Gaston's
Update: Gaston's is closed.
In a word: Southern gem on the north side.
The specs: #0193
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Ultimate Madison Bar Tour, WiSJ (Chris Martel and Samara Kalk Derby), Madison Date Night and Yelp; red beans & rice hints.
JM ate the panfried chicken special with shrimp scampi on the side, with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the catfish Brousseau with a Coke.
The bill was $24, or $12/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole both gave Gaston's an A (see our grading rubric).
Latest Gaston's news and reviews
We're glad we made it to Gaston's in summer. It's probably lovely year-round, but something about a sunny weekend evening complemented the neighborly exterior and the homey (in that it's made out of a home) interior.
A few regulars were enjoying the bar's offerings as our host/server seated us in a cool, lower-level dining room. We enjoyed watching the Little League World Series as we sipped from Mallards pint glasses.
JM fell in love with his scampi side dish. It was well-spiced, but not too spicy for the shrimp flavor to take hold immediately, and it did not relent. Maybe it coulda used a little more butter, but overall Yum Yum Yum!
As for the rest of JM's meal, it was outstandcellent. The chicken was breaded in a delicate, crunchy batter and boned to avoid messiness. The real, light & fluffy potatoes deserve a perfect 10. The gravy was great, and the rest of the meal was decent with the lemonade coming last in due to a scarcity of sugar.
Nichole's choice of the blackened catfish was expertly spiced. The beans were tender & the rice good, too.
At the end of our meal, we were happy to be pleasantly full, but not stuffed. We still didn't quite have room for Gaston's famed cheesecake, but we'd gladly go back for more.
The jambalaya there was a large portion and soooo good. I also some how saved room for the cheesecake and the glaze is amazing. two thumbs up.
Posted by: Jackie | October 10, 2007 at 04:27 PM
BTW, it appears that Gaston's is now gone, unless they moved to a different location, I go past that way every morning on the way to work and there is a for sale sign on the building and the sign for Gaston's is no longer there..plus the light in the attic remains on, very strange..
Posted by: Craig | December 18, 2007 at 01:49 PM
Not another one! It's like calling something our favorite kills it.
Can any Northsiders corroborate?
Posted by: nichole | December 18, 2007 at 02:31 PM
A new place is coming to this location, A Place for Friends Bar and Grill
Posted by: Craig | April 03, 2008 at 09:54 AM