We ate here twice within a week both times taking advantage of their happy hour menu (3-6pm M-F) before volleyball games at the nearby Field House. The deals are very good as was the food. We started both times with their tasty sangria at half price. Between the two visits we tried their spicy fried chicken sandwich, the grilled cheese sandwich with goat cheese & fig jam, and the black bean burger. All of these were very good and a great deal. They come with fries or a small side salad. The service was friendly and very quick which was a plus given we had a game to go to. Highly recommended. We will return. read more

Restaurant week - we had a 3 course meal with each a cocktail. Loved the atmosphere and food selections. They obviously take pride in their dishes. Service was extremely slow considering how empty the restaurant was. Maybe due to the lingering person that brought cops in. Not sure. Want to give this place higher ratings but preventable issues deter from that. read more

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This rating is simply for Happy Hour-one of the best values in Madison. $2 Montaucky Cold Snacks and a 1/2 off smash burger (amongst other things) that is quite tasty. It's in walking distance of my home so an added bonus as parking can be difficult. read more

Restaurant week - 3 courses. It was super reasonable and they didn't skimp on portions. The spinach artichoke dip with Madison Sourdough was delicious and my Shrimp Diablo Pasta was even more so! It was creamy with a kick and lots of chorizo and shrimp. Service was slow and the waitress staff was not very attentive. They didn't seem to be all that busy. Lots of sunlight came through the windows, but otherwise nothing worth noting about the atmosphere. read more

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I ordered the Farmer's Salad with chicken and the presentation was beautiful! One thing is that, the Parmesan was not nearly enough and the chicken was rather bitter. It may be the charred effect but it did seem off-putting with the sweetness of the salad. Otherwise, it was delicious! read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Farmer's Salad with Chicken - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I want to give this place another try. Called on a Wednesday to ask about their parking. Was told that we must make a reservation and that I was in luck they had only one table left for the entire evening (Wednesdays are trivia nights). When we got there and throughout our entire dinner there were many open tables and clearly didn't need a reservation. The ambience is nice. Bright sunny space with giant windows and modern, industrial decor. If you want a quiet date night, don't go during the trivia game. Server was a bit too attentive and chatty. Great happy hour prices on appetizers and drinks. The fried pickles and curds were delicious. I ordered the curry pasta. The brussel sprouts were delicious but the pasta was inedibly chewy and dry. The smash burger was good for only $6. Will come back on another non trivia night to give it another try. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Smash Burger and curry pasta with brussel sprouts - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I have passed by Steenbock's several times while being in the Discovery Building for meetings and such, but never had a chance to stop in. Until Restaurant Week! When I saw that Steenbock's was participating, I was really excited because $15 for a 3-course lunch is a great deal at a place where many entrees regularly are ~$13 on their own. A couple of my coworkers headed over on a Friday for a late lunch. We quickly made our choices -- Let's be honest, we had looked at the menu in the office -- and enjoyed the ambience. The Discovery Building itself is so cool, and the relaxing atmosphere continues in Steenbock's. I ordered the goat cheese croquettes to start. Being from Miami, all I could think when I first saw this option on the menu was YASSSS CROQUETAS! And they lived up to my expectations! We all agreed that this was the best value appetizer, as I was pretty full after the 3 decent-sized croquettes served in an unusual but tasty onion sauce. My coworkers enjoyed the butternut squash soup and the salad. When my main dish arrived, I forgot to take a photo! Ugh, rookie mistake. I ordered the burger, which was topped with an amazing bacon jelly. One of my coworkers had the same, and we jokingly agreed that from now on we should turn our noses up at burgers without fancy bacon jelly on top! My other coworker had the risotto, and enjoyed it. We all agreed we were most excited for dessert. I got the chai creme brulee, which was also a very good size! By this point, I was full but the chai flavor of the creme brulee was so on point I had to eat the whole thing! My coworkers LOVED the sorbet with champagne poured into a martini glass, and the cake. Overall, I was really pleased with this Restaurant Week meal. It was a great price and nice portions with quick service. It made me excited to come back here again. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Restaurant Week goat cheese croquettes - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The food is degrading day by day. Every option on the menu (except maybe a couple) is horrible. I am ashamed to take campus visitors to this restaurant. How do we keep getting the worst restaurants in campus. read more

I hosted the rehearsal dinner and welcome reception at Steenbocks for my July wedding. The lounge was a fantastic space as it's in a wonderful setting with natural light, and it showed off the beauty of UW-Madison's campus to guests. The food was fantastic and the lounge setting was perfect for guests to socialize before the big day. The staff is easy to work with and the value of the space/food is well worth the cost. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to host an event! read more

Finally made it out here for restaurant week and the $15 lunch was an exceptional deal. Sauteed calamari was delightfully tender in a light tomato broth. The sweet and spicy Korean Style Pork ribs were perfectly seasoned, and the accompanying slaw complemented them amazingly well. Desert was a let-down. The bread pudding was served room temperature and dry and would have greatly benefited from some warmth and more sauce. I'm not sure this is where I'd head for an upscale meal, some small touches were missing, but the food is worth a visit. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Restaurant week 2015 lunch entree. Sweet And Spicy Korean Style Pork Ribs were with the trip. - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I visited with my husband on a Friday evening. While I did make a pretty early reservation (6pm), there was only one other party there. We stayed for about 1.5hours, and there were may be 2 tables of people when we left. May be it was a really slow night? Or this is just a very quite place to have dinner. We tried several things off the menu. Overall, everything was pretty good, nothing blew me away, but nothing was bad. Service was very friendly and nice. What I tried: Sweet Corn Soup- I really did not like the popcorn accompaniment. Soup was pretty monotone in flavor. Good texture and viscosity though. Bacon-wrapped Dates- nice and salty, good sauce. This item was the highlight of the night. Pork Chilaquiles- If you have read my other reviews, I am on a quest to find the best chiaquiles. While this dish was tasty, it was not nearly saucy enough for me. Pork was on the gamy side. Bucatini Pasta- nice flavors but pasta was overcooked and the sauce was pretty watery. I would give this place another go, but probably once the menu has changed quite a bit. read more

Lovely. Conveniently located across the street from Union South. The atmosphere of the place is very clean and sleek, Zen-like. I ordered the Moules & Frites and that was rather delicious. Add to that already delicious combination some onions, curry broth, chili aioli, and grilled bread and you have a win. Aside from the food, our waiter was great. Personable and helpful in offering menu suggestions and tips. He convinced me to order the mussels, and as it was my first time trying them, I was a bit hesitant. Especially given the fact that I was super hungry and not too up for ordering something that I would end up not eating, but I'm sure glad I was talked into it because my meal here was Fantastic. capital F. read more

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We stopped in during restaurant week to try some of their special offerings. It was $15 for a 3 course lunch and it was perfect for lunch. I started my meal with their Sweet Pea Panna Cotta. OMG! that was the best panna cotta I've had. The panna cotta was balanced nicely with the curry granola and veggies on top. Really nice panna cotta texture and flavor on its own too. Next, I had the salmon salad. It was good, but my salmon was a hint overcooked and the salad was not anything special. I feel as though I could get this salad at quite a few places in Madison any day of the week. Last, I ordered the Blueberry Chiffon Cake for dessert. This was ok and didn't have a lot of flavor to it, unfortunately. I love blueberry and didn't taste much blueberry flavor. And, it was a bit dry. So, the panna cotta gets 5 stars, the salad gets 3 stars and the chiffon cake a 1 star rating from me. The service was good for our table of 5 and they were able to split our checks for us pretty easily. The location is great for those in the area, but may be a bit tricky for those that need to find parking. I love the WID building and the restaurant is clean and nice inside. They have patio seating if you don't mind the traffic noise from Johnson Street. Side note: While we were there eating for restaurant week, we were sat at a table that had visibility into the kitchen area through the floor to ceiling glass wall. There was an employee in the kitchen that was visibly upset (mad) and was causing a bit of a scene and definitely caught the attention of our table and a few other tables nearby. My table mates had very mixed feelings about the incident. I understand that people have bad moments during work and won't pass judgment on this situation, but not everyone does. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Restaurant Week Lunch - Salmon Salad - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Went here last week with a few friends... the food was GREAT! We started off with beautiful salads (beet and field greens), which were very tasty. We got the halibut, scallops, and mushroom risotto for our main meals, and everyone loved it all. We also got the s'mores and carrot cake desserts, very good, but we agreed it was the least impressive part of the meal. The service was exceptional. Our waiter, Donovan, was very helpful and funny! I recommend going here as soon as possible- we can't wait to go back!! read more

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If you're looking to bring UW-Madison visitors to a fancy place, that's probably where you'll end up. Indeed, for its location and ambience, it totally fits the bill for a good and decent restaurant appropriate for the important guests. Or, on a day where you wanna go to somewhere to feel like an adult but don't wanna venture of campus, this is a good place to go to. I've been to Steenbock's several times for lunch and including the recent restaurant week. I would say the food is decent, but definitely not some place I would return just because of a craving. With regards to restaurant week, the nice thing is that they take reservations, and can comfortably take a group of 10. Food came relatively quickly for our large group of 10, but getting their attention was really hard. Also, standards seem inconsistent, for several of us who got the same dishes, some were really unhappy, and some were really satisfied. For example, one of the chicken was nicely done while the other was really overcooked; for the pork ribs, mine was enjoyable, but another of my friend complained it was too dry. Food: Calamari - surprised it wasn't fried. but the soup was decent and calamari was relatively fresh Pork ribs - fries was wayyyyyy to salty. Pork ribs was reasonably tasty Bread pudding - ice cream was mostly melted, and fell off half of our puddings.. too rich for me. I would definitely say for $15, the three-course restaurant week was a great deal. However, do be prepared to spend at least 1.5 hour to cope with the high traffic volume. Even on non-restaurant week days, lunch does take around 1-1.5 hours at Steenbock's. read more

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I had "tonkatsu" ramen. it is supposed be tonkotsu, and tonkatsu is the name of some other food.. the shocking visual of the ramen is of course consistent with the misspelling of the name. I wouldn't say it tastes horrible, but it is definitely a weird ramen you would not find elsewhere. I would name it as 'steenbock's ramen'. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - "tonkatsu" ramen. Tonkatsu is name of some other food. the shocking visual is consistent with the misspelling of the name. - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My family and I had our first graduation dinner here; it was great. Nice food, good service and great ambience. They have a good selection of wines. I loved their steak and cheese board. I go to this place often for lunch, but I had dinner twice and I loved the back area: private and classy! read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Cheese board - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Oh, I wish I could give Steenbock's five stars, but the service at lunchtime was a little too sparse. It took us nearly 15 minutes to flag down our server so that we could get our check at the end of the meal, even though there were only a few tables still filled by the time we finished our food (which, by the way, also took forever to get to us). Looking back on a few of the reviews, I'm very surprised to find that Steenbock's has been praised for their superb service. I must have missed that memo. Service aside, the food is definitely five-stars worthy. For such a classy-looking restaurant, Steenbock's serves one of the messiest (but also one of the most delicious) chicken sandwiches I have ever tried. As great as it sounds on paper, it is even more impressive on the plate. The guac is a nice touch of color and flavor, and the creamy coleslaw helps to add additional texture to the sandwich. If you are on a date or with anyone you are trying to impress, you'd be better served dining with a fork and knife. Otherwise, dig in and get messy! PS. The sandwich comes served with either a side salad or fries. Go with the fries. We all know that your diet is a futile one. read more

The lobster salad on wheat was to die for. It was so fresh, light, and tasty. We asked to have it on wheat toast instead of what it came with and the waitress was happy to substitute. Wonderful experience for lunch. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Lobster salad on wheat toast - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Wow this meal more than made up for the disaster we experienced at Charlies's last night. Came here for the food fight foodie week 3 course menu and was blown away. I got the salad, which was ginormous, and hubby got the butternut squash soup. We tried and preferred each others so swapped. The salad actually would've been amazing but I can't stand fennel & didn't realize that would be in there. Luckily Andy loves fennel. I thoroughly enjoyed the super smooth& slightly sweet soup so it was all good. Then came the highlight of the evening. Melt in my mouth braised short rib. Omg it was so freakin amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Andy got the mushroom risotto which he thought was awesome too. For dessert i opted for the sorbet which was so delicious. Came in a martini glass garnished with big, fat, juicy, flavorful berries and a shot of champagne. It was the perfect ending to a perfect Valentines meal. Unfortunately Andy wasn't impressed with the chai creme brulee But he'll have to review that because my meal was absolutely fantastic. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Food fight foodie week entrees on Valentines. Short rib for me & mushroom risotto for my man. the short rib is divine. Melts in my mouth - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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First, the (basically) good: the food was delicious if somewhat strangely portioned. The appetizer--a crudo with hamachi, jalapeno, and oranges, was fresh and complex--so it didn't much matter to me that the portion was also massive. I quite liked it. The "surf and turf" entree I ordered--scallops and short ribs--was equally tasty, but two scallops and two small pieces of beef do not an entree make. Maybe it has something to do with the abbreviated restaurant week menu? No matter. The bad was bad enough that I don't think I'll be giving Steenbock's a second try. It mostly centered around the service. Sorry Corey D., I don't know what Steenbock's you went to, but the service I experienced was basically on par with a TGI-Fridays. Way too casual and haphazard for the kind of dining experience the restaurant seems to be aiming (and charging) for. Dishes were not brought out at the same time--and when they were, servers didn't know who ordered what--silverware taken away but not replaced. At one point we had a collection of empty wine glasses taking over much of the space on the table (for reasons I'll get to below), and we had to flag someone to take them away. Like I said, nothing too insane--just not what you ought to expect from a restaurant striving to be at this caliber. To top it all off, DON'T ORDER any champagne unless you like yours lukewarm. Not one but two bottles were sent back, at which point it was revealed that instead of keeping the bottles in the refrigeration unit, they keep them stored in the cellar with the red wine and then attempt to chill them (instantly?) on order. Thought this was pretty much insane. Maybe nobody orders champagne? But if that's the case, take it off the menu. Don't try and convince your patrons that your champagne isn't really lukewarm or that it's meant to be that way. Come on. So yeah, all in all, two stars. Could be four or five if they got their act together. But I'm not holding my breath. read more

This restaurant is distinctly priced for a different sort of clientele. Instead of a $5 lunch from Union South, $5 sandwich from Subway, or $7-10 of food from Regent St., the $12-16 lunch here is going for something different. At this price-point, no doubt you'd expect the quality to be better. It's not. It doesn't fit it's price point... the only thing the place has going for it are the linens and the convenient location in the middle of campus. When we want to show a prospective student a nice lunch, this would be a no-brainer place to take them. It quickly becomes disappointing when you realize you could've had a better deal eating better food at another restaurant around campus. From served lettuce going bad, to the tasteless bolongaise sauce, to the rueben (Harvest Grains in Union South has them beat!!)... it's not a fun experience I wish to replicate. They do dress the place up during the busy times, but if they're not going to deliver quality at all times, then they should stay closed during the quiet times during the day. I don't know what their strengths are; all they seem to have going for them is their location and ability to grab visiting faculty or people from surrounding events in the WID. read more

This review is for lunch service. I went with 3 companions for a work-related lunch on a friday, a little on the late side. We had no problem getting a table. Service was prompt, and struck a good balance between friendly and unobtrusive. Atmosphere was okay. I didn't love the THREE televisions I could see from my table, which kind of killed the fine dining feeling. Still, I think the biggest attraction of this place is probably the setting. The ground floor of the WID is really really cool to walk around, like a swanky science mall. The menu wasn't particularly innovative or interesting... mostly sandwiches and burgers with a few more serious entrees thrown in. I ordered a burger with blue cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions, and appreciated that I could choose salad instead of fries on the side. Sadly, it came out looking somewhat unappetizing. The patty was too small for the bun, and the toppings seemed to have been somehow amalgamated into indistinct sauciness. That said, it was pretty tasty, and I would probably order it again. My only objections in terms of taste were that the caramelized onions were overdone and overly acidic for my taste, and that my "medium" burger was MUCH closer to rare. Other people's sandwiches looked pretty unremarkable. Someone in my party ordered soup, asked for bread on the side, and was told that they didn't have bread, only toast points. Hmm. Everyone else at the table had a sandwich served on a bread product of one kind or another, and you can't bring my friend some bread? read more

Disclaimer: This review is for their Restaurant Week lunch. We came to Steenbock's last week for lunch, and I left wondering how it was possible that I had never been considering I work just a few buildings away. The food, service, and ambiance were amazing. Even during a busy weekday Restaurant Week lunch, we had a lovely dining experience. The food was excellent. We ordered the spinach salad and calamari appetizers, burger and lamb bolognese entrees and the molten chocolate cake and creme brulee desserts. The burger was the best burger either of us has had in Madison, and the bolognese (served with tagliatelle) was delicious as well. The desserts were similarly outstanding, and the appetizers were yummy and huge. I could have eaten my salad alone for lunch and been very satisfied. My one criticism of the food was that the spinach salad was served with warm tomatoes in it, which wilted the spinach a bit. I also felt the meals were not particularly cohesive, but since the Restaurant Week menus have limited options I don't think that would be an issue normally. The portions were so big I got a second lunch out of my leftovers the next day. I was seriously impressed with how good the service was. The hostesses were very friendly, and our waitress was extremely attentive and nice. The ambiance at lunch was great. The place was busy and the tables are a bit close together, but you don't feel like others can hear every word you're saying so it's not at all uncomfortable. If you haven't been to Steenbock's yet, you really need to check it out. I know I'll certainly be back! read more

Came here for dinner during Restaurant Week on 1/28/14. We were seated in the section to the left of the bar instead of the main dining room. Maybe because we were just there for Restaurant Week? It's an odd spot and made us feel disconnected from the restaurant. Service was great but the food was below average. Everything came out immediately which was great but made me wonder if dishes were pre-plated and waiting to be sent out. My wine had bits of cork scattered all over the surface. Our server apologized and returned with a new glass of wine. She had the bartender fill it to the rim which was great especially because the glass was originally only filled a third of the way. Appetizers: - Fagioli (soup w/ spicy sausage, cannellini beans & hand cut noodles) was ok, nothing to brag about. - Roasted Chicken Risotto was flavorless and the shredded chicken was rubbery. Dinner: - Seared Beef Flat Iron (w/cipollini onion, goat-cheese chive mashed potatoes & a cabernet demi sauce) was the best dish out of all the dishes we had. - Grilled Lamb T-Bones (w/smoked tomato, cannellini beans, sambuca-shallot marmalade) was disappointing. The beans were undercooked, unseasoned and took over the majority of the plate. But the marmalade was great. The t-bones were really tiny, so not much meat to fill up on. Also, it didn't help that the steak knives looked and worked more like butter knives. So our table shook whenever I tried to cut into the meat! It was very frustrating. Dessert: - Molten Chocolate Cake (w/pretzel ice cream) was boring - I've made better ones at home. The pretzels in the ice cream were soggy and not pleasant to bite into. Chocolate covered pretzels on the other hand would have been a much better choice - I've had this in Target brand ice cream (of all ice creams!) which was way better!! - The Bananas Foster Creme Brûlée was beyond disappointing especially since our server recommended it. I have a huge sweet tooth, but this dessert was way too sweet. And the brûlée part was even more disappointing - the sugar over the custard did not dissolve completely into a nice hard shell, it was a grainy/gritty mess. Overall, it was a total disappointment. We normally wouldn't mind shelling out $$$ for a great meal but this was heartbreaking. Don't think we'll be going back anytime soon. read more

Steenbock's, I give you three stars. One star is for our waitress, who was as cute as the corgi bellyflop video and settled our debate on choice of wine the only way that debate should ever be settled: by bringing out a glass of each. One star is for the building that Steenbock's is in, which has indoor trees, water sculptures and magic touch screen displays to show off the building's green pedigree. One star is for trying hard. Some problems: it was expensive for what it was, the food was only fair, the wine and beer menu limited, and it was nearly empty at seven on a Friday. Not a winner by Madison's standards but interesting to try once. read more

So good! Food was amazing quality, service was friendly and answered any questions we had! Would eat here again when stopping in Madison!

We had a larger party and came in on a Friday night expecting a large crowd. A large crowd we did not find. The layout of the restaurant is interesting - it's like a long arch that makes it easy to configure into many small tables or larger ones as needed. I ordered the Clam Chowder and Pad Thai - both were good. They weren't knock your boots off good, but they were decent. Our service was good - no complaints there. There is a struggle for nearby parking. Hit up the Union South parking lot - it was 3 bucks for the night. I don't go out to dinner that much, but I enjoy a cocktail when I do. Not so at Steenbock's - your limited to beer and wine only. So overall not too bad - I knocked a star off for lack of alcohol choices, and a star off for the food not being killer. I would go back, but I would also venture out and try other places first. read more

Enjoyed the Valentine's prix fixe menu a lot. I think we were supposed to get a glass of sparkling wine with the meal, as stated online, but it wasn't offered and we felt awkward asking. The items were mostly drawn from their regular menu. The squash soup, fish, arancini and korean steak dishes were awesome. Plating was beautiful and servings were generous. Service was great. A few downsides were the dry chocolate torte (ice cream helped!) and a mediocre beer and wine list. Lighting was a little bright for a romantic dinner, but not obnoxious. read more

Steenbock's On Orchard - Arancini - New American Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

It's bad when you bond with the table beside you over how bad the experience is... We started with a 3 block walk through ice & snow. When we finally arrived, we were seated next to the only other table that was occupied. We waited 10 minutes for wine, placed our order, and waited 30 minutes for our first course (while watching others who arrived after us eat). We received our bread after the first course, and upon asking for more were told the kitchen didn't have enough. Portions sizes when the food finally made it out were small (we understand restaurant week is a taste, but appreciate restaurants that still fill us up). Food was average at best, though it was tough to tell in two bites. Our server apologized for every dish served, blaming a ticket mix-up for the delays. While she comped our wine, we would sooner have had more bread since we left hungry. Ironically, we bumped into our neighbor table at the union... ordering pizza. Immediately after a $100+ dinner. Sad, but true. We won't be back, and my guess is neither will they. read more

Upscale restaurant with great flavors, a great atmosphere but not quite able to deliver on quality. Came here for Restaurant Week 2015 and had a good experience. To their credit, it's a tall order to be able to serve a decent 3 course meal for $15 and for the most part Steenbock's delivered, but there were definitely a few flaws for a higher end restaurant like this. For appetizers we had the spinach and bacon salad along with the Moroccan Chutney with Cambozola. The spinach salad was well done with great blistered tomatoes, well cooked onions and a good mix of flavors, unfortunately my "warm" spinach salad came out quite cold which diluted the dish a bit. The Moroccan Chutney also had bright flavors and the cambozola cheese was a perfect mix. Here though, the sweetness of the sauce clashed with the tomatoes to the point where the dish became sickly sweet and inedible. For our meals we had a Root Vegetable Pot Pie and the Pancetta and Herb Stuffed Chicken Breast. The pot pie was the standout dish of the meal. The crust was perfectly savory with herbs baked into the dough and the components were perfectly cooked in a lighter sauce that worked well for lunch. The chicken breast was a bit of a disappointment. It was well matched with the brussel sprout-parsnip succotash and the flavors were definitely there. Unfortunately the brussel sprouts had a more-than-characteristic bitterness and the chicken was badly overcooked to the point of being very dry and stringy. The "stuffing" was actually not a stuffing, but rather a mass of shredded pancetta and herb lumped on top, which only served as a salty (albeit tasty) augment to the dish's already overcooked dryness. For dessert the only menu choice was the Dark Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding. Again the flavor was good with strong chocolate notes that complimented the pudding and the small scoop of vanilla ice cream, but just as in the "stuffed" chicken the dish missed the described mark. The opportunity to use the flaky and buttery notes of croissant were completely drowned in the density of the pudding and the bright notes of the raspberries were lost after two tiny bites. All in all, the service was quite good, the food came out quickly, and the ambiance was a nice, bright, modern flair. The meal was by no means a disappointment, but for what the restaurant is trying to be, they really need to step up their quality control and make dishes that match what's on the menu. read more

This is an update on my earlier [scathing] review of the service provided by Steenbock's. Turns out, we must have hit the front of house staff on a *really* bad day: after I wrote my review, my partner was contacted about the mix-up and the situation was sorted. We shared a lovely dinner at the restaurant tonight. The service was attentive, but not overwhelming; the food was creative, delicious, and lovingly presented. From the amuse-bouche, to the desserts we were thoroughly impressed. We opted for the chef's four course tasting menu (I had tuna-risotto-cod-carrot cake; my partner had oysters-lobster-scallops-chocolate), with the favorites being the miso cod on my menu, and the lobster on my partner's. The miso cod had an intense earthy-savoury tang that was nicely balanced by the smooth, moist, and nicely flakey cod. I'm not a lobster-person, but my partner demolished it in short order with conversation grinding to a halt as she ate. Perhaps the only disappointment was the espresso - though, other than a few places in Madison (Bradbury's, The Victory) it's tough to get a solid espresso, and after the perfectly spicy-sweet-airy carrot cake I wasn't too fussed. I think it certain we'll go back - and we're both very glad that we didn't write-off the restaurant after our first experience. read more

First visit today. Unfortunately, quality of food will make it my last. Arancini spring onion appetizer. Fried crisp on the outside, stone cold in the center. Entree: Spicy curry roasted cauliflower with asparagus, spring onions, foraged mushrooms and fingerling potatoes. Hard to believe that the cook sent this plate out of the kitchen. Cauliflower over-roasted to the degree that cauliflower florets were completely carbonized to a burnt blackness the size of my thumb. Cutting the remaining stems with a knife was an unwinnable struggle. Asparagus consisted of two, half-inch stem cuttings. And apparently it's been a poor year for foraging spring mushrooms, as there was nary a 'shroom on my plate. But I must compliment the cook's talent at boiling fingerling potatoes. They were expertly done. Waitstaff was pleasant, but after serving entrees, did not shortly return to ask if meals were satisfactory. If you're looking to be disappointed, this is the place to visit for lunch. read more

Had a nice lunch here. Tried a green goddess salad that was really interesting. It was fingerling potatoes with a very fresh tasting green creamy sauce on it. I got mine with a grilled chicken breast and really liked the combination. It was a good sized portion for me. I didn't drink beer or wine, but it looked like a good list of options. read more

Ok...I work across the street and eat here often for work. Given the restaurant group and chef at this establishment, the quality should be much higher. Whatever you do, don't order a salad here. This is my second time I received old lettuce, and hard as rock, most likely frozen grilled chicken on a very simple Caesar salad. How can you go wrong with a few simple items, well at Steenbocks everything amazingly it does. Seriously, work on food quality and freshness and this place would actually be good. Not sure why quality has totally tanked in the heart of campus. Fix your salad ingredients! You can and should do better. read more

This is the place for most formal campus lunch/dinner place where guests and visitors are being hosted for meals. Being right on campus and located in the new glassy Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, its geographical location is perfect for formal events. And hence I have been here a couple of occasions. Their menu changes with the seasons as they source local ingredients for their food, which is a good thing. I like places that support local produce, plus, you won't get bored of the same menu year round. For some reason I really like the location and layout. The building it is located is a full glass building. So while dining you can have a full view of each and every happening outside. During the summer months they open up the swing doors, you have a choice of sitting indoors enjoying the cool breeze, or choose to sit right outside to be in the center of it all. As the menu changes I would suggest going with your favorites, or whatever best arose your curiosity of catches your attention. You can hardly go wrong here. I have dined with huge groups where we have ordered vastly different foods and so far the feedback has always been positive. Being surrounded by significantly lower priced eateries (think Aldos, Subway, QQ Express, Ginger Root, Harvest Grains, the Sett and the likes), it is not a regular go-to for students. But if you feel like some fine dining one day on that special occasion, or if you are looking for a place to host visits right on campus, this is the place to go for. read more

I went here with my boyfriend for valentines day. Finding a parking spot was a bit difficult so I probably wouldn't come back again in the winter. We sat in the front of the restaurant, which is kind of open to the rest of the building. It wasn't until I went to the bathroom that I noticed there was a whole other part to the restaurant. That room had much more of a restaurant feel to it - better lighting etc. Our waitress was very nice. I'm not sure if the food we got is on the regular menu (since there was a fixed price valentine's day menu). We both got the lamb with puréed potatoes (aka mashed potatoes) and spinach. It was great! The whole meal was very good. The chocolate cake was not too sweet so it was perfect. Overall it was a nice experience. I would like to go back to try the rest of the menu, but definitely in warmer weather and hopefully we will get seated in the back part of the restaurant. read more

Great experience for dinner with girlfriends. Cons: Limited menu and only bar service is wine and beer. On the pricey end. Pros: decent service with very good food. I had the nightly fish special of red grouper. Normally I do not opt for any "fresh fish" in Madison but it was wonderful! Served with a Mediterranean couscous which brought a fresh flavor. It was a hearty serving and before I knew it, I had eaten the entire dish. The special was close to $30 but one of the best fresh fish dishes I've had in Madison. I would definitely go back. read more

Beautiful, presumably upscale restaurant in the Discover Center at UW and the food is priced accordingly. But I had a terrible food there. Much of the Caesar salad's lettuce was wilted or slimy and there were chunks of the bottom of the romaine. It was as if the kitchen didn't look at what it was serving or didn't care. My companions received the wrong meals but because we were short on time, they took them anyway. The replacement meals, some kind of mango, citrus noodle thing with bland shrimp were only so-so. When I was told this was a Food Fight restaurant, it all made sense. The food at their restaurants are often substandard. The wait staff was good, however. read more

I thought the food was very good, but the serving size was a little small for how much the meal cost. I ordered the salmon sandwich with fries and it cost $14. When I got the food, the sandwich was a bit smaller than expected. All in all though, good service and the food tasted pretty good. read more