. "7"^^ . "We had an excellent night at the Underground Kitchen. I loved the feel of the space, the drinks, and the food.\n\nI was quite impressed by how they transformed the place from Cafe Montmatre. They've painted the brick white and used a light wood paneling for the bar and kitchen divider, and the look feels modern and rustic all at once. The lighting is perfect for a bar/restaurant. I would spend hours here with friends again easily.\n\nThe staff were knowledgeable and friendly. They were able to answer varied questions about the food and drinks, such as the farms where they sourced their meats, which items were vegetarian, etc - and were happy to answer our questions. \n\nWe started out with a drink at the bar, since we had a 1/2 hour wait for our table. I had a delicious, not-too-sweet cocktail of fennel, lemon, and gin. It was one of the best mixed drinks I've had in Madison. The fennel was a unique addition. My husband had a drink made of rye, sarsparilla, and cherries that was also wonderful. I was impressed with the beer (a mix of local and non-local, from smaller-scale breweries only) and wine selection as well.\n\nWhen we were seated, we had the vegetable board to start. It involved a celeriac remoulade, a carrot-cashew pate, a bean and sun-dried tomato salad, an almond-spinach pesto, and a sprouted bean salad, served with bread from Madison Sourdough. I was very happy with everything on this plate.\nMy husband raved about his duck, served almost pulled-style over polenta with a poached egg. I can't give an opinion on that one, as I am a vegetarian.\nI shared two smaller plates with my husband. One was a finely sliced purple kale salad, just barely wilted, tossed with black walnuts and some kind of crumbled ricotta cheese. I loved the subtlety and freshness of the flavors in this dish. My other dish was a brussels sprout hash, made of expertly-pan-fried potatoes and minced brussels sprouts, topped with a poached egg. I'm generally a bit squeamish about egg whites that aren't solidly cooked, but the Kitchen managed to strike just the right cooking point where the egg was creamy without being slimy. \nWe didn't have room for dessert, but the selections sounded amazing.\n\nOverall, I'd say that the Underground Kitchen manages to be inventive by focusing on unique combinations of fresh, excellently prepared food, made out of few ingredients. It allows you to focus on very specific contrasts between the ingredients. The result is an offering of dishes that vary between hearty (without over-relying on deep frying or bacon-wrapping everything in sight) and lighter, brighter dishes. I think they pull the whole thing off very well, and will be returning whenever my budget can afford it!"^^ . . "1"^^ . "0"^^ . . "5"^^ . "2010-12-19T00:00:00"^^ .