Adventure 54: Cafe Soleil

Cafe Soleil (website)
25 N. Pickney St.
3 Adjectives: fresh, harmonious, fun
Price: sandwich (8-10) *LUNCH ONLY*
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Other Opinions: yelp, 77square, madisonatoz ...
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The equally classy sister of L'Etoile, Cafe Soleil is probably the nicest place to catch lunch on a sunny day when you're motivated to trek down State St. Cafe Soleil is only open for lunch but is definitely worth the stop any time you are near the square or after a stroll around the Farmer's Market.

The interior has a nice case of baked goods, many sandwich and soup options, drinks, and if you are lucky, some Gail Ambrosius Chocolates. Further back, there are some regular tables as well as a comfy red sofa that strectches across the back wall. Additionally, photos of red flowers adorn the walls, giving the place a bit of a romantic flair.

Although the food is pricey for lunch, the local freshness makes it worth it. The menu item to go for is the Farmer John's Provolone Sandwich. As a big meat eater,I was hesitant to order this my first visit to Cafe Soleil and eyed the Reuben longingly. However, now that I have tried other things on the menu I am pretty much convinced that this is the best of Cafe Soleil (though most things on the menu are delicious). The sandwich - provolone, apple, and pesto - appears strange at first glance. Yet, take one bite and the flavors fit perfectly sandwiched between two rustic pieces of baguette; none of the ingredients are overwhelming. Additionally, the sandwiches are served with tasty waffle-fries-shaped chips. Another item I would strongly recommend is the French onion soup. The soup has a delicious texture and flavor and the top layer of parmesan accentuates the onion flavors well.

I highly recommend Cafe Soleil both in principle and in taste.

Adventure 52: Glass Nickel

Glass Nickel Pizza Co. (website)

5003 University Ave.
3 Adjectives: harmonious, delicious, environmental.
Price: appetizer (3-9) pizza 10" to 16" (12-20)
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Atmosphere: depends on where you eat it
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Other Opinions: yelp, wisconsinfishfry, yahoo, madisonatoz ...
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Madison doesn't seem to have a shortage of delicious pizza places and Glass Nickel is up there among the best with Ian's, Pizza Brutta, Pizza di Roma and Roman Candle (to name a few). To trek to Glass Nickel is not suitable since it's further west than Copps on University but the environmental friendly (they run partially on used veggie oil) delivery trucks can make you feel at ease.

The pizza at Glass Nickel is superb if you stick to one of their many specialty pizzas. From the way the toppings go together in each specialty pizza, it is clear much thought was put into assembling complimentary flavors. Normally the devout meat pizza eater, I seriously can not get enough of the Fetalicious pizza. Their all meat pizza, aptly named Cardiac Arrest, is also tasty. Topped with bacon, pepperoni, sausage, and ham, this is a good compliment to the Fetalicious. Another tasty option is their appropriately spicy Border-to-Border which has a nice balance of spice throughout the Hawaiian-like pizza. In addition to the tasty pizza, Glass Nickel also has this amazing appetizer called Nickel Nuggets: soft and chewy fried pizza dough topped with parmasean and parsley for dipping in marinara. The only disadvantage to Glass Nickel is you can not get pizza by the slice. Before you order, check your coupon books or online since Glass Nickel generally advertises a lot of coupons.

Glass Nickel is a wonderful option for your next pizza night in the apartment or suggest it for your next student org kickoff/lunch seminar.

Adventure 27: Pizza Brutta

Pizza Brutta (no website)
1805 Monroe St.
3 Adjectives: Tasty, cozy, healthy
Price: pizza (9-12)
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Other Opinions: wisconsinstatejournal, yelp, thelostalbatross, selfloathingpopculturefanatic...
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Pizza Brutta is a very cute pizza place located across the street from Trader Joe's. After being tempted by it every time I shopped at TJ's, I finally decided to stop by one night.

The front of the building has a faux-brick house look and the inside has a nice walk-up counter to where you can order pizza and a sit-down area to eat it. The coolest part of the place is the gigantic wood oven located behind the counter where you can watch the chefs swerving their wooden peels, expertly avoiding yet tempting the flames. Definitely a major step up from the technique (and taste!) at Cosi's.

The menu features a variety of pizzas as well as the make-your-own option. It is clear from the choices that these guys know their stuff: there are both tomato and bianco (no sauce) pizzas and all of the ingredients are reminiscent of traditional Italian Neapolitan pizza, thin yet crunchy.

What gives Pizza Brutta the upperhand on many pizza places in town is the smoky flavor they have and the speed at which the pies are brought to your table. I ordered the proscuitto arugula, a white pizza with the italian salty ham, onion, and a variety of cheeses sprinkled with a fine helping of arugula. Despite lacking sauce the pizza tasted excellent and was crispy with a nice smoky flavor. My boyfriend ordered the four cheese and commented on how reminiscent it is of pizzas in parts of Italy.

Although Pizza Brutta is pricey for the personal pizza size you get, the reward is a very delicious pizza that you actually feel healthy about after consumption.

Adventure 5: Bradbury's

Bradbury's Coffee (website)
127 N. Hamilton St.
3 Adjectives: Green, cosmopolitan, fresh.
Price: drinks (2-5) crepes (3-7)
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Other Opinions: badgerherald, dailypage, ...
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Last weekend a friend and I decided to check out one of the new upstarts in the Madison coffee scene: Bradbury's. It was a long trek to the Capital square in search of this coffee shop, which ended up being tucked in a triangular intersection facing N. Hamilton.

The owners of Bradbury's previously owned Ancora coffee, another local coffee chain in town. I love how the name is a spoof on the British author. The design of the coffeeshop definitely maximized the little space they had: the counter was wedged along the wall away from the street and large windows facing the intersection allowed shop-goers, sit, sip and watch outside (which, admittedly, is a bit dreary in this time of the year). A cleverly hidden ladder lead to a loft-like upper deck where hundreds of jars of creamy nutella and other ingredients were kept.

The design of the coffee shop also emphasized greenness. All the bowls, mugs, and dishes were an organic earthen brown, a chalkboard listed the daily eats, and even the chairs and tables added to the naturalness of the locale. My only quibble about the coffee shop is the lack of seats in the place. Since the shop was so small, it detracted from anyone staying for a very long time. Most people seemed to sit down, have their coffee, chat for a bit, and leave. There was almost a vulturous tension in the air from the people sitting on stools to leap upon one of the only four tables upon it's vacancy.

In terms of food, I was eager to try their crepes after reading several positive reviews. Bradbury's uses completely organic and local ingredients in their sweet (raspberry, banana, etc.) and savory (ham and swiss, wild mushroom, etc.) crepes. I ordered the raspberry nutella crepe while my friend got raspberry lemon. The crepes at Bradbury's did not disappoint, despite the service being a little slow (we waited over ten minutes for the food). Each crepe was filled with a delicious balance of egginess, fruitiness, and chocolateness. I was, however, a bit disappointed at how small the crepe was; this is definitely not a place to go looking for a meal.

Not feeling up for coffee, I did ask my friend about the tea he was sipping. The care they put into their tea was clearly visible: the tea was portioned and placed into little satchels tied with a fancy knot. He said that although it looked fancy, it tasted quite average.

Although I did not try the coffee, I concluded that Bradbury's was a neat little place to visit, but I don't think it's worth more treks up State and around the square. It's best to hone your crepe making skills at home and buy your own organic raspberries at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

Adventure 1: L'Etoile

L'Etoile (website)
25 N. Pickney St.
3 Adjectives: Romantic, elegant, formal.
Price: app (9-14) entree (29-42)
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Other Opinions: madisonatoz, madisondining, dane101, badgerherald, there are countless others if you search...
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Hi there folks! I thought I'd start off the adventures with one of the classiest and most famous restaurants in town: L'Etoile. I even dressed up for the occasion! Good thing I had an anniversary dinner right after this blog started, huh? And if you're freaked out about the prices folks, don't worry, it'll all be downhill from here.

L'Etoile is noted for its use of many fresh and organic ingredients from all over the state. In fact, in the summer months you'll see the staff at L'Etoile strolling through the Farmer's Market purchasing new and tasty ingredients to work their magic on. Hence, their menu varies wildly and you never know what sort of first-class meal you'll have. When I went there, the first thing I noticed is I received a custom menu and the back of the menu covers all of the locations across the State they get their ingredients from. This means no matter what the season or occasion, you'll definitely be in for a treat.

L'Etoile is a very formal restaurant, absolutely requiring shirt, coat, and tie. Reservations are also a must because they are very busy and the restaurant is only open for dinner. It is located upstairs of Cafe Soleil on the square (turn left on the square if you are coming from State Street) and has about twenty tables for two. The service was perfect for a formal restaurant with plenty of friendly wait staff taking your coat, talking you through the menu, coming to fill your glass, and folding your tablecloth when you leave for the bathroom.

In general, dinner at L'Etoile consists of three courses and four small palate-cleaning dishes inserted in-between. The dishes on the menu have fancy ingredients and even a frequent diner like me did not recognize all of the items. In addition, don't be deceived by the restaurant name: although it is French, many of the dishes have an Italian-slant to them. However, like any good French restaurant, the sauces are creme de la creme. The menu at the restaurant did not match the menu found on the L'Etoile website, but there is always one vegetarian entree on the menu.

Some of the food highlights of the night were the jumbo sea scallops with meyer lemon cream sauce and the ribeye with red wine jus. The scallops were cooked to perfection - a difficult task especially since they are easily overcooked - and had crunchy tops. These were paired with a chewy fresh egg linguini and a savory lemon alfredo-like sauce. The ribeye was similarly cooked perfectly and the tender meat paired well with the wine sauce. Surprisingly, I found the tiny palate-clearing dishes to be even more special. The port wine sorbet and a 1x1x1 cm cube of chili fudge were excellent and unique. The sorbet came at a perfect time: right after the appetizer to clear our palates before the main meal. It was light and had the perfect balance of sugar and port. At the end, piece of fudge simply glided across my tongue in a kaleidescope of flavors starting with sweet at the front and ending with a spicy kick. A perfect close to a wonderful meal.

What I think is L'Etoile's greatest asset is how precise and natural everything tasted. Although there was nothing I tried was completely wild, leaving me silently begging for more, every single item I ordered tasted fresh, clean, and the way it should. This is in of itself great praise to their chef who clearly has the skill to be able to work with an ever-changing list of ingredients. I would recommend L'Etoile for important celebrations (such as anniversaries, weddings, and graduation).