L'etoile really impressed me, my first 5 star rating in a while. I was taken here as a surprise…read moredinner by my partner to top off our trip here in Madison, and the dishes are all solidly delicious, unique (flavor combinations aren't what I expected), and are plated really intentionally, intelligently, and artfully. L'etoile is a sophisticated white tablecloth establishment, and perfect for a date night with its high ceilings, warm lighting, jazz music, and view of the Capitol. The acoustics are such that conversations from the table beside you are a quiet chatter, and you can hear your dining partner perfectly. We ordered our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd courses a la carte and opted not to do the tasting menu. I ordered the Alaskan king crab for my 1st, the Sea scallops & pork belly for my 2nd, the meyer lemon panna cotta for my 3rd. My partner ordered the charred spanish octopus for his 1st, the duck for his main, and the sticky toffee date pudding as his dessert. I can't recommend any one dish because honestly, all were equally impressive and what you order depends on what flavor you're in the mood for. The servers were attentive and the pacing for each course was even, with little snacks offered in between -- bread with bone marrow butter, a sunchoke foam & proscuitto amuse bouche, chevre cheese cream puffs. We were very full to end the meal, and they even sent us home with an oatmeal creme pie. Some notes below to guide an a la carte course selection, based on our meal -- 1st course: Autum squash w/ alaskan king crab: brighter, sweet, acidic Charred spanish octopus: deep & smoky 2nd course: Sea scallops & pork belly: A dish of contrast- sea scallops are light & almost like eating sashimi paired with an equally light sauce, contrasted against fatty pork belly with a strong plum sauce. Fun to mix & eat strong and light flavors and textures together. Duck: Medium rare duck with a deep flavor - somewhat smoky & earthy, also fun to explore as it comes with a white sauce, berry sauce, and a terrine also made from the duck 3rd course: Meyer lemon panna cotta: Bright and impactful -- the lemon panna cotta and guava sorbet are tart and pack different sweet punches. Lots of elements on the plate (spiced cookie, champagne sabayon, wafer, berry glaze) to play with Sticky chocolate toffee pudding: Decadent, deep, and warm. Not your average sticky toffee pudding, as there are some additional elements in the dessert that take it to the next level. Thank you again L'etoile. This was one of the best fine dining experiences I've ever had. Can't wait to return.

Food: 5 Service: 5…read moreUniqueness: 5 ---------------------------------------------- This is my favorite restaurant in Madison. Full stop. I had to leave a review because I'm incensed at how low the rating somehow is. Chef Tori is dope. We've been here twice - both times for our anniversary and each time the meal was 100% memorable. The staff are warm and have a way of making the meal feel like a secret being shared just with us. They had personal recommendations and favorites and the wine pairings were absolutely outstanding. I'm more of a beer guy, but this place might convince me to try some new things. Both times we've been the menus been completely different so you know they're being creative with what's in season. The bites are hard to describe how they can be equal parts comforting and familiar yet wholly unique. Last year they had some sort of white fish ceviche type thing that may have been my best bite of my life. I got a second order because they explained how items don't really repeat because chef tweaks even familiar ingredients as they rotate in. It's a hefty price tag but well worth it for a special occassion.

We had a great experience dining at Eno Vino Downtown last Saturday evening. The service from Abby…read morewas simply amazing, and it made the whole evening event so pleasant. We went there to celebrate the 50th birthday of a friend from New York who was in town for the art fair. Abby was attentive, with good recommendations. She's such a sweetheart. We really had a wonderful time chatting with each other and eating the great food. The mocktails were excellent, and we decided on 2 sets of their special - a two-to-tango meal. The dishes were very generously served and delicious. I would highly recommend Eno Vino Downtown for any celebration.

I was staying in the hotel on a business trip and arrived later on a Sunday evening. Most of the…read moreother restaurants in the area were closed, so figured it was easiest to have dinner here. As a solo female diner, it's always intimidating to eat alone. When I arrived, I asked to sit at the bar, but saw free spots at the tables along the window. It was a beautiful night and I figured I was alone and could watch the sunset. I asked the bartender if I could sit there and she said yes, but I would have to order with a waiter. We'll I waited for a good 20 minutes without anyone checking on me before moving to the bar. The bar was really no better. Service was abysmal and the bartenders were not so friendly. The bar was also not well kept with glassware and napkins still in my space from the previous patron. I had to ask for water, napkin and utensils after my food came. I also had to ask for another drink, while the 2 girls next to me were attended to constantly. I ended up ordering the shrimp risotto and while tasty, it was too salty after a few bites. I'm giving 2 stars because they have a decent wine selection.

We love coming to Rare for a special date night. The restaurant is so beautiful with dark woods,…read moredark ceiling and ultra-cozy booths. We discovered their wonderful bone-in pork chop on a prior visit, so we ordered one dish to share in addition to soup, salad and sides. We still had pork to take home! Totally recommend the lobster bisque and wedge salad, both were outstanding! The pork chop was fabulous and arrived carved into tender slices. I typically am not a fan of pork, but this dish is truly special. Our two sides of mushrooms and green beans were nice, but probably will skip the mushrooms on future orders. Service is always very good at Rare.

Last night was my first time going to Rare, and wow am I impressed. The great first impression…read morestarted with our table Captain Guinevere; she was very attentive, knowledgeable, and had a wonderful and upbeat attitude. My food was incredible, but the lobster bisque and sweet chili shrimp stole the show. To die for. The ambiance is rich and comfortable, albeit just a tad too dark, making it a little tough to read the menu. I will absolutely go back to Rare again, and will be requesting Guinevere.

Absolutely terrific. Generally I kinda shy away from Italian unless it's 'old school' fare. Went…read moreout of my comfort zone and wasn't upset.

This place is special, whether for a birthday or anniversary celebration or any gathering at all…read morethat you want to feel "fancy" yet no pressure to be so. The food and drink offerings are always beyond divine and I've never had anything but spectacular service from this downtown Italian treasure. Check it out!

Great food and amazing atmosphere. Staff is always pleasant and helpful. The old fashions are great.read more

Serviceable is what comes to mind. We had appetizers and dessert at the bar with drinks…read more I wouldn't order a mixed drink here again. The drinks are not well crafted tempura were not. The Manhattan was served on the rocks and simply was rye poured out of the bottle into the glass with a splash of vermouth. The old fashioned prepared in the same way. Bourbon on the rocks with a splash of some sort of premade mix. Oysters were ok, a bit fishy smelling but we ate in the Midwest. Desserts were definitely the highlight although pretty small, not suitable for sharing.

We went here to celebrate our anniversary. The servers were amazing and they promptly seated up (we…read morehad a reservation). The setup is perfect for a special dinner with upscale type dining experience, but not quite extravagant style fine dining. The food selection on the menu was good. The quantity and quality of food served was top notch.

Otto's was such a wonderful experience! Almost seems like a supper club with a Mediterranean twist!…read more We were searching for a change from the typical downtown scene, and this was exactly what we were looking for. The restaurant is very unassuming but we are so happy we visited! We started with the Mediterranean platter and I will absolutely order this again because the whipped feta was amazing. Most entrees come with a salad or soup so we had the Cesar salad with ours. Dishes were perfect. Proteins were perfectly cooked and the lamb seemed very high quality. I also thought the portions were great for the price. The friendly vibe and incredible staff really put the finishing touches on an awesome night. We decided to sit on the patio and it was such a wonder summer night. Definitely make a reservation for weekends as it does seem to get busy.

This was a stop for me and my friends tour around the world of the outside of the Maddison WI area…read more It's a nice upscale bar and restaurant in a small town that was only after dinner drinks so I have no opinion on the food. The place is small and the bar is small but we got seats at the bar. The place is upscale for the small town it's in with a nice little bar that has a nice assortment of cocktails. The bartender was friendly and we enjoyed an assortment of quality adult beverages before heading home.

Dinner at the bar on Thursday evening. Bartender was friendly, engaging and helpful. I have eaten…read morehere a few times and the renovated downtown building is very inviting. The food was excellent and presentation top notch. A friend of mine had met at 101 as an in-between drive for both of us. We ended up striking up a very nice conversation with the couples on both sides of us. Warm friendly inviting place well worth the drive.

It was our first time here, so we asked for seats at the bar, which looks directly into the…read morekitchen. We had so much fun, and we could see that all of the staff were also having a good time. Nothing but positivity, and it transfers into each and every delicious dish! We absolutely loved the complimentary cheese puffs (Gougeres). It was the perfect start to a fantastic meal. I enjoyed a starter of beet, walnut and cheese tart, and my dining partner thought his French Onion soup was stellar. I chose Monkfish stew for my main dish. It was incredible....silky, savory broth with melt-in-your-mouth monkfish plus tender shrimp and asparagus. The bread served with the stew was so delicious to soak it all up. My dining partner thoroughly enjoyed his Bistro steak with king trumpet mushrooms. The mushrooms were so elevated and so delicious. We shared a side of charred carrots and thought very highly of them, too. We closed out our epic meal by sharing one slice of Gateau Basque cake. It was served with a side of a tart cherry compote, and together this dessert was perhaps THE BEST dessert outside of France. Incredible! Sitting at the bar, our server was bartender Nina W. She was entertaining and didn't mind all of our ongoing questions. She added a another level of true enjoyment to our experience. Just as we were finishing up our dining experience the orchestrating chef stopped over to introduce herself. Once Annemarie said her name, I knew she was one of the founders of Lallander and next-door Bloom Bake Shop, having been a customer ever since their first bakery in Middleton. I told Annemarie how impressed we both were with the food, and how all the staff seemed so happy. She said something like a restaurant is only successful with good people. It seems she is keeping her people, and her customers, very happy.

This French inspired place was on our list to try so with a reservation made two weeks in advance…read morewe arrived on a cold snowy Friday evening. We were ten minutes early and they had just opened - strangely they would not seat us though our seats at the kitchen bar were open. So we huddled on the bench five feet away from our seats. It was not a great start but that was soon forgotten given the rest of the evening was fun. When I went on-line to make a reservation the only seats available were at the kitchen bar - that turned out to be fortunate because it was highly entertaining. When we return we will book these seats again as a couple (if you are with a group it is not a good place to hold a conversation). The bartender/ our server Jackson was super friendly and did a great job answering all our questions as we quizzed him on the action in the kitchen which was right in front of us (it's a small tight space). We ordered a beer and a wine followed by a small cup of French onion soup which was very tasty and a serving of their pate which was also very good. It was good that we had these front row seats because for some reason the kitchen appeared to be running a bit slow so the wait for our mains was pretty long. We did notice that when the owner arrived she started to direct the kitchen staff and the pace picked up! I got the pork tenderloin which was very flavorful and done with a bit of pink so it was not dry. It was a large serving. My wife got the sea bass in a puff pastry which was beautifully presented. The sauce was essential otherwise the dish would have been a bit plain. She really liked it. We were too full for desserts but they looked tempting though they did give us some savory cookies from their Bloom Bakery which is next store. This is not an inexpensive place to dine but it was well worth it. We will be back!