Have heard many good things about this place, just wondering if anyone has been there? We are headed north for the weekend and staying in Madison to try this place. Thank God its going to warm up Saturday!! Lost a SB bet to my GF…
Jay- This is one of my favorite restaurants. Food and Wine had it in their top 20 a few years back. They do allow for corkage or they used to-last time we ate there we brought a 82 Magdelaine. I tell everyone that goes to Madison to eat there- local fresh ingredients-yada, yada. Get the cheese plate if they still have it.
I haven’t eaten there since Tory Miller took over. Spent a good amount of time chatting with him on saturday next door at Graze. He is a really talented and incredibly sincere guy. My friends who live in Madison, love L’Etoile and it is without question the best restaurant in Madison. Also check out Nostrano (from Elizabeth and Tim Dahl of Boka and Blackbird, respectively) and you should have a snack/cocktail at Graze too. Restaurant scene in Madison is really improving. There are two other places that have opened recently (one where Montmarte used to be) that are also getting local chef support. Names are blanking at the moment.
Look forward to your report on L’Etoile, but I have little doubt it will be great. Sorry I missed you by a weekend
We will just be in Madison for Saturday, so not sure I will be able to try any other places. Sounds like it should be great- 4 course meal for Valentines, at a reasonable $75. Did check on corkage- $25 a bottle, and nothing that is on the list. Actually the list is pretty reasonable. I haven’t been to Madison for years, so looking forward to a visit.
Will give a report next week.
Oh and Justin Townes Earle is playing at the High Noon Saloon that night- so we might go over to check him out after dinner.
I went to college there. How wonderful were the fresh croissants at the Ovens of Brittany, in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s!
They sucked by the time I got there in the middle 80’s
I’ll be up there on Saturday as well. I’ve never been, but it’s been on my list to try for a long time.
Scott- Thanks for the tip on Nostrano; I don’t think we’ve figured out where we’re eating on Friday. The other place we’ve been told to try is Harvest…
Used to be a fan, not so much anymore… I would go to l’etoile, nostrano and graze. If you want old school, tornado room
We really enjoyed our meal at L’Etoile. Lobster Bisque, Scallop and Foie app, I had the pork menage a trois and my GF had the strip steak. Finished with cheese course. The Scallop dish was really really good. Brought a couple bottles to enjoy with dinner- wine service was just ok- but it was a busy Valentines Day. Will go back if I get to Madison again!
Also enjoyed lunch at Graze- with a couple of WI beers! Loved the room- open and airy. Food was good also.
Saw your pics…all looked good. I wasn’t a big fan of the cheese curds at Graze. I wanted to like them, but I just didn’t so much… the pickled veggies, the Bibimbap (sp?) and popcorn were all great…
Glad you liked it…
Jay- we must have followed each other around on Saturday. Went to Graze for lunch and L’Etoile for dinner as well. I loved the cheese curds at Graze. However, the best thing I ate all weekend was the beef carpaccio at L’Etoile, which I thought was world-class. I liked it much better than the very good scallop and foie gras dish which my GF had. I then had the steak while my GF had the gnocchi with truffle butter and winter vegetables. I preferred her dish to my steak; I thought flavors in the gnocchi were much more interesting.
Scott- you were right about Harvest. Nostranos was booked on Friday so we gave Harvest a try. We were underwhelmed with the food, but at least the wine was pretty cheap (33% markup over retail on the '08 Bouchard Volnay Caillerets).