Adventure 62: Chautara

Chautara Restaurant (no website)
334 State St.
3 Adjectives: Cozy, adventurous, flavorful.
Price: entree (7-32)
Authenticity:
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Overall:
Other Opinions: yelp, madisonatoz, mmm...yoso ...
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Chautara is one of two Nepalese restaurants on State Street, the other being Himal Chuli. Since they are owned by relatives the two places serve different dishes to keep things varied.

Chautara has a nice lunch menu with many items being less than $10. On our most recent visit, I got a pork dish (above) while my friend ordered the dosa (left). The food also came with dal or salad. I recommend the dal, a nicely flavored lentil soup. My dish was nicely flavored and the dosa was nicely conceived with a huge flamoyant crust. However, it was not much different than dosas at Indian restaurants.

The restaurant is also quite spacious for a place on State St. with booths downstairs as well as more tables upstairs. Much of the place is adorned with interesting artwork and the walls are painted with flowers.

Since dinner does get quite expensive, and many of the items you can also get at cheaper Indian restaurants, I would recommend Chautara for lunch only. You get good food in a nice and quiet restaurant for a decent price.

Adventure 61: Opus Lounge

Opus Lounge (website)
116 King St.
3 Adjectives: classy, fun, overpriced
Price: tapas (2-15)
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Other Opinions: madisonatoz, yelp, ...
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Our trip to Opus Lounge was quite exciting as we got to go meet the writers of madisonatoz! It was quite an honor to meet and dine with Nichole and JM. Thank you both!

The inside of Opus Lounge reminded me of The Icon: a fancy dim lounge with mostly nicely dressed individuals and a tapas-style menu. Some of the odder menu items included spiced peanuts and bread and butter, which seem like things you could get for free at most restaurants.

For drinks, I got the Christina's XTC, Nichole got a Cucumber Press, and JM got the lemonade. The drink I ordered was colorful and fruity. Next, I ordered the spicy tuna roll (above), and Nichole and JM got the caprese salad and shrimp skewers, respectively. Tossy got the hummus plate (right). The sushi was nicely plated and came with an amusing cube of wasabi. The roll tasted pretty good but was neither warm nor had a whole lot of filling. I felt myself wishing that I was at the neighboring Restaurant Muramoto instead.

Overall the food at Opus Lounge leave much to be desired but the drinks are quite good. Thankfully, we went during happy hour (4:30-7pm) and got some nice half price deals for the appetizers. I would recommend Opus Lounge for anyone looking for a classy get together over drinks at a nice lounge before dinner at some other place.

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The drink menu at Opus Lounge is about seven times as long as the food menu. Most of the food is served as small portions of finger food--tapas, "fun" food (peanuts, etc), sushi rolls, and desserts (fondue), and range in price from $2 to $24. I ordered a pita platter, which came with sliced pita bread, hummus, a large garlic clove, and an olive spread. I enjoyed the hummus with the pita bread, but felt the olive and garlic were too strong. Other vegan options on the menu are vegetable tempura and a vegetable roll. It is possible to order non-alcoholic drinks, such as soda or juice.

Adventure 56: Tutto Pasta Cucina Italiana

Tutto Pasta Cucina Italiana (website)
107 King St.
3 Adjectives: elegant, buttery, friendly.
Price: app (8-11), entree (11-24)
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Other Opinions: yelp ...
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Located in a trendy mall on King Street, this further away Tutto Pasta (Spaghetti Carbonara) is an upscale version of the Tutto Pasta Trattoria on State. With larger, spacious tables and even settings spread out to the indoor mall (they have some sweet hanging candles out there), this Tutto seems like a very nice place to dine. Also, the two times I have been to the place, the waitstaff has been incredibly nice and helpful.

The menu at Tutto features a variety of pizzas and pastas. Unfortunately, this one seems to be pricier than the Tutto Pasta on State Street but all the dishes come out plated fancier. This past trip, we were a large group and got the sampler plate. I ordered the Spaghetti Cabonara. The sampler was fancily plated on a tray and had some nice bruchetta and calamari. The Spaghetti Cabonara was very good but incredibly heavy. Someone else who got the four cheese pasta also remarked on the heaviness. For dessert (if you can stomach it, or in our case we needed to reach $150), I highly recommend the tiramisu.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed their meal. It really helped that we got a $75 gift certificate for $9 from Restaurant.com (though we had to spend $150), which basically ment half off the bill. If you subscribe to their mailing list, they often have some nice deals for their gift certificates.

Overall, I think the food at Tutto Pasta Cucina Italiana is a bit overpriced, especially given the cheaper fare closer on State St. I would only go there if you get a nice gift certificate to it online.

Adventure 51: Sardine

Sardine (website)

617 Williamson St.
3 Adjectives: entertaining, large, friendly.
Price: app (5-12) entree (6-24)
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Other Opinions: yelp, madisondining, tripadvisor...
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Ch-ch-check our side panel out! Jahboh and Tossy are now on Twitter for all those exranneous mini-tips we feel like throwing on this blog.

Located slightly beyond the capital in the odd John Nolen/ Williamson/ Wilson intersection, Sardine is a classy yet informal restaurant that faces Lake Monona. I visited Sardine on Valentine's Day and was surprised to see that the place was reminiscent of a large log cabin packed full of cheery people. The first portion of the restaurant is a bar area whereas the sit and dine portion is in the back half of the restaurant. Coolest free souvenior from Sardine? Their cute matchboxes (yes, matchboxes; not the flimsy cardboard foldover ones).

Upon being seated at a large wooden table, we were given fresh bread. The waitstaff was also incredibly nice, friendly, and very knowledgeable about the food. We ended up ordering the tomato soup, which tasted fairly average. For entrees, we ordered Choucroute de Poisson and the potato, gruyere and leek croquette.  The flavors of the croquette were nicely balanced.  The seafood in the choucroute had a wonderful fresh taste can were accompanied by a delicious cream sauce, although the large pile of sauerkraut was a bit odd, and most of it became leftovers.  We also ordered a cheese plate for dessert and got to sample some of the delicious cheeses from Fromagination.  The accompanying figs and sliced almond brioche were delcious.

Overall Sardine was a fun restaurant to go to with a great atmosphere and nice waitstaff.  The food is pretty good although offered at a hefty price.  I would recommend this place for birthdays and special occasions.

Adventure 49: Ocean Grill

Ocean Grill (website)

117 Martin Luther King Jr, Blvd
3 Adjectives: chic, flavorful, stingy
Price: app (8-20) entree (15-55)
Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
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Other Opinions: yelp, tripadvisor, kirkspicks...
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Located right off the capital, Ocean Grill is one of Food Fight's more expensive restaurants, boasting a wide range of seafood. The interior of the restaurant looks classy and nice. There is a large oval bar in the center with various tables and chairs, some against plush red seating against a wall. Around noontime when we went, the large glass windows let us see a large stretch of MLKJr Blvd.

With a name like "Ocean Grill" I was expecting dishes composed mostly of seafood, yet was disappointed when the portions of actual seafood they gave were not very generous for the hefty price. Also, some dishes seemed to be like entrees you could order at any other Food Fight establishment for cheaper than at a place right next to the Capital. As an appetizer my friend and I ordered the fried calamari (above), which was crispy but mediocre and didn't quite go with the accompanying peanut sauce. The main course I tried was the seafood enchiladas (upper, left) whereas my friend got the crusted grouper (lower, left). The enchiladas were tasty but were a bit too oily and most importantly seemed like a Tex Tubb's spinoff. The grouper was also okay but clearly over-Americanized and unsatisfyingly small compared to the large amout of wasabi potato piled underneath it. Stylistically, at least the food was nicely arranged on the plate.

Overall we decided that going to Ocean Grill is really for the noontime window view and chic atmosphere. The portion sizes are a bit too small and not quite delicious enough for the steep price the restaurant charges. I would not recommend Ocean Grill due to its distance from campus and its very pricey seafood.

Adventure 43: Tornado Steakhouse

Tornado Steakhouse (website)
116 S. Hamilton St.
3 Adjectives: Quirky, expensive, cheery.
Price: app (8-11) entree (20-42)
Authenticity:
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Other Opinions: yelp, kirkspicks, tripadvisor...
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Tornado Steakhouse is one of the most unique upscale steakhouses I have eaten at. Upon being seated, a vase full of veggie kabobs was placed on the table as decoration. This proved to be fun to munch on as we perused the menu, which ironically included no non-meat dishes (unless you count the sides). Also there were several hard-to-find-elsewhere dishes like frog legs, rabbit and venison. Suddenly the odd little vase placed in front of us made sense.

As an appetizer, we ordered the Coquille Saint Jaques (left), the traditional French dish (little know fact: most of the scallops is banned in the US) of scallops and duchess potatoes in a cream sauce which turned out to be the highlight of the meal. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the sauce complemented the dish well.

For entrees, we tried the more exotic rabbit and gulf shrimp (right). These dishes tasted good but could have been better. The rabbit was interesting but could have been plated better while the gulf shrimp simply did not live up to the level of Bellini's. We ultimately decided that the dishes were probably not worth the high prices we had to pay for them.

One thing that was worth the price was a $2 side. Being a big Harry Potter fan, I almost instinctively ordered the yorkshire pudding just to try it out (above). The pudding was shockingly the size of my head but proved to be very handy in mopping up the delicious gravy the rabbit was stewed in.

Overall the meal was fun but probably not worth the hefty bill to go again. I would recommend Tornado Steakhouse for adventurous meat eaters going on a fancy date.

Adventure 39: The University Club

The University Club (website)
803 State St.
3 Adjectives: Elegant, regal, fresh.
Price: entree (8-14)
Authenticity:
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Other Opinions: capitaltimes ...
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One of the more bourgeois building fronts on Library Mall, the University Club is an ivy-covered building I used to associate with fancy faculty dinners and expensive weddings. Not until recently did I find out anyone (yes anyone!) can go for a decadent lunch (11:30-1:30).

The interior of the club has beautiful dark wood furniture, faux-candle chandeliers, and plenty of tables and chairs to sit down at. The restaurant portion is located on the right hand side after you enter the building while larger rooms for reservation are in the back.

The menu at the University Club reads like a menu from L'Etoile or Le Chardonnay. For lunch you can order anything from the normal looking soup and salad to the fancy pine nut encrusted walleye fillet. After ordering the grilled chicken sandwich, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how well the dish was prepared. There was a generous helping of an entire chicken breast on a savory bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and fries. The chicken was very tender and the entire sandwich was delicious perfection.

I would recommend trying out the University Club for a fancy lunch date or whever you have your parents in town and want to bring them to somewhere elegant.

Adventure 31: Le Chardonnay

Le Chardonnay (website)

320 W Johnson St.
3 Adjectives: entertaining, cozy, elegant.
Price: app (6-12) entree (16-34)
Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
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Other Opinions: tripadvisor, gaylot, yelp, madisonatoz ...
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I thought Le Chardonnay would be a good restaurant to talk about as a "back to school" review since it will be opening soon from a hiatus that the owner takes every August. As the name implies, the restaurant serves mostly fancy French food with a Tunisian bent (the country where the chef is from). However, don't let the Frenchness scare you away; although there are daring dishes such as the escargot, there are also less adventurous but just as tasty foods such as chicken in white wine sauce.

Since the menu is very pricey, the only times I have been to Le Chardonnay are during their all you can eat mussels and fries Tuesdays, on Valentine's Day (by mistake- an interesting story if you ask), and during the most recent Restaurant Week, where they offered a filling three course meal of their delicious food for $25.

The interior of Le Chardonnay feels nice and comfy. Upon walking inside, you will see rows of elegantly plated tables and a nice open kitchen on your right. Usually you can see the hardworking chef and owner, Sami Fgaier wearing his classic red bandanna, busy cooking with the many other cooks - no wonder he takes that vacation of his. He's a really friendly guy and may come to your table to ask about your meal.

The Tuesday night (and newly expanded to encompass Thursday nights as well) specials are an amazing gem if you like all you can eat moules frites (mussels and fries) for $19 or are willing to try plates of mussels and crispy shoestring golden fries. During any meal, you are first given baguette with a delicious curry carrot spread. However save your stomach for the best part of the menu: the mussels. The mussels are ordered the day they serve them so they taste fresh and I have discovered that mussels served in other restaurants are simply a far cry from those of Le Chardonnay. Le Chardonnay serves their mussels in many sauces on a rotating basis of four sauces every week. Their standard is a saffron cream sauce, Marinières, (my favorite) and it is on the menu every week. However, other sauces I have tried have been tomato based, cream based, and even curry (delicious) and barbecue based. The fries also have a tasty dip that accompanies them. This is a great activity to go to in a group and challenge each other on how many plates (generally 12ish) of moules you can consume. If you have a large group, be sure to call ahead and tell them you are competing. I recently challenged a group of friends to beat Le Chardonnay's previous record of 16 plates (though Chef Sami told me that guy never returned) and two of the guys to my great astonishment ate 17 and 18 plates (along with plenty of fries and baguette) and they've pledged to return. So for those of you googling the Official Le Chardonnay Mussels Record: it's 18 plates, folks. Top that.

The rest of the menu is generally delicious. On my trip for Restaurant Week, I ate the Julia Child Salade Niçoise, grilled chicken with a sherry cream sauce, and the tiramisu. The grilled chicken was the highlight of the meal. The meat was extremely tender and complemented well with the savory sherry sauce and grapes. Also, although I can not remember my dishes as well on a previous Valentine's Day, I do remember that meal as the tastiest Valentine's Day special I have had in town. Given the phenomenal food at the special occasions I have gone to Le Chardonnay, I am sure the regular menu is just as spectacular.

I would highly recommend paying the extra dollars and going to Le Chardonnay for the Tuesday/Thursday night all you can eat moules frites for those of you adventurous enough to try it. In addition, don't miss out on their regular menu, especially if you are able to snag a table during Restaurant Week.

Adventure 24: Capital ChopHouse

Capital ChopHouse (website)
9 East Wilson St.
3 Adjectives: Formal, elegant, classic.
Price: app (7-14) entree (22-43)
Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
Overall:
Other Opinions: madisonatoz, yelp, wisconsinstatejournal...
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Note from Jahboh: Hey all, I apologize for not being completely on top of things this summer (travel, work, etc). To make things up for the past couple of weeks, starting today I am launching a week's worth of reviews for the next seven days to push out those backlogged adventures. Thanks for all your support for J&T! :)

Tucked under the Residence Inn off the square is Capital Chop House, one of the fanciest restaurants you could ever go to in town. Fancy clothing is a must.

Immediately after walking in, I was greeted by someone offering to take my coat and I was ushered into the beautiful dining area. The interior of the restaurant has a beautiful amber glow. There is a main dining area with a private space off to the side. The bathrooms are stocked for almost any need you have, and even has personal Bath and Body Works lotions to take with you.

Since my visit was for a party, they had a nice vegetable and cheese display off to the side. A sign of fancy in the vegetable plate? Definitely the cooked asparagus that you can dip like any carrot stick. The food at the Chop House was impeccably prepared. I was very impressed since they had about 30 people to serve but the waitstaff remained very quick. My salad was good, my fillet mignon was perfectly prepared, and the cheesecake dessert was extremely rich. The food was definitely standard fancy-restaurant fare and there was nothing remarkable, which in this case may be a good thing.

Due to the extremely high prices, as a college student I probably will never go there again. However, I would recommend Capital Chop House for fancy business meetings or any time you are looking for a classic, delicious meal.