Sardine- Madison WI

Sardine
617 Williamson Ave
Madison WI 53703
608-441-1600
by Foie Gras

It's true, it is good! It opened in July and it's still packed by 6 p.m. This restaurant is from the geniuses that brought you Marigold Kitchen! If you like rustic yet contemporary French decor, this is for you. The bar overlooks the lake and there is outdoor seating. The bar area is HUGE! In fact, the entire restaurant is very large! They have used the windows to really bring light into the room. The tables are dark wood and no table linen( you will see more of this trend- hot right now on the west coast).

Service is very casual and the mood of the room is lively. The menu is your placemat- you have been warned. The server station is in the middle of the room (this is where they cut the table bread) and the kitchen is off to the side. Kudos on the white tile for the kitchen area! Water comes in carafes that look like flower vases, but I really liked the water glasses. Don't come looking for an extensive wine list. This is not the place for that. The focus is on the food- and it's very affordable!

The menu is well thought out and there is something for everyone! Madisonians must love oysters right now, this is another restaurant with daily oyster selections. The appetizers looked appealing. The mussels looked perfect and they do have sardines for an appetizer selection. We selected the Chevre Crostini. It was wonderful, not to filling, but a perfect starter course. I wanted to try the warm duck confit salad, but my date had to be somewhere.

I had the Steak Frites. The dish was cooked perfectly and the frites (french fries) were perfect. Horseradish Mustard sauce-who knew it could be so good? I also selected the broccoli rabe for a side. The onions were a bit much on them, but it was still tasty. My date had the Seared Skatewing with fingerling potatoes and a light sauce. If you ever wanted to try skatewing, this is the place to go.

We did not stick around for dessert, but we will return again! If you are going to Madison, call on Tuesdays after 1 p.m. to get a reservation. It will be a few months before you can "walk-in" to dine!

p.s. They have brunch on Sundays!
photos to be added later. blogspot.com is having issues as I post!

OJ's Midtown Restaurant

by the Pu Pu Platters

OJ's Midtown Restaurant
128 West Main Street
Gillett, WI 54124
920-855-6395

Are you looking for some true Wisconsin cuisine? Are you driving to exotic destinations like Mountain, Wisconsin? Do you want some cheap eats? Do you like homemade pie??? If the answer to any of these questions is, “yes,” you need to plan a stop on Main Street in Gillett, Wisconsin and have a meal at OJ’s Midtown Restaurant.

We accidentally stumbled upon OJ’s because one of our team has an eye for signs that say “Pies.” OJ’s not only has a sign that says, “Pies,” but it says “Voted Best Pies in the State.” This “vote,” as far as we can tell, was granted by Wisconsin Trails Magazine. As dubiously undemocratic as that “vote” may sound, we have tirelessly tried to find better pies in the state, and have yet to see reason to overturn the “vote.” The pies are homemade and magnificent. Anybody can make decent pie filling, but only a true artist can make good pie crust. The crusts at OJ’s are light and flaky with good flavor. There are usually 5-10 flavors of pie available at any time, and also other desserts like shortcakes and ice cream sundaes. Our favorite is the Dutch Apple, which contains a delicious apple filling sandwiched between the flaky pastry crust below and a sweet crumbly crust on top. Other pie flavors we have had are rhubarb, blueberry, pecan, chocolate cream, lemon meringue, and apple. Flavors change all the time. A slice of pie costs under $2. A whole pie “to go” costs around $12. There are also pies of the month, which are even better bargains.

Come for the pies, but enjoy the rest of the food and service too. You can get a great meal at OJ’s for $3-10. Their menu includes burgers, club sandwiches, dinner platters, salads, and pizza. On a recent visit, we tried a mushroom swiss burger with onion rings. The burger was fantastic and juicy, served on a hefty, flavorful bun with generous portions of mushrooms in sauce. The onion rings were tasty (but not fantastic) and graciously served with some Newman’s Own blue cheese dressing at no extra charge.

The service and atmosphere at OJ’s is great. The servers are all welcoming and helpful. The clientele ranges from retired guys in feedcaps nursing cups of coffee and reading the paper, to families with kids on their way to/from swimming, to grimy tourists like us.

In summary: OJ’s has great service, great food, and fantastic pies. Meals for two plus a pie to go costs under $25. You can’t go wrong!!! (OK, you can only go wrong if you try to go on Sunday when they are closed).

blog note: photos are by Cham Cham. There are two more photos but blogspot is having some issues right now.