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| - Here I am, back in Madison, and what's one of the first things I wanted to do? Head to my favorite restaurant, the IHOP next to Whole Foods! What's one of the first things I actually did? Show some impulse control and head over to "Estrellion," a new Tapas bar that opened up, overseen by the same executive chef responsible for Graze and L'Etoile.
The external decor of Estrellion is uninviting, to say the least. Steel-enforced silver building that houses all the new insta-condos/offices that are popping up all over Madison and everywhere else. The inside is dope, though, and really spacious and gourgeous (sp?). You look like you are on the set of "The Mask of Zorro"! I used to be really hostile to fancy internal decor because I didn't like the $5 or so in "hidden costs" it adds to the menu items, but more recently, I've grown to think that existential experience can really add that extra bang to a meal. You can take Estrellion to the Swank Bank. Book it.
The food is awesome. I had pork shoulder, crab ceviche (my friend Paul K. ordered it, but I had some), cheese curds, sausage, and pork ribs/chops. They were all good, though don't expect fried bar-type curds. This was a little too "fine diney" for me. I also thought the P2P (price-to-portions) ratio on the pork ribs/chops was too skimpy. We're talking like $5 per half dollar-sized chop here. The chocolate dipped churros for desert are great. The only upside to P2P for the entrees is that the meal does not make you feel bloated, and as somebody whose svelte figure is now in constant jeopardy due to my dining habit, this is a big concern to me.
I don't drink, but if you do, be sure to check out one curiosity on the menu: the vermouth flight. A pure vermouth drink. This is hardcore, and our very friendly server said she'd never sold one. I ordered it but then did a "j/k" right before she wrote it down. You're talking to a guy who got drunk on a Mike's Hard Lemonade in college and is terrified of alcohol, so no way was I going to do that.
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