I admit that it has been a while since we went to The Madison Bar and Grill. Our past experience for dinner being so so. We did enjoy their regular brunch, but, with all the options around, never went back. Until...Yes, until a night where we were feeling going out, but somewhere close by.
We got a table in the main dining room, far from the noise of the patrons at the bar. It was quiet, until a large group got seated.
After they served us some dry focaccia bread, we got our dishes. We decided to share a few and the large plates on the small square table did not help, considering that they brought everything at the same time...This is what we had:
Tuna tartare, made with avocado, scallions, pickled ginger, black and white sesame seeds, soy sauce, chipotle oil and crispy wonton:
Nice presentation, refreshing, but missing a bit of acidity.
Mac And cheese:
I admit that I was looking forward to it because it is apparently a family recipe. It looked creamy, but I do not know what kind of cheese they used, because it tasted very processed. So, I was disappointed.
The calzone trio:
It was composed of three mini calzone, perfect for sharing: prosciutto/mozzarella, portobello/roasted red peppers/ricotta and classic cheese. I liked it: tasty and cheesy, with a slight crispiness, my favorite being the classic cheese.
The last dish was the best: French onion soup dumplings.
This is a nice twist on a classic French specialty and they surely succeeded in creating a unique dish that will satisfy the cheese lovers, the amount of cheese (asiago and provolone) being very generous.
The next time we went was for their Sunday brunch buffet.
At $30 per person, you get access to their buffet, one beverage (bloody mary, mimosa, tea, juice or soft drink) as well as unlimited coffee. In fact, I did realized after that they made us pay for the coffee!!!
During the brunch, you can listen to jazz, that thankfully was not too loud, so we could have a nice time and hear each other.
Food wise, the buffet offered various items, from eggs, sausages, bagels, smoked salmon...
So, after ordering the beverages and getting my not so included unlimited coffee and an orange juice, we went for a first serving...
I tried to be reasonable and not get too much, as I knew I would go back for a second and even have dessert.
The best bang for the bucks at this buffet is the shrimp and oysters that tasted fresh and were of good quality. The shrimp were also of a good size and perfectly cooked. I guess next time I will pull my chair next to it and only get that. Smartly, they put plastic wrap between the shrimp and the ice, so the shrimp did not have the icy taste you sometimes get when ordering shrimp or crab cocktails.
For the second serving, I decided to get scramble eggs, sausages, smoked salon, mushroom pizza, creme brûlée French toasts, eggs benedict and chocolate croissant.
I was looking forward for their creme brûlée French toast, but was a bit disappointed as we tried them in their regular brunch and they were outstanding, but these were kind of soggy and missing the mark. As far as eggs were concerned, I loved their scramble eggs that were soft and moist, as well as the eggs benedict that had a perfectly runny yolk, although the muffin was a bit tough. The chocolate croissant was not good: dry with the chocolate having a weird taste.
As far as dessert was concerned, the star was the chocolate fountain.
They also proposed some cakes, like red velvet, but they were just ok.
The brunch was fine, perfect if you go with a bunch of people, love seafood and have a big appetite. But it was not outstanding to the point that I would make it my go to place. So, would I go back to The Madison Bar and Grill? Probably for the burger and the regular brunch.
Enjoy (...)!
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