We all have our favorite cuisines and favorite restaurants. Favorite ingredients and favorite types of food. And then there is that one dish. You know the one. The one you crave years after the restaurant closes. The one you long for when you’re backpacking and stuck with dehydrated chili mac. The one you simply cannot not order when you look at the menu.
We spend a good deal of time here at Isthmus talking about food. It’s a lingua franca in a lot of offices and we are no exception. Isthmus staffers, alumni and contributors came up with this list of dishes from the Madison area that we just can’t resist. If you don’t already know about these excellent edibles, we hope you’ll try them and love them too. Note: All the mentioned restaurants are currently open and serving customers (although some with shorter hours or takeout only). A few of these dishes may be on hiatus due to abbreviated COVID-19 menus, or simple seasonality, but here's hoping they'll be back again.
Eggs benedict is a special dish — it’s everything good about breakfast in one package. It’s also laborious to make at home and best left to the professionals. The Heritage Tavern benedict replaces the classic ham with porchetta, breads and fries the poached eggs, and improves the hollandaise — yes, it’s possible — with the introduction of ’nduja (spicy spreadable salami). ($14)
Every breakfast order at Lazy Jane’s should end with the phrase: And one scone to go, please. Sure, eat the delicious egg scrambles right there in the restaurant, but the real treat is waiting in a brown paper bag, ostensibly to eat the next day, but really to be gobbled up on the way home: a thick, crumbly scone, loaded with fruit (blackberry, raspberry, cherry) and drizzled with a light glaze. ($2)
Though the Umami Buns cart is not at the outdoor Dane County Farmers’ Market this season, if you ever see the farmers’ market special bun on the Umami brunch menu, order it and order it spicy. The slick fat of pork belly, lightly acidic pickle, creamy spicy mayo, and fried egg is symphonic. It’s the breakfast (bun) of champions. ($4)
When a snack attack collides with thinking healthy, it is hard to find a tastier option than the fresh hummus by Banzo, the food cart turned Sherman Avenue restaurant. It’s available as part of Banzo’s platters, as a side, or in a packaged version at the Willy Street Co-op. For the freshest take (it’s made daily), head to the restaurant, where a side is served with fluffy pita, white or wheat. ($4)
If you’re thinking “hush puppies,” that’s not quite where the hushguppies at The Lone Girl Brewing Company in Waunakee are coming from. These flash-fried orbs are the love child of crab cakes and arancini, made from bits of shrimp and cod combined with rich risotto, rolled in panko crumbs for crunch, and fried. They’re served on a bed of finely shredded dill slaw, along with a lemony aioli. ($11)
This is not a dish to share. Soft corn, chile-lime aioli and serrano chiles, all sprinkled with a hefty dose of cotija cheese — Canteen’s Mexican street corn is a side dish that might even outshine the meal. So listen to the server and order your own serving. Eat it with a large spoon, for the right blend of flavors and textures in every bite. ($4)
Madison’s menu claims these dry-rubbed wings are the best in the city, and the dish lives up to the hype. They are cooked to crispy perfection with a balance of smoke and spicy heat. Among the dipping sauce options, choose the out-of-the-ordinary maple sriracha. (6 for $8 or 12 for $15)
What makes the caesar salad at Salvatore’s Tomato Pies stand out is the fresh dill and SarVecchio parmesan crisps atop the romaine. This salad is hearty enough to be an entree (especially if you add anchovies or chicken for a little extra) and also makes a perfect shareable at the table. ($11)
The sgroppino at Cento is a bubbly delight of Prosecco and vodka over a scoop of lemon sorbet. This perfect balance of sweet and sour works for any occasion, from happy hour to a big date, in any weather hot or cold. And its glass — like a flute, with hips — gives it a special air of elegance. ($5/happy hour, $8)
You won’t soon forget the cemita, the signature dish at El Panzon, a small panaderia just off the Beltline. This gigantic sandwich is served on a homemade brioche-like bun that’s covered in sesame seeds and more than twice as big as a standard hamburger bun. The bread is hollowed out to make room for a wealth of fillings. The Milanesa de pollo version is a deep-fried chicken cutlet with thinly sliced ham, avocado, mayonnaise, lettuce, cheese, and pickled jalapenos. ($13)
The Power Bowl at Forage Kitchen is a giant among grain bowls, the perfect yin-yang of ingredients — earthy lentils, crunchy poblano slaw with purple cabbage, sweet roasted sweet potatoes, creamy guacamole, all mixed with chewy forbidden (black) rice. If the final touch of green goddess dressing seems like overkill, know that it’s sparing, just enough to make all the ingredients come together and sing. ($8)
Nothing about the Tip Top Tavern’s Little Oscar sandwich will remind you of the childhood staple sandwich of packaged white bread and flimsy deli meat — except possibly the name. It’s a nod to the nearby former Oscar Mayer plant. Kettle chips add a satisfying crunch, with thick fried bologna, American cheese, and the perfect swipe of mayonnaise and mustard. ($7)
Casetta Kitchen and Counter roasts its roast beef medium rare. It’s the heart of the Hoboken sandwich, piled with a fat slice of fresh mozzarella and held together with aioli and a fire-y orange-red hot pepper relish. You’ll love every slippery bite. ($6.50 half/$11 whole)
Taiwan Little Eats’ jiayi chicken looks like shredded white meat chicken atop white rice. Boring? Not so fast. The chicken is slow-cooked in chicken broth and rendered chicken fat, then finished with a blast of a spicy version of five-spice powder. Pickled daikon and a few sprigs of cilantro provide a sweet flavor contrast, and the whole bowl is topped with crispy fried shallots. If you have ever asked yourself “what if chicken could taste like pork belly?” this is the dish for you. ($8)
Generally speaking, if a restaurant has the word “ramen” in its name, order the ramen. This can be difficult at Morris Ramen, where the rice bowls remain a constant temptation. The tender sliced beef ribeye donburi has all the complex flavors of a summer cook-out, complete with grilled onions. The marinated hard boiled egg provides a textural — and cultural — contrast. ($11)
Estacion Inka’s brasa sandwich is so overstuffed, it’s a challenge to bite into. First, tease out some meat from the stack of rotisserie chicken. Shoestring potatoes — inside the bun — add crunch. Combine each bite with a delicious Peruvian sauce: the green huacatay sauce, with cilantro; and the yellow huancaina, made with aji amarillo chile peppers. Ask for extra cups of sauce to dip the chicken into, on its own. ($8)
No Chinese spread is complete without a glistening, sizzling mound of stir-fried pea greens. And no one does it better than Ichiban, where the greens are always bright and seem to have spent just seconds in transit from hot wok to table. Oil is used liberally, but the greens are never oily. Just crunchy and perfect. ($13)
Paul’s Pel’meni makes one thing and makes it very well: the tiny Russian dumplings called pelmeni. But really, there are two things: potato-filled pelmeni and meat-filled pelmeni. Or you might say Paul’s makes three things, because the transcendent spicy cilantro and curry sauce, non-traditional and invented by an Alaskan fisherman who was friends with the restaurant’s founder, is what puts these simple orbs over the top. ($5.50 small/$7.50 large)
The Coopers Burger at The Coopers Tavern starts with the excellent base of Fox Heritage Farms beef, grilled so the exterior has crunch but the interior is still juicy. All the flavors play off each other: the aged cheddar, the tart pickles, the rich bacon, a touch of bitter from the greens. Of course you should upgrade to the perfect Belgian frites for your side. ($13)
The complexities of a sumptuous ramen boils down to the broth. The miso ramen at Strings Ramen melds miso with both chicken and turkey bone stock. The spicy crab miso ramen entree builds on that base with ground pork and crab. The glossy sheen atop the dish comes from black mayu (garlic) oil and butter. Slurping the broth and al dente noodles is required. ($16)
If UW-Madison brain scientist Richard Davidson wants to study how food takes you to your happy place, he should follow the devotees of Himal Chuli, Madison’s longtime Nepali restaurant. There are always two daily tarkari — a vegetable curry stew — served on a fluffy bed of jasmine rice. Ingredients vary, but invariably there is the cauli, with bright yellow cauliflower stewed in turmeric, coriander, cumin, fresh garlic and ginger. ($9)
Smoky’s Club takes its steak game seriously. Searing takes place on a cast iron grill and steaks are served on a sizzling platter that reaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit “to lock in all of the flavor and juices.” The 8-ounce filet mignon needs no special seasonings or sauces; it stands alone on the platter, all elegance. Order medium rare and it will melt in your mouth. ($44)
It’s not flashy, but the orecchiette with Fraboni’s sausage and rapini at Lombardino’s is so satisfying. A light cream sauce made with Sassy Cow and a splash of brandy nestles in the “little ears” of pasta. Roasted garlic, rapini and the Fraboni’s hot sausage add heft and heat to the dish. ($18)
The massamun curry at Sala Thai is a bowl of cozy. The sauce here is thicker and sweeter than other Thai spots in town; the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors blast through. It comes with potatoes, onions and cashews and your choice of protein. Order the beef and ask for hot pepper on the side to turn the heat up. ($11.50)
Any pho from Saigon Noodles will satisfy, but the real treasure is the Pho tai nam bo vien, the savory broth with rice noodles and three kinds of beef: eye of round steak, flank steak and meatballs. A side plate full of fresh basil leaves, bean sprouts, sliced jalapeno, lime wedges, scallions and cilantro allows fresh, crunchy customization of your bowl. ($10 regular/$12 large)
Variations of ’nduja pasta have appeared on Osteria Papavero’s menu for years. Recently it’s been served with gnocchi, but another favorite is paccheri, fat al dente rings. Regardless, the pasta is topped with a rich San Marzano tomato sauce and a house-made, no-joke-spicy sausage. Forget sunny marinara with chunks of firm Italian sausage. Here, the sauce is a deep brick red and the ’nduja sausage soft and velvety with a sneaky but serious heat, and a scattering of smoked ricotta. ($20)
Once you cradle the warm bowl that holds Estrellón’s basque cake, you’ll realize this is no ordinary dessert. For the perfect bite, get some of the crunchy exterior and fluffy middle of the vanilla cake along with the homemade sour cream custard and fruit compote topping. ($9)
[Editor's note: This story was originally written to publish in the Isthmus Dining special section in April. Restaurant details have been updated to correspond with each restaurant's current status during the COVID-19 restrictions.]
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