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| - Despite a downtown location, after years of dining and living in Madison I still had absolutely no concept of what the exterior looked like. In fact Le Chardonnay is so easily overlooked while cruising down West Johnson that only recently did I learn it's general location or even that it existed. Fortunately, Chardonnay was worth the find. More fortunately visiting during the acclaimed restaurant week we got to sample nearly every option on the tasting menu and had a marvelous time overall.
Our appetizers consisted of onion soup, mussels, and ahi tuna salad. The onion soup was good, full flavor, good for a starter. Passing on the mussels, *shudder*, I was told they were quite good. My salad had a nice sweet dressing, quality mixed greens, and the tuna was delish.
The entrees were all good too, though we were slightly less enthusiastic about them than the appetizers and desserts. Ravioli and chicken in a cream sauce were both very relaxing and clean tasting. The chicken was very moist and delicate. And all the dishes were plated very well (bonus points awarded!)
The desserts were amazing, and I am not a dessert guy. Both the chocolate ganache and dark chocolate brownie were like "sooo THIS is what the fuss about dessert is about!"
What topped the dessert though was something that I'd never experienced in a restaurant before. It was somewhat late in the night, and perhaps it was because of the new customers from restaurant week, but the chef came out of the kitchen and did rounds around the tables asking us about our food. Genuinely he wanted to know what we thought and tell us a little bit about the menu which is really more Mediterranean than French. After the food portion he stayed and we talked about his emigration, watches and this and that, definitely a pleasant plus to have a little chat with the chef. Finally, he gave us a shot of lemon liquor and we were on our way.
My experience at Le Chardonnay was probably a bit more elaborate than typical but based on first round I'd love to go again and have something off the full menu. The place is intimate, romantic, and charming, (like the semi-exposed kitchen) a nice "new" place to discover. And when it feels like there's the possibility of something special happening everything else is just that much better.
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