In the words of Usher: these are my confessions. I've lived in Madison on and off since 2002 and have lived just a couple of blocks from Marigold for the last 2.5 years, yet I just went for the first time in December. I KNOW.
While a couple friends were passing through on their way from Minneapolis to Milwaukee we decided to grab lunch. It was hard to make a choice between so many tasty-sounding dishes, but in the end the Guajillo Braised Chicken sandwich with a red cabbage side salad called my name the loudest.
The sandwich was delicious, its tender chicken and slightly spicy chipotle sauce melding into the ciabatta roll on which it was served. I opted to skip the raw red onion and cilantro, but the romaine gave enough of a fresh contrast that I didn't feel like the sandwich was missing anything.
The cabbage salad was less successful for me. The flavor was okay, and I generally really enjoy cabbage, but the thing I enjoy about cabbage is the crunch. This salad was (intentionally) wilted and the softer texture just didn't appeal to me. Different strokes for different folks; next time I'll upgrade to an alternate side.
I had to make a quick exit to let my locked-out boyfriend into our apartment, but I had been considering getting back in line to get one of the amazing-looking chocolate walnut cookies that were in the pastry case.
We went the Friday before Christmas and the holly-jolly was in full effect. A couple of ladies were going around with complimentary egg nog (boozy and not, depending on how merrily along you were in your holiday) and it was intensely creamy. From my seat I saw our neighbors had Marigold's signature potatoes and I most definitely need to get back to shove those in my face ASAP.
Regretting it took me so long to visit, but looking forward to starting a beautiful relationship with my neighborhood cafe.