Jerome's

In a word: You thought there was nothing to see here before.

The specs: #0633  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; listing at Eat Drink Madison; official web site,

JM ate the steak sandwich and fries with a lemonade.
Nichole ate the fish sandwich with coleslaw and a Winter Skal.
The bill was $21, or $10.50/person, plus tip.
JM gave Jerome's a C-; Nichole gave Jerome's a D+ (see our grading rubric).

Jerome's is just JJ's again. This time we read the blurb on the menu about Park Hotel's role in Wisconsin history. The story of how the hotel helped Madison remain the capital, despite Machiavellian Milwaukeeans, also appears on the Inn on the Park web site. Articles at the Wisconsin Historical Society from the Madison Democrat and Wisconsin State Journal tell the fascinating tale of inter- and intra-city rivalry, complete with boozy bribes, smoke-filled rooms, and concerned citizens' hotel-building volunteer labor rewarded with dinner.

We didn't research what those folks got fed, but we hope it was more satisfying than what we had at Jerome's.

The food wasn't terrible. It was just light on personality, unless soy sauce as jus counts. The service was fast, friendly, and chatty.

In a way, Jerome's has a role on the square. They're not making grand claims about their food - how could they with so much competition? They're simply providing "relaxed family dining and American-style cuisine" to their guests who'd rather not go out.

Live and let live. We're just glad we do live here, and have learned of places in Madison we'd rather eat.