When I walked into Graze, the first thing I noticed was the clear view of the beautiful capitol. The dining area was lit by dimmed lights and countless candles, creating a sophisticated and warm atmosphere.
I had to wait a few minutes since it was dinner time and the bar and the tables were mostly filled by older aged group. It was definitely a place that I was not expecting. Perhaps if I was in a different attire than a pair of jeans and rain jacket, I would've felt more relaxed and cool like the people who were sipping on wine in their fancy dress suits.
Graze is a restaurant that enthusiastically supports local and natural ingredients. The main theme that decorated the interior of the restaurant was green and wooden furnitures. There was also a huge window where you can see the clean kitchen and chefs moving around busily cooking.
Graze's menu was pretty simple and they included everything--seafood, meat, veggies, basically anything. I was surprised to see Bibimbap and Kimchee in the menus because they are Korean food, which are pretty rare to find in Madison restaurants.
My boyfriend and I ordered Fried Pickles and Fried Sassy Cow cheese curds which satisfied our need for grease. We also ordered Pub Burger with pastured highland beef and Seared Rainbow Trout.
The cheese curds came out first and they were absolutely amazing. They were vodka battered served with house ranch. They were special in that the sizes were enormous and the batter was very crispy but thin at the same time. I would say that The Old Fashioned, located on the Square, cheese curds are one of the best cheese curds I’ve ever had, but the Fried Sassy Cow cheese curds were less greasy and pretty damn heavenly.
Next, our waiter served us fried pickles. They were different in that they were thin sliced dill pickles with extra crispy breading. I love fried pickles so I was pretty satisfied, but I definitely enjoyed the cheese curds more.
The entree I ordered, Seared Rainbow Trout was served with crushed potato salad, which tasted similar to mashed potatoes, bacon lardons, grilled oyster mushrooms, wild watercress, and whole grain mustard sauce.
The portion was smaller but the meat of the fish was cooked with perfection. I fell in love with the sauce which was a bit tangy with a little bit of spicy twist. I would definitely recommend this meal to any seafood lovers. The Pub Burger was also superb. It was unusual that the juicy meat was between two house made English muffins instead of regular burger rolls.
If you're going out on a date or just having a nice brunch, lunch or dinner with a special friend or family members, I would recommend to try out Graze. It's located right beside the capitol and not so far from everything else you need to see in Madison. And if you are a cheese lover, you've got to try the Fried Sassy Cow cheese curds, or you cannot say you are a true cheese lover.
