Eating in Madison A to Z

"F" is for Feasts

The F's saw a couple fun firsts for us, including our first meal with a local guest blogger and first footlong. We made a Google map of where we've been, took one look at just how much ground we've covered, and nearly fainted.

Our favorite F's:
Breakfast: Francois' Bakery & Cafe
Lunch: Flatiron
Dinner: Fyfe's

Our grades thus far:

	Nichole	JM
A	79 42%	64 34%
B	77 41%	106 57%
C	28 15%	15 8%
D	3 2%	2 1%

We noticed that the F's are one of the more posessive letters. Famous Dave's, Fat Jack's, Fazoli's, Feiler's, Fitch's, Fitzgerald's, Fraboni's, Francie's, Francois' and Fyfe's - that's 10 of 19 - are all apostrophe'd up.

Onward and upward!

Fyfe's Corner Bistro

Update 11/1/07: Fyfe's is closed: Cap Times report, WiSJ report; closing bash story, 11/1/07.

In a word: Fine dining for any circumstance, without the pomp.

The specs: #0187
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; WiSJ review; Cap Times review; Ultimate Madison Bar Tour review; Madison Originals profile; reviews at Yelp; official web site.

JM ate the filet mignon with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the salmon with a raspberry lemonade and a slice of key lime pie.
The bill was $65, or $32.50/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Fyfe's an A (see our grading rubric).

Recently, we were on vacation and we went to KFC in Bloomington, IL.  The location was difficult to reach and we ended having a pretty bad meal.  This provided us stark contrst to Fyfe's, which was also difficult to reach, due to road construction, but provided us with one of our favorite Madison dining experiences to date.

The bread was excellent (so good, in fact, we downed 2 plates, yikes.) The fresh, simple butter made it too hard to resist.

JM's wedge salad, while not a choice he would have made (just the optimal one given the choices he had), turned out OK.  He wouldn't discourage others from trying it, especially those who like bleu cheese.

When Nichole ordered the salmon, the server pointed out that the textures of the dish were what made it special, and she was right on. The snappy coleslaw, firm fish and crunchy sweet potato fries were an amazing combination.

JM's steak, while obscured behind the side dishes here, was quite good.  He was a little concerned when he took his bite since the sauce was a little overpowering.  It settled down toward the end and since he hearts filet mignon, he was ready to go easy on it.  The sauce did work out on the potatoes, which were mashed to near perfection.

JM gave most of his vegetables to Nichole. They too were good, though June's asparagus seemed a little long in the tooth.

Key lime pie was a perfect conclusion, one Nichole got to enjoy all by herself. Our server laughed when Nichole told her the secret: she only ever gets desserts JM doesn't like. His loss!

One of the most appealing aspects of Fyfe's was the wonderful energy, which we felt the moment we walked in. The place is positive, relaxed, and confident. The staff played a big part in this. They had great rapport, and obviously liked each other. They were pretty funny, too, but not spazzy or faux.

Fyfe's has definitely made it onto our special-occasion list.

Fuddrucker's

Update: Fuddrucker's is closed.

In a word: Shake(s), rattl(ingly limit)e(d toppings) and (classic rock &) roll.

The specs: #0186
Dane101 reports State St. location closing; fudding annoying web site.

JM ate the 1/4 lb burger with an Oreo shake.
Nichole ate the hot dog with a chocolate shake.
The bill was $20, or $10/person, plus tip.
JM gave Fuddrucker's a B-; Nichole gave Fuddrucker's a C (see our grading rubric).

You've heard the Burgertime story, yeah? If not, go read it now. This'll wait.

Alrighty then. The inside of Fuddrucker's is a dizzying array chain-restaurant themes. The decor tried to say "diner," or maybe "family restaurant," but the sight of pro rodeo on the several TVs and the sounds of "Cheap Sunglasses" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" were at odds.

Would it be a writerly copout to use "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as a segue? If so, too bad. The famed toppings bar was underwhelming, consisting of iceberg lettuce, tomato slices, onion, a scary extruded mountain of pickle relish, ketchup, mayo, a few kinds of mustard, and cheez sauce. Your typical home cookout has about the same variety, usually more. Where's the pineapple? Avocado? Fried onions? Hot celery relish? Jalepenos? Mushrooms? Pickle spears? Celery salt? Anything? Meh! And again, meh!

Nichole's "Chicago-style" hot dog, before:

After:

With this embarassment of high-fructose-corn-syrup-based riches, Nichole only ate about 1/3 of the dog. The bun was the best part - toasty and buttery.

JM's burger lacked distinction and left him feeling a little bloated. He thought the fries were overspiced and sort of sad, though the BBQ sauce helped.

The surprising thing about Fuddrucker's was how good the shakes were. Sure, who knows how they're made, but they seem like the real deal, almost - in JM's words - Chicken Unlimited quality. Nichole wouldn't go that far. For that matter, she probably wouldn't go back.

Frida Mexican Grill

Update 1/11/12: Frida is closed.

In a word: Frou-Froulette.

The specs: #0185
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, QSC; official web site;

JM ate the enchiladas rancheros with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the fish tacos.
The bill was $25, or $12.50/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Frida Mexican Grill a B (see our grading rubric).

Wherefore this kind of restaurant?  JM found his meal average and left a little hungry and not even sated.  Why he would pay extra to get this not-quite Mexican, not-quite cuisine is beyond him. He didn't not like it; he just feels like he's on the losing end of the cost-benefit ratio for this type of food.

The customary salsa was not quite making it, and the chips seemed to have been made from white flour tortillas. Very Wonder-bready.

This was the first time Nichole had eaten a fish taco. It was yummy, but how could fried halibut in a warm flour tortilla not be? She'll reserve judgment until she has something to compare it to.

Frida's might be a better nightclub than restaurant (it's sure dark enough). Let us know if that's the case, eh?

Francois' Bakery & Cafe

Update: It seems Francois' is closed and is now a Sunprint.
Update #2: It seems the Sunprint's closed now too.

In a word: Hits one out of the park.

The specs: #0184
History by Chris Martell.

JM ate the ham and cheese croissant with an apple juice.
Nichole ate the sweet cheese panino with a coffee.
We split a chocolate croissant.
The bill was $12, or $6/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Francois' Bakery & Cafe an A (see our grading rubric).

We're in love. Nichole had never had grilled panini so toasty on the outside but warm and fluffy on the inside. The cream cheese and apricot preserve filling had achieved a state of sandwich fusion, perfectly balancing sweet and tart. The coffee was damn strong and beautifully rich.

JM was impressed that the ham and cheese croissant didn't buckle under the weight/grease of the delicious toppings. "Just plain yummy." The fruit salad garnish on each plate was a nice touch.

The chocolate croissant was beyond-words perfect. We apologize for the food-blog cliche photo above ("here's some food I already ate half of") but we couldn't wait.

On the way home, Nichole was unsuccessful in convincing JM to drive around the neighborhood to look for a place we could move within aroma distance of Francois' Bakery (sigh).

Francie's Casual Cafe

In a word: Maybe takes the 'Casual' thing a little too far.

The specs: #0183
Address, hours & details via Isthmus ;

JM ate the grilled, honey glazed pork chop with beer cheese soup and a lemonade.
Nichole ate the fish fry (with baked cod).
The bill was $25, or $12.50/person, plus tip.
JM gave Francie's a C+; Nichole gave Francie's a C- (see our grading rubric).

The best thing about Francie's was this cow. We could see Lombardino's bold "Tourists favorite dining spot" mural from Francie's dining room, and wondered what we were missing.

In short, Francie's is an underwhelming hotel restaurant with spotty service. While the next table got several wine refills and never lacked for anything the whole time we were there, we didn't even get a bread basket.

A little something to boost the blood sugar while we waited would have been welcome, as would have been something to cut the saltiness of JM's beer cheese soup. It tasted to Nichole like chicken-flavored Ramen seasoning base with cheez on top.  JM decided that they had extra brine left over and they threw in some cheese.

The fish fry was not much to write about.

JM's pork chop was not too special, either.  (Too many carrots would be the headline.)

RIP, Ivy Inn - some competition on Uni Ave would do Francie's good. It might be that Francie's is trying not to offend anyone visiting Madison, but therefore it fails to truly please.

Fraboni's Italian Specialties and Delicatessen

In a word: Worth the parking hassle!

The specs: #0182
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; Nina Camic remembers; reviews at Yelp, AV Club; official web site;

Latest Fraboni's Italian Specialties and Delicatessen news and reviews at del.icio.us

JM ate the turkey and cheddar sub with an IBC rootbeer.
Nichole ate the small Italian sub and some artichoke salad.
The bill was $19, or $9.50/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Fraboni's an A- (see our grading rubric).

If we lived within walking distance, we'd probably go to Fraboni's every day. Their deli case is amazing, and we hear their Monona location is even more so.

JM's meal was fresh and tasty even though the quantity of bread was a little overwhelming.  Considering the sandwich had been made hours earlier, he wondered just how fresh their stuff was.  He'd nip back for a sandwich anytime.

He also observed that IBC root beer has been around for an awful long time. Then he remembered that several root beers date to 1919 (IBC, A&W, 1919 [duh]). We never made the connection, but apparently Prohibition was the root (beer) cause.

Nichole wonders if she can ever eat a Cousins sub again after tasting the real deal. Yum!

Overall, we found Fraboni's a charming store with helpful staff.

Flatiron Tavern

update: Flatiron is now the Local.

In a word: Good grub from the pub.

The specs: #0181
Ultimate Madison Bar Tour review.

JM ate the chicken club with clam chowder and a lemonade.
Nichole ate the Flatiron burger with a Coke.
We split an order of nachos.
The bill was $17, or $8.50/person, plus tip with a 2-for-1 coupon (thanks, WPR!)
JM and Nichole both gave Flatiron an A- (see our grading rubric).

The Flatiron felt to us like quintessential downtown Madison - polished, but comfortable; smoke-free, yet smoky with beefy goodness.

In a festive mood, we split a plate of yummy nachos and didn't regret it. The real cheese, beans, and veggies were an excellent appetizer.

JM's clam chowder had great bits of clam in it, but it was not quite as good as Del-Bar's. He liked that there were lots of menu choices. When his sandwich came, he was happy with the good-sized portion.  In the last analysis, the sandwich may not have been superb but was roundly enjoyed.

The vinaigrette on Nichole's spring greens weighed down the salad and was rather too tart, but it complemented the hearty Flatiron burger well.

Bun: toasted, homemade; hearty and mealy, but by  the end of the burger, chewing was a challenge.
Meat: great (listed as Angus beef), but not seasoned, and dry.
Cheese: Tangy bleu.
Extras: Mushroom hash was rich and juicy.
Overall: 6.5 out of 10.

There were plenty of other things on the menu Nichole would probably go back for - a roasted beet and granny smith apple salad; avocado and strawberry salad with orange champagne dressing; and several other kinds of tasty burgers. Not to mention the Nueske's bacon BLT, which (according to their web site) is a fixture on their rotating menu.

Since we weren't there at peak time, we cannot conlcude whether the atmosphere and avilable space change when it is full up.  We do, however, think that this pub food is well worthy of a trip to downtown (or an early lunch off the square).