Culinary highlights of Madison have moved far beyond beer, bratwurst and cheese, as a burgeoning dining scene now caters to all tastes.
"Overall, the dining scene in Madison is very eclectic," says Diane Morgenthaler, vice president of marketing and strategic planning for the Greater Madison CVB. "We have a lot of different cuisines represented."
The diversity of the dining scene is partly fueled by the mix of cultures represented by faculty and students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to Morgenthaler, and is augmented by the various ethnic groups that settled in south-central Wisconsin.
For dining spots, Capitol Square is a trendy location, while the pedestrian mall along State Street also spills with restaurants, from hamburger joints to fine dining. Williamson Street, known as Willy Street to locals, and surrounds also feature a variety, ranging from bistro-style Sardine on the shores of Lake Monona to hip dessert spot Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery.
"Madison is a town of food-aholics," Morgenthaler says. "It's all about our restaurants, our ingredients.... There are serious debates about who does what best and who in the farmers market is the best producer, who does the best baked goods, which cheese producer to go to."
Using local products on the menu is a growing trend as well, with a number of restaurants advertising themselves as farm-to-table and many listing their locally sourced ingredients on their menus.
The agricultural roots of this area are also at play in the mix of restaurants serving the visitor. Madison is home to the Dane County Farmers Market, the country's largest producer-only market. Local chefs, such as James Beard Award-winning chef Tory Miller, not only shop the market, but source locally for their menus.
Several local producers offer opportunities for tours, tastings or classes, according to Morgenthaler. "We have someone here in town who does Indian spices in cooking and she will put together a program or cooking lesson for people," she says. "We also have a local cheese retailer, Fromagination, that works with a lot of artisanal cheesemakers here. We can put together a group tasting or hands-on experience for folks. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board will work with us as well on a cooking or tasting program."
Other local producers offering tours and tastings include the Madison Sourdough Company, which when it opened in 1994 was the first and only place making artisan, handcrafted loaves of bread in the city. Ancora Coffee Roasteria is focused on handcrafting small-batch artisan roasted coffees and providing personable customer service. One of the city's most noted chocolatiers, Gail Ambrosius, offers chocolate-making demonstrations at her eponymous shop and can also have planners participate in a hands-on chocolate-making class. Private sessions and tastings with groups are possible.
Capital Brewery, founded in 1984 and located in a former egg processing plant building, produces up to 16 different beers per year. The brewery offers tours for groups as well as tastings. The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company makes its own beers and serves bratwurst on its menu as well.
Wollersheim Winery, overlooking the Wisconsin River, offers winery tours and tastings daily.
The Friday night fish fry is a Madison tradition and popular group event, according to Morgenthaler.
"It's highly competitive," she says. "Many restaurants [such as Blue Moon and Coopers Tavern] want to stake their claim as the No. 1 fish fry in town."
Madison Food Explorers (www.madisonfoodexplorers.com) serves up epicurean walking tours such as the downtown Madison Lake to Lake Lunch Tour, featuring food that is uniquely Wisconsin. Tastings include everything from artisan cheeses to organic locally grown blue corn tortilla chips, and also partake of the staples— brats and locally brewed beer, as well as Babcock ice cream.
Madison also features a number of celebrity chef opportunities, including chef Tory Miller, who runs the kitchens at L'Etoile and gastro pub Graze.
"Chef Miller is often very visible in his restaurants," Morgenthaler says. "Many of our chefs are. We can also make a request to meet the chefs on behalf of groups."
For dining with a view, Fresco, located on the rooftop of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, overlooks State Street. Groups can dine indoors alongside a glass wall overlooking the museum's sculpture garden, or in warm weather, sit at the garden's edge and dine al fresco.
Betty Lou Cruises offers private charters for a dining or cocktail party and hosts receptions on the lake with views of the city. The rooftop of the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center can host a reception or dinner with views over Lake Monona.
