Restaurant Week in Madison

Restaurant Week only happens twice a year, so you need to be ready when it comes around (July 22 through July 27). Luckily, Madison Magazine posts the participants and menus so that you can do a little planning.

Kamie and I have had good experiences during these weeks, but it’s occasionally lopsided (I had better meals at Harvest and Lombardino’s; she had better meals at Muramoto and Sardine). When you both have great meals, like we did at La Brioche last summer, it’s a perfect night out (the late summer light really helps La Brioche’s ambiance, though I was told last winter that they have a new chef). No matter where you go, dessert is almost always good and trying each other’s meals is probably as fun as trying your own.

Most importantly, it’s an affordable way to attend pricier restaurants, allowing you to find places you can really love and return to later. I didn’t enjoy my dinner at Sardine during Restaurant Week, but I really liked the restaurant’s ambiance and now it’s our favorite brunch spot. (Get the crab bacon and shrimp cakes. Amazing.) There are other small discoveries that make it all worthwhile. For example, the view from within Harvest makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a big city.

Time to salivate over some menus.