Restaurant Week

Next week (July 27-August 1) is restaurant week in Madison. Yay! It's essentially six days of Madison's finest restaurants offering three special, fixed-price, three course menus for $25 per person. It's a bi-annual event that is modeled after the highly-successful San Diego Restaurant Week.

I love eating out. Especially in Madison. Interestingly, Madison has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the Midwest. And I've eaten at A LOT of Madison restaurants, but there are always more to try. Restaurant Week gives me the perfect opportunity to try some of the more pricey local restaurants and sample a few courses at very affordable prices.

I already have reservations at both the Blue Marlin and Fresco next week. I'm heading to Blue Marlin on Tuesday evening with Kim, Kate, and Karen, and Fresco on Thursday evening with Jill, Ryan, and Jennifer. In total, there are 24 participating restaurants, including Cafe Continental, Eldorado Grill, Harvest, Lombardino's, and Quivey's Grove.

Just to make your mouth water a little, I've listed the menus for both Blue Marlin and Fresco below. I'll get to pick one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert at each. Read and weep.

Blue Marlin

Appetizers
-Bay Shrimp Gazpacho

-Blue Marlin Caesar Salad

-Blue Marlin Crab Cake

Entrée
-Seared Norwegian Salmon with whipped potatoes, snap peas, carrots, peppercorn butter sauce

-Grilled Wisconsin Rainbow Trout with corn polenta, grilled eggplant, frisse salad with roasted red peppers

-Campanella pasta with arugula, crimini mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, pecorino cheese

Dessert
-Tres Leche Cake

-Key Lime Pie

-Mango & Strawberry Sorbet

Fresco

Appetizer
-Seared Sashimi Grade Scallop with Mascarpone polenta, Nueske’s bacon, and aged balsamic reduction

-Farmers’ Market Salad with mixed greens, seasonal vegetables, chèvre, and balsamic vinaigrette

-English Sweet Pea Soup with Mint crème fraiche and Nueske’s bacon garnish

Entrée
-Pork Tenderloin with pineapple-jalapeño glaze, coconut risotto, snap pea, red pepper, pineapple

-Organic Norwegian Salmon with cucumber-dill sauce, chopped salad of radish, feta, green onion, black olive, local tomato, cucumber, hearts of palm

-Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi with seasonal vegetables and brown herb butter crème

Dessert
-Dark Chocolate Cake with dark chocolate ganache and orange-scented bavarian cream

-Pineapple Crème Brulée with caramelized pineapple and burnt sugar crust

-Vanilla Ice Cream with strawberry-balsamic compote and almond florentine