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| - I'm giving Monroe Street Bistro 3 stars instead of 4 on principle. As I understand it, down the road at Brasserie V, the original owners had a disagreement about things (as owners do), and one split to create Monroe Street Bistro. ....It is almost exactly the same as Brasserie V, except the beer list is much less impressive at Monroe Street Bistro. Since this is just hearsay, I could be wrong. But let's assume the information is correct.
What's different from the V:
-Less Belgian tap beers, or beers in general
-More fancypants cocktails and wines
-I believe they had more in the way of appetizers, salads, and desserts.
But in the way of entrees? Both me and my dining companion agreed: The same. To a shameless degree. I wouldn't have a problem with this per se, but they are on the *same street* as Brasserie V. It's just kind of ridiculous, like how State Street has two Afghani restaurants. As though they couldn't find anywhere else in Madison to open up and be successful.
My little ethical compass issues aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience. We split Moules et Frites, which was excellent. Our friend had a burger and frites, which she said was excellent. She enjoyed a mojito, which was purportedly awesome. Me and my friend each had a Belgian tap beer, both of which were wonderful (I had something called Triple Karmeleit, or something like that....it was very caramely, true to the name).
The place was absolutely packed to the point of turning people away at 7 on a Saturday night. It's very small, so it's understandable. A helpful tip: They will not seat you until your entire party has arrived. It seems like a smooth operation, because once I arrived, we were seated promptly. Our waiter showed up right away, got us drinks, and was *incredibly* friendly. I mean, he was just so damn pleasant. The decor was nice enough, and it seems like it would be quite cozy for a winter's night dining experience.
Still, I'd just as soon go to Brasserie V.
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