Field Table Has Something For All
Expanding the farm-to-table experience beyond standard plated dining, Field Table is an approachable triangulation of the modern food scene brought to life on Madison’s Capitol Square. The rustic-goes-mod design incorporates a café, a grab-’n-go market and a restaurant under one roof—offering a farm-forward approach to eating.
Proprietor Patricia Davis says, “We are all about transparency. We can stand behind every ingredient in the food we serve and the products on our shelves. We want to be that third place in people’s lives [where] they know they can eat whether on the go or for a sit down meal.”
The range of eats is staggering. Bakery items made in-house daily range from fresh baguettes and hazelnut doughnuts to sweet potato hemp muffins. The deli case offers an interesting variety, including chickpea and quinoa protein bowls, tofu musubi wraps and other easy to-go options.
When the clock allows for more leisurely dining in the twinkling, dimly lit dining room, start off with lighter nibbles to share around the table such as delicate crudo, made from a variety of rotating fish and seafood, spicy roasted carrots—with a dill yogurt dollop delicately flecked with pistachios—or avocado toast, balanced beautifully by the sweet and tangy combo of sweet peppers and spiced kohlrabi. The simple salad delivers farm-fresh crunch with the addictive tang of buttermilk dressing and the day’s housemade soups are richly flavorful. The farm chicken and the strip steak are table-pleasing second courses— both marinated to a moist perfection with minimal additive seasoning.
Settling upon which beverage should accompany the meal may be difficult as the café baristas and bar staff stand toe-to-toe in serving up hand-crafted satisfaction from behind the counter. Housemade maple, caramel, vanilla and honey syrups can be added to any coffee or espresso beverage. And equal creativity is showcased with a spirited spin: The playful ‘Chance or Choice’ allows guests to select the primary liquor for an original cocktail crafted on the spot by the bartender.
“We’re providing a ‘choose your own experience’ for private dining,” Davis says. Quite the tease, yet the payoff at this classy joint is well worth the wait. thefieldtable.com.
