Can someone tell me what the big deal about this place is?
We waited 45 minutes for a table on a Thursday night. We never would have waited that long except that the hostess (who was very nice and overworked) assured my table of four it would only be about 15 minutes. After seating, service was slow.
Our apps were good. The duck fat fries were good but many places in Madison boast great fries. The dates were to die for.
As for the meal... eek. Our plates came out one at a time with about ten minutes in between each, making the meal very very awkward. My friend ordered the ravioli, which the waiter said was a favorite but the plate was the most unappetizing thing I've ever seen. Literally one big brown ravioli with egg inside. My friend said the sauce was very very sweet.
Mine was served next. I can't find it on their current online menu but I am certain I ordered a pasta and bolognese dish that sounded pretty safe. It tasted exactly like Hamburger Helper, I am not even kidding you. Hamburger. Effing. Helper. A great kickback to my childhood but definitely not something I expected nor wanted to pay for from this trendy restaurant.
Friend's husband ordered the Chicken Thigh which was the best, juiciest chicken I've ever had. The sides it was served with weren't bad either. I would go back to give that another try.
My husband ordered the tripe and none of us had a bite of it.
For dessert we did an apple thing that wasn't great and a panna cotta, which was okay.
All in all, I'm glad we tried it because of all the hype. but we all walked out wondering what all the hype was about. I kept looking longingly out the window at Umami, which is across the street. I wouldn't spend the money or the time on this place again.