trying new places. I did just that this weekend and had a new-to-me place all picked out... but when I arrived it was too busy to seat me in a timely manner (I can get hangry).

So, I checked Google and recalled a few places I'd seen on the way to the first choice. Cadre happened to be about 1/2 a block away and Google told me it was a "French-inspired" bistro and rated at 4.5/5.0 stars, a good sign in my general experience. I popped in and easily grabbed a seat at their well-appointed bar, yet another good sign.

They convinced me further with a good selection of NA (non-alcoholic) beers, which is not that common in most places in WI, as you can probably imagine. And once I chose a new beer and got a look at the menu, I knew I would be staying for a full meal.   

Athletic Brewing's All Out Stout... (yeah, I'm "athletic"...)

Since it was a crisp night in the single digits, I thought the Beef Bourguignon looked perfect. And frankly, it was. It's not a huge plate of food like a typical American place, but it was so delicious and well-done, I didn't mind. Plus, that leaves room for dessert!

Slow-braised Beef (like a short rib), Brussel Sprouts, kale, Lion's Mane mushrooms, carrots, and beauty heart radishes on a bed of Pomme Puree...

After wolfing that down, I took a look at their compact dessert menu and chose the warm-spiced cake. It was also flavor-full, but not ginormous like you'd get at the Cheese Cake Factory or something. Perfect for me...

Going out on this night was a great little taste (pun intended) of feeling normal again. While their service was quite slow and they are now adding 20% to all checks for their staff, it was still a very good place to be on a cold winter's night. I would most-assuredly go back. 

Note: I don't know many places restaurant or not, that have perfect staff levels and no issues with service. Maybe A Pig in a Fur Coat if I had to choose one. This general service issue seems like something we're all going to get used to pretty quickly, whether we want to or not.

A Pig In A Fur Coat, Madison, WI

Frankly, I'm surprised I'd waited this long to try this well-regarded restaurant. In the back of my mind, I believe I was saving it for some sort of special occasion or persons that never materialized. Well, that's no way to live. So, on a pretty blustery winter evening, I headed out on foot with this warm space and food in mind. Plus, I'd been reminded of it that week on a PBS show. So, what did I find when I arrived and plunked my tookis down on one of their six bar seats? Let's see…

- Fun, rotating, inventive, seasonal menu, both drinks & eats

- Competent & knowledgeable staff

- Warm guests, the kind that will even chat with a solo fellow diner

On a whim, I went with a fall theme - squash. I chose the Fall Harvest Salad and a pasta dish they call Agnolini. They were both delicious. Very well-prepared and seasoned. The pasta might have seemed like a "small plate", but if you were having apps, salad, pasta and main (or sharing all these in a group) it would be the perfect size. I also barely had enough room for salad and pasta + dessert. It took me a while to get all the dessert down... more on that later.

Yeah - those are pomegranate seeds on the pasta!!! Once I had my pasta, I wanted something bready to eat with it, maybe soak up some of the extra sauce too. They had a "milk bread" option on their menu - that will have to do. It was easily one of the nicest "bread basket" offerings I've had in some time, served warm with fresh butter.

Now, back to dessert. I don't know about you, but my mind often turns to chocolate for dessert, but that also means I had to forego an excellent sounding fall dessert - a crumb cake with Granny Smith and Jonagold apple compote (I can only presume cinnamon was also used). None-the-less, I went with their "budino", which I would call a small chocolate pudding or custard. Perhaps another accurate description would be a slightly thicker chocolate mousse. It was very very good. And those are pears and hazelnuts on top.

See that creamy chocolate goodness?!?! 

I would be very happy to go back to A Pig In A Fur Coat any chance I get. If you're in the 'hood and have the time, definitely dine here.

Fool's Errand Kitchen & Eatery, Milwaukee (3rd Ward) , WI

 

A sibling and I decided to start off a short road trip at the best place you can start any weekend day - brunch! 

I knew of the 3rd Ward in Milwaukee from having lived there previously, and it seems it's only gotten fancier and more shopping and dining friendly since I left. I knew we could get brunch, shop and even drink if we wanted to. This place got on my radar though a simple Maps search, having earned a 4.5/5.0 rating. How bad could it be!? 

On the day of our brunch outing, with both of us driving an hour or more, we found the place fine, even grabbed parking easily on this Sunday morning.Not too many pandemic-related nuances once inside. 

What a lovely space it is too. The 3rd Ward buildings are often repurposed factories from a bygone era, and this space seems like no exception…

As for food, I decided to "go light" for my meal, and chose a Broccoli and Wheat Berry Salad (or bowl). It came with two poached eggs on top, and frankly, I wouldn't change this choice. It was perfect and delicious - maybe even healthy  

My sibling had the Eggs Benedict, and while the ham was a bit salty for their liking, I had a taste or two and felt it was a solid option...

We also ordered their version of Monkey Bread (if you don't know it, find it!). This turned out to be maybe a muffin-sized pastry, but again, it was the perfect size. Sweet, cinnamon-y, and delicious.

A very enjoyable brunch, nice staff, and cool space. They also had the technology set-up to review their menu with a QR code and pay for your meal online. Pretty slick these days. To be sure, I'd definitely go back.

#needtobreathe @ The Sylvee, Madison, WI

This is going to be one of my longer posts in, well, a long time. Perhaps we all know the reason for that, at least the underlying reason... but also there's just so much that went on in a short time for this concert event. I won't bore you to tears, hopefully, but tell you the story of an amazing night.

About three months ago, my sister sent me a text and said she's coming into town in late September for a concert. She had seen tickets for a favorite band of hers and knew I would be around too. She actually bought two tickets and gave me one of them. I had never heard of the band, but really do like live shows, hadn't been to the venue before here in Madison and thought we'd make a night of it. Not to mention, when was the last time any of us saw live music in a (legit) concert venue?

As the concert night drew near, I still hadn't heard a single note from the band. I don't know, it seemed like I would just go in blind (or deaf?) and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. I mean, with Apple Music, it's really easy to listen to almost anything or anyone if we want to. Something just told me to wait. Maybe I trusted my sister, maybe I didn't want to feel suckered into a show for some crazy band. Meh, I waited.

We were also kept fully abreast of local pandemic info by the concert venue and Ticketmaster. We would need to prove vaccination (or a negative test within 72 hours of show) and wear a mask during the concert. Ok, we can do that, no problem... just more to carry in our pockets (or clutch).

Since my sis does not live in WI or Madison, like me, she was going to come up for the day. I knew we could find some local flavor in the early afternoon (we did), hit up a new-to-us brewery (we did), head out for some fancy Neapolitan pizza before the show (we did), and then head to the venue after the general admission doors opened to all (boy, howdy!).

After we parked the car in an inexpensive parking garage next to the venue, and before we headed to dinner, we had to walk by the venue and their tour buses. Well, wouldn't you know it, my sister recognized one of the band members (I don't know them from Adam). He was nice enough to acknowledge us, say hello, and stop and take a socially responsible selfie with an energetic stranger. Side bar - This band seems really dialed into their fans, more than I've ever seen, which played out all night. And since the show, this guy has liked two of her subsequent posts on IG. Nice guys.

Well, we got the beers in, pizza in and were heading back to the venue for the show. We brought our documents and masks and were happy to get in quickly. There was a pretty decent line to start, even after the doors officially opened, but it moved quickly and I don't think we waited more than 10 minutes. Now, once people were in, it seemed like masks came off pretty quick, but it is not so easy to drink more beer, cheer and whistle with a mask on. To each her own in this kind of setting. I'd say about 50% or more of the folks simply did not wear a mask during the show. 

We also had done a teeny bit more reading of all those emails from the venue and I realized that Switchfoot was an opening act (one of two, we missed the first act). If you know the band from the early "aughts" or heard some of their big singles now, you'd recognize them instantly. I knew them from my "youth" and was excited to hear and see them play live. I knew they would rock and they did not disappoint. The energy and care, even from the opening words by their lead singer, were perfect for the night. I was constantly surprised how crisp and refreshed they sounded, and Jon Foreman and his brother, Tim, were excellent hosts and lead-ins for the next band. Side note - they're just 2 and 4 years younger than I am.

We essentially walked into Switchfoot’s wall of sound below as they started their first song. It. Was. Awesome.

Before I move on to #NTB (as the kids say), I have to comment a bit on this venue and what the bands now bring to shows. Maybe I haven't been to good venues in a long while. Anyways, while this venue holds about 3,000 people, it is by no means and old place, in fact, it's a really great size for a relatively intimate show and has all the technology required to make it an immersive experience for the attendees, IMO. Simply look at the lighting above and below, seeing how many different looks they give their stage, it's impressive.

Switchfoot "plugged in" to about half the screen wall behind them and had their own lighting for the show. It really added something to the experience and made it a feast for the senses. On top of that, once #NTB started it was clear that they were prepared as well and plugged into the whole wall, had video cameras positioned on the stage (that then played behind them on the wall), plus many other immersive touches during the show.

Halfway into their show, #NTB changed their stage presence and took it down a notch to talk about their charitable arm, "For Others". Not only did they talk about their work and the work of their fans (through donations), but they also played a touching video and had a number to text during the show for direct donations to local kids in need. It was pretty unbelievable - seems like $25 well spent though - how could anyone say "no"?!. I don't think I'd seen this before during a live concert event (well, except maybe something specifically set up for fund-raising like "Live Aid"). Kudos.

After that "slow down" to help local youths, they ramped it back up again for another 30-45 minutes of rocking music.

And for those that have not heard them, I was very happy to hear them for the first time as their show began. I was hooked from the first song, "Alive", and never looked back. They played for about an hour and 45 minutes and left everyone really really happy and appreciative to have been a part of it. 

Almost unlike I'd ever seen again, #NTB talked to their audience throughout the show and made us feel as much of or perhaps more important to the event than they were. Does it sound like I'm gushing? Perhaps. Could all of this wonderment be due to most of us not seeing live music for 1.5 years? Perhaps. Even still, this was a great show. I've seen dozens in my years, from the Monkeys to U2 - this one is up there with the best.

They closed it out really well with a few more songs for good measure. I think most of us standing in GA the whole time were pretty dead on our feet by then, so it was time to say goodbye.

We walked 100 feet to the parking garage and promptly left the downtown area. No long lines of people or cars to deal with after the show. I think I was back at my Eastside haunt in 10 minutes or less. An ancillary benefit of Madison. Now that's a win.

If you want to donate: For Others Collective