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| - It's dark, it's old, it's classic. No need to change, every city worth its name needs an original restaurant that time forgot. That is what Smoky's Club is. The good news is that the quality of the food is pretty good. And the service is very old-skool professional, welcoming of our Saturday night walk-in party of four.
I've been a couple of times and can recommend the steak. NY Strip, Ribeye, and Filet Mignon all have been very good, always ordered medium rare. Also the jumbo shrimp. Good portions and a decent steak house value with potato, soup, and salad included. Salad is a simple affair but the French Roquefort dressing is a standout. Bread basket needs some work. The toasted bread is good but the fresh loaves could stand to be upgraded. Hash browns are terrific. The sauteed mushrooms are whole and at $4 half the price of new fangled steakhouse prices.
We haven't made it to the desserts because each time we've been too full. Other than a couple glasses of wine, we've haven't had any bar experience. But the drinks going by looked good.
With the Avenue Bar gone upscale and corporatized, Smoky's is one of the last of the old guard Madison restaurants. Enjoy it while we can. Fortunately the food makes it easy to dig the ambience.
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