L'Etoile

L'Etoile, thank you.
Myself along with some friends recently dined in for the Estrellon dinner.
The atmosphere was dark, gently lit by candles, with soft jazz and the smell of Spanish tapas in the background. It mingled with laughter and quiet conversation.
We got some drinks and headed into the first course of olives, followed by cheese, quince, tomato olive oil bread, croquets, and a potato cake.
The main after all these wonderful bites was the best of all, perfectly cooked seafood on a bed of what was the most delicious paella I've ever had. Rich and creamy, toasted and umami. What a dish.
And for very last, something I've heard all about: the Basque cake.
Rich brown butter cake with smooth sour cream ice cream and tart cherry compote.
I will honestly cherish this meal as some of the best I've had and look forward to what is in store next.

Have wanted to eat here for 30 years since I was a physician in training at UW. On visiting Madison we decided to finally go. The decor and atmosphere were comfortable with bright sunny views of the Capitol through large windows. They accommodated an infant with our group of 4 and were so nice. We all ordered the prix fixe meals for $175.00 each. That's kinda pricey, and was expected. However, for that price the food just wasn't that great. We've eaten at more expensive restaurants that ended up being worth the cost, we left them thinking how great the food and experience were.
Several things stuck out. First, The crab leg course had a piece of shell and tendon which I had to spit out and put aside. That's no biggy at Red Lobster, but in a small course at such a price, it's unacceptable. The steak course was 3 small slices of a New York strip that were unimpressive and didn't taste like a prime steak. Also, they came around refilling the water for other tables, yet we had to ask after waiting for them to do ours..and when they brought it, it was kinda warm. Odd.
Perhaps I am the victim of high expectations, but at that price point, we left disappointed.

Attended for a limited edition menu event, will be back for the usual tasting menu! One of the best dining experiences in Madison!! Everything was perfect - food, atmosphere, drinks, desserts. New and unique dishes that are flawlessly executed.

An amazing culinary institution. The menu is constantly changing to match the seasons so a single recommendation is short lived but they were 4 for 4 being excellent so hard to go wrong. Did the wine pairing and love both the selections and the descriptions. Great meal on all dimensions.

10/10 every time i go. this and graze are madison staples for a reason. The menu is always changing with the produce and the servers always answer my questions.

Came here for a nice romantic evening with my girlfriend. All in all, thought the food was decent relative to most restaurants I have been to but was disappointed by the food given the price point we were paying. At the price point, was expecting food closer to Michelin quality. The proteins of everything we tried were good but the dishes lacked tasty sauces/flavoring to accompany the dishes and that is what I felt would have really elevated the dishes. This was disappointing given the presentation of all the dishes we tried was really superb. The sauce with the salmon we had was quite salty. The rhubarb tart had no flavor at all, rhubarb usually has a tart flavor and this tart was just bitter with no flavor. Would have been better to add strawberry or something sweet to balance out the dish.

The restaurant was in a nice location on the Capitol Square with a great view of the capitol with big windows at the front of the restaurant. So much promise for this restaurant, I hope they just make some small adjustments to recipes to make good sauces accompanying the dishes and they can really elevate themselves. Look forward to trying this place again in the near future if they can make some improvements.

Celebrated my husband's birthday here. The tasting menu was amazing. Love their cocktails! Service is always top notch as well as ambiance. We try to go at least once per season to try their menu.

An incredible tasting menu! And the service was friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic. Each course was different and the flavors went from subtle to bold. And it is awesome that Madison has a restaurant like this. Tory Miller is a national treasure. And the vibe of restaurant is perfect for a intimate first date night, a big anniversary, or a family celebration.

I've been holding out on writing this review because I just didn't think I could quite do it justice. L' Etoile is a special experience and once that deserves a very special review.

I was invited to this Madison fine dining establishment by my sister, who knows good food. She has been raving about L'Etoile for years and is quite the fan of all they do. When visiting in late June this was a must-stop for our group of three. Note, reservations are highly recommended.

The experience was top-notch from the start. The gorgeous setting, opening up to the square with some of the largest windows I've seen. Needless to say day-time dining would get you some fantastic photos.

Our meal for the evening consisted of multiple courses, boasting full of fresh flavor. As per the menu, the courses served would be:

* Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio
[grilled radicchio, snap peas, beef fat crouton, kaluga caviar, SarVecchio caesar]
*Spaghetti Carbonara
[guanciale, English, sugar, and snow peas, cured egg yolk, pecorino, black pepper]
* Wild Alaskan Halibut
[Badger Flame Beets, caularini, beet hummus, herbed yogurt, dukkah spice]
* NY Strip
[new potatoes, escarole, broccoli, foriana sauce*, SarVecchio, salsa verde]
* Sundae
[fresh market strawberries, rhubarb sorbet, sour cream frozen custard, strawberry moscato gelée, shortcake biscuits]

Every dish was fantastic, and the wine pairing was utter perfection. What we weren't expecting were all the palette cleansing interludes between courses. All told, we were feasting on a good ten different things that evening!

I can't imagine ever having a better meal than the one I had at L'Etoile.

Good, but not worth the price tag, L'Etoille does not compare favorably to other fine dining establishments at this price point elsewhere in the country.

Cured Salmon Mi-Cuit - 4/5 Very good, but not quite the special experience required to knock it out of the park at this price point. A classic combination of horseradish, salmon and dill.

Sage Dreamfarm Chevre Agnolotti - 5/5 Excellent. The cheeses makes it.

Wild Alaskan Halibut - 2/5 A disappointment, particularly the romesco sauce, which compared poorly to what we make at home. The basil aioli went well with the halibut, but there was hardly any of it.

Au Bon Canard 21 Day Dry-Aged Duck - 1/5 Awfully rare and undercooked to the point of it being hard to cut. I'm fond of duck, so this was fairly disappointing.

Ela Orchard Apple Sticky Toffee Pudding - 1/5 Sweet to the extreme, to the detriment of flavor. I didn't finish this. My +1 finished hers and immediately regretted it.

Atmosphere & Service - 5/5. Perfect for a special night out.

Unfortunately, despite the atmosphere and service, the menu was sufficiently disappointing that I can't recommend L'Etoille for your special night out.