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).

Latest Fyfe's news and reviews

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.

Comments

[Kyle]

As with all E. Washington businesses, be sure to give them your support as the construction process wears on. It's giving everyone on that stretch a hard time. Fyfe's is no exception! Go buy an appetizer for the love of god!

[Kyle]

Why did TypePad do that?

[nichole]

Do what? :)

Sometimes it spazzes out. I deleted the duplicate.

Fyfe's has great appetizers too - try the fondue. Heavenly!

[Johnny Blood]

I used to like Fyfe's. The food was great. The iceberg lettuce wedge is awesome (I'm shocked more places in Madison don't do this). However, ever since they took the most awesome pork chop off of the menu a year or two ago, I have felt the need to boycott the place. It still brings a tear to my eye knowing I will never eat that pork chop ever again.

[Heather]

Good news - the former owners of Fyfes opened a new restauraunt on Cottage Grove Road: Tallulah. This place is great and these folks know quality food.

[brandon_w]

I ate at Tallulah about two weeks ago. I'm not sure I would call it great, but it was good. That's the word that kept coming to mind with everything that I ate, never less than good, and never more than good.

We ordered the cheese bread, seafood stew (I can't remember the full name), Tallulah pasta, and flowerless chocolate cake.

The servers were very attentive as was the manager who was there that night. He was out ther bussing tables and doing whatever else needed to be done to keep the place running smooth. The only complaint was that the main course came to quickly after the appetizer.

I hope to go back and try a few other things in the future.