A Foodie in Madison, Wisconsin

View from our hotel

We walked in to the smell of moldy cheese. The shelves lined with Dean & Deluca sauces, artisan preserves, french baguettes and a case full of some of the tastiest cheeses that Wisconsin had to offer. The name of this store is Fromagination, and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

Known for their huge array of cheeses and artisan sandwiches, this place was hopping at lunch time. Lines out the door for a taste of their delectable sandwiches. They serve them with a chocolate and chips! Purveyors of hand-crafted crackers, local beer and fine wine, I was in heaven. Naturally, we bought some local cheeses and local grass-fed beef sausages to go along, and the owner was so friendly! You can order directly from them at fromagination.com

I discovered a really great preserves line called Quince&Apple, a small jar preserves line crafted by a couple in Madison. Check out their products and bio at quinceandapple.com. I bought the Cranberry Relish, the Pear with Ginger and the Shallot Confit with Red Wine. All delicious, and all perfect with our new cheeses.

Next stop, mid-day cocktail! Merchant is the most unique little restaurant/grocery store I have ever been to! Decorated in modern decor with rustic elements like salvaged kitchen islands, and hanging fruit baskets, this place also sold all of the ingredients that it used! That's right, you could ask the chef how he made a dish, and he would tell you all the ingredients used, you buy it, you make it! How amazing and transparent is that!!

They also had some pretty delicious hand-crafted cocktails like my blood orange, fennel, and bitters drink with Vodka and old school ice cubes. For lunch they served gourmet sandwiches and soups, have an amazing brunch menu, and a dinner menu to satisfy any hardcore foodie! You can find out more about them at merchantmadison.com

For dinner I was dying to go to E'Toile, but unfortunately, they were closed on Sundays! I cried a little then moved on. We decided on the Tornado Club. An old fashioned wooden restaurant reminiscent of some hunting club from the 1950's. With Dean Martin and Sinatra playing in the background, it was hard not to pretend I was a glamorous lady from the 50's. I even wore my vintage dress and red lipstick! The menu consisted of staple steakhouse favorites like Fillet Mignon, Venison, and Salmon. We started off with Escargot in a garlic butter sauce. It was amazing! Next up, Spinach salad with a warm bacon vinaigrette that was so good, I almost licked the plate! However, I was a lady, so I sopped it up with their amazing rosemary dill bread! I ordered the cut of the day which was local and grass fed beef while Nicholas ordered the Fillet. Both amazingly seasoned and both divinely delicious! We chose a Pinot Noir for dinner with a 10 year tawny port for dessert! The caramel chocolate tart was amazing and had a sweet after-bite that was almost paralyzing!

All in all, a fantastic night in the capitol! We even stumbled upon a new band by accident that blew my mind. "Or, the whale" from San Francisco played at a little dive bar called The Frequency. They were a 5 piece alt-country band. So good...check them out at orthewhale.com

We will definitely be back because we had a blast!

Happy Living!

Kendra