Regent Street looks a little different these days. Lucky’s moved down the street to the former Foreign Car Specialists building (yay! what an eye sore that was) and became Lucky’s 1313, while Sconniebar took over the building where Lucky’s was.

Sconniebar follows the trend of other bar and grills by focusing on what I term “better bar food.” (See my reviews of Augie’s Tavern and World of Beer for examples.) And that’s nice, because you’re likely coming here to fill up before or after a game at Camp Randall, the Field House or the Kohl Center, and you don’t want to eat just a plain burger.

Good selection of shareables. In addition to the expected chicken tenders, wings and nachos on the Bar Bites menu, you can a few unique items.

• The jumbo walleye-stuffed tater tots ($9) are indeed huge. Some tots had more walleye packed into them than others. Without any seasoning they were bland, so you’ll need to use some ketchup or tartar sauce.
• The zucchini fries ($8) are another unique appetizer. They look like mozzarella sticks, and because the zucchini flavor is not strong, the fried breading is what you will taste (not necessarily a bad thing).

Hope you like sandwiches. The rest of the menu contains pub sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers. There’s also a Friday fish fry and a few salads.

• The cheese curds on the curd burger ($11) were solidified instead of melty/gooey, making for a fairly dense burger. The jalapeño ranch added a slight heat to this hearty burger.
• Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Favorite burger ($9) is best described as a standard cheeseburger, making it a safe choice for non-adventurous eaters.
• The Northern pike fish fry sandwich ($10) is surprisingly large, with the fish 25 percent larger than the bun. I appreciated that there was not too much breading, yet the fish was still crispy and moist. The lemon vinaigrette added a bit of sweetness.
• Other items include the BBQ corn and cheese ($8) and the Sheboygan Badger brat ($6).

Sconniebar is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

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See more photos in our Sconniebar Flickr album.

I’ve gotten to know and respect former Isthmus food writer Andre Darlington through the Madison food event circuit, and thus I was rooting for him when he announced the opening of Field Table on the Capitol Square.

In addition to having a restaurant and full bar, you also can do some light grocery shopping here. Unlike Merchant, which failed miserably in its attempt to sport a mini-market, Field Table sells items that people actually want (including grab-and-go lunch items).

Does this place ever close? There’s no excuse for not having time to come here, since Field Table serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinner and late-night.

• The trout filet ($23) featured an artic char, in this case a wonderful juxtaposition of tender, flaky fish and crispy skin enhanced by mild onions and a garlic-y sauce.
• The bowl of mussels ($18) hit the spot. The bits of chorizo added a hint of spice, and the broth was extremely tasty, like a tomato bisque. In fact I wish I had a spoon to slurp it up.
• A great small plate is the pork belly ($14). It’s two big hunks of meat with good flavor and just the right amount of fat. The charred broccolini added a nice contrast.

Wait, there’s a lot more. I’ve made some of the drinks from Darlington’s cocktail recipe book, and my high expectations for the bar at Field Table were met. On the other end of the day, you must stop by for breakfast, too.

• The La Bella Pellogrina ($12) does a good job of not letting the gin overpower the drink, probably from the Liquore Strega liqueur.
• Rum, coconut milk and watermelon liqueur are some of the main ingredients that make a refreshing drink in the Rumful Purpose ($10).
• Get your pastries here: The almond scone ($3) = flaky goodness, the cheese cretzel ($4) deftly balances all the flavor components and the straw-blackberry-glazed doughnut ($2) was perfectly moist and sweet.

Field Table is open as an espresso bar Monday-Saturday and serves lunch on weekdays, dinner and late-night Monday-Saturday and brunch on Saturdays.

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See more photos in our Field Table Flickr album.