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| - We finally made it to Cafe Hollander, one of Madison's most talked about new restaurants of the year.
The building itself is VERY impressive. Lots of natural light (more about this later), wood, high ceilings, and very cool classic cycling decor throughout (it's a Belgian cafe, and cycling/bike racing is a big part of Belgian culture). It's a very cool atmosphere.
We sat in a section whose outside wall is like plexiglass garage doors that can open up in the summer (about 38° today, so they were closed) that let a lot of light in, with skylights above. Even on an overcast day, it was really nice and bright, which made the meal even more enjoyable. I've always wondered why more places in Madison don't do this. I'm really looking forward to coming here when the weather gets nice. (On my bike, so I can use their cool outdoor bike hooks!).
Several Belgian beers are on tap, including several seasonal holiday choices. The bottle list is very extensive, so be sure to page through the book if none of the draft beers catch your eye. The food menu also lists beer pairings with most if not all of the entrees. Beers are on the pricey side, but Hollander is definitely not the only establishment to be part of that disturbing trend.
My wife and I both enjoyed our food - I had the steak skillet and she had a wrap. The sirloin tips were perfect, tender and medium to medium well, and the whole skillet was tied together nicely with Hollandaise sauce. She had the turkey & avocado wrap with Hollander potatoes (fries were also offered as an option) and liked it a lot.
Our server was friendly and attentive and our food came out quickly - she even remarked that it was particularly fast (I think we hit the sweet spot between early and later brunch-goers).
We'll definitely be back, and the atmosphere at Hollander makes it a place we'll look forward to bringing guests to visit.
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