By Kevin Revolinski | Photo by Sunny Frantz
I’ve always imagined teleporting back in time to the sublime dishes station in Managua; Basque cheesecake at La Viña in San Sebastian; and Northern-style curry at khao soi namae in Chiang Mai. But, limiting my geographic menu only to Madison — here’s what I’d recommend.
SOUPS
Soupe à L’oignon Gratinée at Lallande
Where else should you get this classic, but at a French restaurant? Lallande’s rich onion soup consists of beef stock accented with white wine and caramelized onions, topped with a baguette and gruyère cheese, and baked. C’est bon!
Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup at The Old Fashioned
As Wisconsin as it gets, this soup calls for the restaurant’s house brew (a malty bock beer), heavy cream and a healthy dose of aged cheddar. It’s garnished with popcorn, of course.
APPETIZERS
Roman Fried Artichokes at Cento
With a light, tempura-like batter, these quartered artichoke hearts have the perfect combination of crunch and tenderness, and the pickled shallot and lemon aioli complement the marinated vegetable.
Oysters at Tempest Oyster Bar
A big hit, especially during happy hour, the oyster menu typically features four varieties from each of the coasts (East and West). Mix and match to find a favorite.
Garlic Chile Fries at Dexter’s Pub
As a side or a full order, this signature dish is reason enough to go to Dexter’s: brew fries drizzled with tangy garlic and chile-infused oil.
SALADS
The Porta Salad at Porta Bella
The legendary salad of now-defunct Paisan’s is still served at its sister Italian joint. The base is romaine and iceberg lettuce that’s topped with ham, salami, mozzarella, cheddar, green peppers and garbanzo beans.
Roasted Beet Salad at Marigold Kitchen
This unmatchable, zesty creation features roasted beets and grapefruit with pepita-crusted orange goat cheese, plus radishes, frisée, field mix and citrus zest with champagne vinaigrette.
MAIN COURSE
Three Cup Tofu at Nattspil
The vegetarian version of its popular Taiwanese street-food chicken dish comes with rice wine-glazed tofu and is dressed up with basil, garlic, ginger and sesame oil.
Superior Walleye at The Harvey House
This filet of the finest of the freshwater fish is served with a buttered toasted rye crust and horseradish sabayon, with savoy cabbage and spätzle on the side.
Filet au Poivre at Tornado Club Steak House
Nothing’s finer than this classic supper club’s delectable peppercorn-crusted 10-ounce filet of locally sourced, grass-fed beef served atop a cognac mushroom cream sauce.
DESSERTS
Black Sesame Ice Cream at Muramoto
A popular flavor in Japan (it’s even used as a spread for toast), black sesame paste is a revelation for uninitiated taste buds. It brings a unique, sweet nuttiness to ice cream.
Sticky Ginger Cake at Grampa’s Pizzeria
Imagine a round, single-serving ginger cake, warm and moist, served with fresh lemon whipped cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, and crunchy candied pistachios — yum.
Crème Brûlée at Cadre
This brandy crème brûlée is decorated with cherry coulis, candied orange, Angostura bitters meringue, and vanilla biscotti. It’s not boozy — the alcohol burns off in the process.
COCKTAILS
Sherried Old Fashioned at Leopold’s Books Bar Caffè
The bookstore/bar puts a signature touch on the classic, adding Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry with bourbon, orange and cherry bark vanilla bitters.
Trinidad Sour at Cordial (Nonalcoholic)
The “dry” version of this rye-based drink employs The Pathfinder (a hemp-based NA spirit), Seedlip Grove 42 (an NA dry citrus spirit with orange, lemon peel, lemongrass and ginger), orgeat, aperitif and lemon.
