Posts Tagged ‘downtown’

Roast Public House

Friday, March 8th, 2013

The idea of a sandwich shop serving roasted meats certainly got my attention. Located on State Street where BW3s used to be, and close to competitors Potbelly, Erbert & Gerbert’s, Jimmy John’s and Full of Bull (now closed), Roast Public House stands out for its unique sandwiches.

Take the Cajun BBQ Brisket ($9), for example. The Bell’s Two Hearted-braised brisket was tender and oozing with flavor, and the meat is topped with cole slaw, something I always like to have on that type of sandwich. Meanwhile, the Turkey Spinach Dip Panini ($8) was as-a-whole awesome; however, I should note the turkey was super dry but saved by the homemade spinach dip and melted cheese.

On my next visit, I’ll probably get the Giambotta ($8), made of pork shoulder, cherry pepper pork gravy and vinegar peppers. All sandwiches come with kettle chips, though you can add fries or cole slaw ($1) or soup or salad ($1.50).

Even common appetizers have a delicious twist. The Signature Fries ($5) can be made one of three ways, including with gravy. I ordered them with nacho cheese, olives and tomatoes, and it was a hearty way to start the meal, although I wish the dish had more cheese on it.

As for the chicken tenders ($7.50), they are encrusted with sweet potato and served with a Sriracha lime aioli and chipotle sauce–both are fantastic (I was dipping other foods in that sauce).

Roast Public House serves lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday. It can get crowded quickly, and the downstairs–which has just a few tables–is really meant for private parties.

Roast Public House on Urbanspoon

Fox & Bird preview

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Dan Fox and Chad Vogel are currently renovating the space that once housed Underground Kitchen, site of their upcoming restaurant, Fox & Bird. In the meantime, they’re building their names through special meals, such as the upcoming Slow Pig event in March and last week’s Valentine’s Day dinner, held Thursday and Friday at the Livingston Inn and a reprise of last year’s Century Dinner.

It was a fun evening that began with appetizers and cocktails in a parlor room, continued on to a luxurious five-course dinner with wine pairings and concluded with desserts and coffee in that same parlor room.

Chef Fox is a master of the heritage pig, and the pork belly appetizer was my favorite–I enjoyed it while sipping an old fashioned and a cognac-based cocktail made by Vogel. By the way, those were just two of several creative libations he was crafting that night. I would have had more, but I knew five glasses of wine were on the horizon.

The meal, in order, with my thoughts:

  • Crawfish Lemongrass-Coconut Bisque – The pork and crawfish dumpling was a wonderful touch to a superbly seasoned bisque.
  • Smoked Duck and Foie Gras Pin-Wheel –  Prior to the evening, I never would have thought to eat foie gras with beet-apple compote or candied orange, but they all complemented each other perfectly.
  • Ossabaw Speck-Wrapped Black Bass – Nice, light dish, with delicate accents from the squid ink reduction.
  • Grapefruit-Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chop – Loved the lamb, but I didn’t care for the bed of roasted carrot, beet and French Puy lentils, which opposed the lamb too much. I also was surprised that despite this dish taking more than 30 min. to be served to us, the lamb was very rare.
  • Future Fruit Farms Brown Butter Peak Cake and Bitter Chocolate Cake – Most memorable part of these two desserts? The candied rose and beet petals. Flowers can apparently be tasty, too.

While these dishes may not necessarily be served at Fox & Bird, it’s a great preview of things to come. To see more photos, please visit our Fox & Bird Flickr set.

Buck & Badger

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Craving a fish boil? Have a hankering for some lamb? The new Buck & Badger, which took over for the space once occupied by Ian’s Pizza last November, is your destination for northern comfort foods.

Among the animals I ate in my visits to this lodge-like restaurant were duck, boar and bison. First, though, I want to talk about my surprise favorite, the beer brat corn dogs ($8.95). The brats were juicy, the breading was the right thickness and you get three tasty mustard sauces for dipping.

I did like the pan seared duck breast ($15.95), despite the pitifully small portions. I didn’t care for either of the sides, as both the sweet potato gratin and the carrots were under-cooked.

I can’t remember the last time I had boar, but I’m sure it had more flavor than the bland boar burger ($9.95, no sides). What saved this sandwich was the tasty boar bacon and the Gruyere cheese. I ordered the burger medium but got it rare.

The buffalo pot pie ($14.95) is worth ordering again. It contains a hearty amount of stew meat, mushrooms and potatoes, and the flaky puff pastry has a buttery goodness (though you have to use a knife to cut it). For the less adventurous eaters, Buck & Badger has five different salads on the menu.

I should stress that although there is a bar (it’s where you used to choose your slice of pizza at Ian’s), it’s primarily a restaurant. That’s because the bar area is really small, has no atmosphere and the owners want you to go to another one of their establishments, the Ivory Room, after your dinner (show your receipt for free cover). Plus, there are no drink specials here.

Buck & Badger is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

Buck & Badger Northwoods Lodge on Urbanspoon

    North Italia Urban Air

  • Blog Home

    You are currently browsing the EatDrinkMadison.com blog archives.

  • Archives

  • Categories