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| - I agree with much of Erin Hanusa's recent Isthmus review (http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=31323) of Nostrano. I sampled most of the same dishes she reviewed, with a couple minor variations, and I found the food to be expertly prepared and refined while still fitting in with Madison's affinity for rustic, comfort, local and seasonal food. I often think some kind of goofball molecular gastronomy place will never work here, for example. The cauliflower soup was delightfully presented with sprigs of romanesco and a delicious crouton, which made for a tasty counterpoint, texture and flavorwise, to the creaminess of the soup. The risotto featuring pheasant confit was a tangy surprise. The flavors were earthy and strong, but it fit nicely with the soup and felt seasonally and thematically appropriate. Entrees of crispy chicken and braised beef were excellent. In the latter case, I've recently sampled the same dish at a number of Madison restaurants and this is the best implementation yet, with the beef so tender it fell apart on the fork and the tang of the accompanying sauce enhancing the beef's rich flavor even further, while cutting any heaviness that may have resulted in the beef alone. Desserts were also excellent, as were the two vintage throwback cocktails we tried.
That having been said, with the exception of the hostess, who was very pleasant, welcoming and friendly, the service was terrible. The waiter who we had became visibly irritated/angry when my dining partner asked to retain her menu, so that she could read it while sampling the dishes we'd selected. She was still speaking when he turned on his heel and walked away from her in mid-sentence. In shock, I considered donning my coat and leaving at that point. He came back a moment later - to apologize? Actually, he said that the previous interaction had "thrown" him and he needed to ask me once again what my food selections were.
It really was bizarre.
Meanwhile, the other server helping tables near us seemed to be very nice, and she was engaging with the customers quite differently - I longed to have been seated in her section. I spent the meal feeling quite uncomfortable and the incident frankly ruined an otherwise splendid meal. The bad vibe was topped off as we left, when I turned and thanked the bartender who was standing at the door and who'd made our cocktails. He just stared back into my face, without returning a comment, smiling or acknowledging that I had spoken. What?
So, I really have to give this new restaurant probably 4/5 stars for its right-out-of-the-gate spot-on culinary success. But I think I'll retain a rating for service at this point, hoping against hope that this was a fluke. We choose our favorite downtown dining spots - Magnus, Sardine and so on, not only based on their excellent food but because of the pleasant, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Good food is a baseline in the downtown Madison scene. Service and ambiance has to be part of the equation, too, for the place to make it on my return list. I compare this to my other recent foray into the Underground Kitchen, whose dishes need some refinement but whose staff was clearly engaged in a labor of love, and eager to share the love with the customers (maybe slightly too much, as the chef took a seat at our table without any warning!).
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