Like a sorcerer, a good chef conjures warm spirits by charming basic ingredients into a magical ecstasy of the senses. This happened the last time I went out for breakfast as I was truly bewildered by the perfection embodied in the herbed chèvre croissant at Café Soleil. To my pleasant surprise, this ""luxury bread"" satiated my breakfast urges for just $3.50.
Another recent mystic experience was the rustic braised pork crêpe from Bradbury's. For $7 my palate was bullied and beaten by flavor and texture until I had my fill. The dish was so fantastic I did a good American deed and cleaned my plate.
I could blather on forever about the tantalizing entrées and appetizers I have gobbled here in Madison, but there seems to be one thing uniting them. They all incorporated fresh, local ingredients.
Why would anyone ever go to a restaurant that did not serve quality fresh food when other options are available? An urge for sauce-laden savory indulgences—the ones that come in greasy cardboard packaging from pizza parlors, fast-food joints or Chinese carryout restaurants—is a fine excuse for imperfection. But when quality food is desired, there is little reason, especially in Madison, to settle for anything less than the freshest.
Madisonians have a legendary list of eateries that source a hefty portion of their menus from local gardens, farms and dairies. The best chefs spend early morning hours perusing daily farmers markets. In the summer there is at least one daily farmers market in Madison Tuesday through Sunday, and many locally minded eateries have established longstanding partnerships with the farmers that cater to them.
For example, Madison Originals is a nonprofit association of independently owned restaurants who vouch for the area's fantastic bounty of produce, cheeses, meats and even beer and spirits by featuring them on their menus.
Why bother with industrially grown vegetables in aluminum-lined sacks or vacuum-packed mystery meats when we can buy better, less-metallic-tasting food at roughly the same cost?
Quality food makes good business sense, too. It can lure and keep more loyal customers, netting more profits than lower-cost and lower-quality food establishments that earn a bit more per customer. To see the difference, compare two State Street gyro options: Opa! and Parthenon.
Upon walking into Parthenon, the customer is greeted with a busy lunch counter offering quick, unadorned service. The food comes out relatively fast as it moves down the assembly line.
""Gyro and a fry, please.""
""That will be nine bucks, thanks. Next.""
When the food arrives, the fries are usually crispy, the pitas are fluffy and everything tastes fine, save for the overly strong raw onions, mushy tomatoes and ridiculous amounts of tatziki. But those are just distractions to the main attractions: crispy fries and meat. After eating there countless times, I've left about half of the time completely satisfied, though perhaps a little bloated.
Parthenon was a favorite for years. I could not avoid the fries. But then came Opa!, and my world was changed. For just $7, nearly 75 percent the price of Parthenon, I was given an equally generous plate of meat, pita and vegetable garnishes. Here is the kicker. Everything at Opa! is made in-house, and most of it sourced locally.
These details shine through in the food. I got the feeling the chef believed fresh food was the only reasonable thing to offer guests, underscored by a small footnote near the bottom of the menu. Everything at Opa! was better than the alternative. Market-fresh quality clearly won out.
If fresh, local food tends to be better than canned, telling the difference before ordering is important. There are several websites listing restaurants that incorporate the freshest and most local meats, cheeses and produce into their dishes. REAP (Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group) shows Dane County restaurants that put fresh, organic food on the table, and Dane Buy Local maintains a list of members who have made a commitment to buy from local, fresher vendors whenever possible.
Slow Food UW holds workshops with local-conscious chefs and businesses on campus. Aside from these options, you can always go into a restaurant and ask a cook or server where the food comes from. If they have no idea, then their food probably is not local.
The Weary Traveler, The Old Fashioned, Pizza Brutta, Opa! and Café Soleil are some tasty and affordable ""freshies,"" but there are many more. Find some great options at madisonoriginals.org. The freshest, highest-quality local food is becoming ever more available in Madison restaurants. So if you desire a good meal with friends, aside from satisfying drunken munchies, look for one of these local restaurants and you will not be disappointed.
