New Madison Brew Pub
If you happen to be on the west side of Madison looking for brew and a bite to eat, check out the Granite City Food & Brewery --- the latest addition to Madison's West Towne Mall complex. Hubby and I had an opportunity to size up this brew pub against other brew pubs in the area just this past weekend. We were nicely surprised.
As we walked in, we were immediately taken with the upscale décor and the friendly wait-staff. We were seated at a large, comfortable booth overlooking the fermentation vats.
My husband started with home-brewed Duke of Wellington - India Pale Ale which he found to be a nicely bodied lighter ale with a piney aftertaste. I'm not a beer drinker so I went for a frozen Margarita that came not in the traditional round stemmed Margarita glass, but rather in a tall, slender specialty drink glass. It was so tall I had difficulty getting my mouth on the straw. Note to restaurants and bars: never serve drinks in glasses that are taller than the person consuming the drink. Okay, hubby says, "Maybe they shouldn't serve people who are shorter than the glasses." Who am I to argue?
The menu had a huge variety of items, which on first look seemed like any other brew pub menu. But on closer look, each item had its own unique twist or flavoring. We ordered a spinach and artichoke appetizer. It was smothered with a layer of melted mozzarella cheese and served with toasted ciabatta. Mmmm!
For the main course, I had the Asian Chicken Salad. The chicken was seasoned in a pineapple soy marinade and the salad itself included shredded iceberg lettuce, cilantro, cabbage, cucumbers, shredded carrots and crispy wonton strips tossed in a lime and sesame dressing. The portion was big enough to feed a basketball team with enough left over for the following day. I have to say that it was spicier than I expected, but very good.
Hubby had the Granite City Meatloaf. This home-style, thick-sliced meatloaf was served on a Texas toast-sized slice of ciabatta with garlic mashed potatoes. What made this meatloaf different was the bourbon onion sauce. The whole concoction was served under a mountain of crispy onion strings (maybe a bit too many for hubby's taste). He, too, took a large part of his meal home. (I have to say, both meals were just as good the second day!)
Prices at this restaurant are moderate. Our bill for two people including drinks and appetizer was about $50.
According to their website ( www.gcfb.com ) there are 18 Granite City restaurants in 8 midwest and northern plain states. The company, headquartered in Minneapolis, has plans to open more restaurants in the next couple of years. The Madison restaurant is the only one currently in Wisconsin. The address is: 72 West Towne Mall.
