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Madison and Fifth - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants American (New) Restaurants Italian American (New), Italian [Edit]
367 University AvenuePalo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 323-3900
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Speederia Pizzeria specializes in real New York pizza by-the-slice!
148 reviews for Madison and Fifth
Review Highlights
"we ordered the pumpkin risotto and linguini with calamari."
(in 17 reviews)
"My dish was black ravioli stuffed with pureed duck."
(in 6 reviews)
"Good wine list too but sangria not so good."
(in 3 reviews)
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148 reviews in English
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Review from Dustin G.
9/17/2009
ducked in for lunch the other day finding myself alone in the restaurant about 1pm..nevertheless i used the restroom and to my surprise when i returned people were flocking to this hip wine bar/lounge/restaurant..
If been here for cocktails in the past for i love their lychee martinis..but today i ventured and wanted to try their lunch fare.
Spicy Italian Sausage Sandwich: grilled and served with seasoned fries
9.95
huge portion with the bread not soggy or tough and the fries were not oily either..very tasty linguiza..
service was impeccable which bought them their fourth star..
a definite destination for their wine list! and a great spot to start your night clubbing down the street... a fan. 4/5 judoslices -
Review from Archie R.
9/18/2008
Driving back to Mt View from lunch...
Archie: These Googlers on bikes make me nuts.
Jen: So how soon before you hit one of them?
Archie: On purpose?
Jen: WHAT?!
Archie: Oh, I meant, never I hope.
Jen: Oh, darn.
Archie: What?
This place is decent but the pasta was kind of undercooked and the sauce was nothing, as my Spanish friends would say, spectularrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Dente. -
Review from Dave K.
Sunnyvale, CA
5/3/2008 ROTD 6/19/2008
I've been here a few times in the last few months. I had written a longer review but I accidentally surfed away from the page and lost it all, CURSES!
Overall M&5 has pretty good food, but the service is spotty and dings them a star. The place is always crowded and busy but this detrimentally affects service and the place just gets so loud. The lighting is often dim and combined with the tables being just a little too close together, it can make someone feel claustrophobic despite the very open-space feel.
I don't have any pictures and I can't remember the item names, but mostly everything I've had there is very good, deserving of a 4. There are a lot of Italian places on University so if I had to do a quick ranking of the ones I've been to: Vero, Pro Bono, M&5, La Strada, Pasta?Listed in: I Can Has a Famous
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Review from Badri N.
7/27/2009
July 26, 2009 - Palo Alto Bar Crawl details (on Twitter under #pabcrawl)
Stop 4 - http://twitpic.com/brocf - Madison & Fifth (Ketel One and Tonic)
After meeting up with Dennis, Tracy and Andre, our newly expanded party moved on to the next destination. Tthis was like The Lord of the Rings now, with our fellowship slowly growing... and yes, I know I'm short enough to be one of the hobbits, thank you very much and zip it! ;p)
Next up was Madison and Fifth on University - if that doesn't sound weird, try this... Madison and 5th Avenues don't actually intersect so that address - Madison and Fifth, is fictitious. Feels like the Twilight Zone, don't it? LOL
Very contemporary decor, what you would expect a New York themed restaurant to be like. Great bar area and when we entered, we were the only ones there so we got our pick of barstools!!! (Doesn't take much to make me happy, I know!)
Fellow Yelper Kevin N. had joined the noble quest by now and drinks orders were placed - Sapphire and tonic for Mike, Kevin, and Andre, Tanqueray (the Rangpur version snob!) and tonic for Tracy and Ketel One and tonic for me (oh, I love it when I'm non-conformist :)
Good drink pours - bartender was attentive initially but disappeared soon thereafter - saw her chatting to some of her co-workers - it's all good! They probably had us pegged as harmless drunks who were probably not going to order any food anyway haha.
We were done in a New York minute... get it? New York joke because we were in a New York themed restaurant - get it? Oh, never mind... hehehe
Bathroom break #2 - this one was quite fine - no hassles about using this :)
~ 3 stars overall - nice enough but nothing stands out enough to give it the fourth star - maybe a return visit with some food will revise that opinion :)
# 117Listed in: Palo Alto Bar Crawl - July…
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Review from Noelle J.
8/3/2009
The World According to Noelle
~Allergic Girl's Guide to Life~
"Meet me at Madison and Fifth." Noelle W.
I absolutely adore the restaurant Madison and Fifth. Pretty murals painted on the walls above, wine bottles lined up neatly, comfy booths, wood fire oven, small bar area. The ambiance is contemporary, the food is good, the service friendly albeit slow. This is a great place to dine with- family, friends, a date, or even solo. My favorites here are the Chicken Caesar Salad- grilled to perfection chicken, crisp salad, delicious dressing and delectable homemade croutons. My second favorite meal is the Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza- everything I described in the salad but on the delicious pizza crust-mmmmm simply delicious. When dining with others- they have had the shrimp and pasta (which looked tasty), the salmon (which was so-so), duck ravioli (which lacked any smell or taste of duck and thus was sent back). They have a good wine list. I had a sip of an Italian White Wine which was divine.
They have a good list of desserts- which I plan on trying on my next visit. Upon arrival you will be seated and served freshly baked bread with a cream cheese spread- melt in your mouth goodness. The tap water is good (no need for bottled). They have high ceilings which give this restaurant a nice and open feel. Every time I have dined here service has been friendly but seriously slow- so don't come here if you're in a hurry.
According to the Palo Alto Online news there was a small fire behind the Cheesecake Factory (on University Avenue) which has temporary closed Madison and Fifth (see news article- http://www.paloaltoonl...).
Noelle's Notes
A Noelle Favorite. -
Review from Kevin S.
San Francisco, CA
6/13/2007
Wow--glad we didn't Yelp this place before we picked it for an early pasta dinner on a Sunday afternoon stroll, because we would have missed out on some really good pasta.
Yes, you can tell it's trying too hard, especially by the vaguely 90's decor--it's like decorator backwash from Cheesecake Factory next door.
The service was oddly amateurish as noted by plenty of other reviewers, but we didn't really suffer any long delays other than a longish wait for my glass of weedy tasting prosecco (won't make that mistake again).
The frito misto appetizer we shared featured heavy representation by the calamari, which was a good thing--they were tender, tasty, perfectly breaded and seasoned, and hot. The zucchini straws and miserly portion of everything else (3 shrimps, count'em!) was a big disappointment. Why no fried lemon slices? Next time, if there is a next time, we'll just get the calamari.
IQ had a lobster-based black ravioli and I had one featuring pear, walnuts, and cheese, and both were perfectly conceived, perfectly cooked, and perfectly sauced.
They get extra points for letting us have Buddy discreetly tethered at our outside table without even casting a single dirty glance, but the bored-so-bad hostess needs to realize that she's got a long life of working days ahead of her--at least make an effort! -
Review from Tiffany W.
Fremont, CA
2/17/2009 2 photos
This past Saturday, my boyfriend took me here for Valentine's Day. We got there for our 6:30 reservation and we were greeted by one of the owners and he sat us. The owner was very nice and spoke with my boyfriend a bit, since I guess he was the one who made the reservation for us.
I really liked the decor of the restaurant. Classy , yet conservative. The walls are decorated with sceneries of New York, and mirrors line the borders of the ceilings and wall. I like the decor and setup because it's upscale, but also simple and nothing over the top.
For dinner, we ordered Caprese for our appetizer, I had the Black Ravioli , and my boyfriend had the Pork Chop dish. All of our food was really good. My boyfriend's Pork Chop was very tender, juicy, and tasty, and it was accompanied by a honey glaze sauce. It also came with mashed potatoes which were awesome. My dish was black ravioli stuffed with pureed duck. I liked my boyfriend's dish better, but I definitely appreciated the unique-ness of mine.
The only reason why I'm giving three stars is because of the service. Our waitress wasn't horrible, but she just acted so nonchalant like she wasn't even there. She came by the first time and we weren't ready to order yet. The second time she came back, she was just like "okay, are you guys ready yet?" in a somewhat hurried and annoyed tone. The service wasn't bad, but it just seemed like our waitress really didn't want to be working that night. Other than that, everything was good, but the whole experience would have been better if the service was better. It's only disappointing because you would expect with the prices you're paying, you would receive great service. -
Review from Julia K.
San Francisco, CA
6/13/2006
NOTE:
My experiences at Mad & 5th have steadily deteriorated. Quality isn't quite as fresh as it used to be, service is inattentive and I found the most DISGUSTING looking hair in my putrid pasta dish this weekend. Docking this to two stars. I think after the opening, they just started taking some cost-cutting measures. I don't see truffled ingredients as often anymore, and i know that the vegetables aren't as good.
original post.
This "New York Style" restaurant just opened up next to Cheesecake Factory on University a little over a week ago. I went on a Friday night and the place was hopping.
However New York-y they were intending this place to be, it's certainly not a place that the Sex n the City gals would go for dinner and it's not achingly hip. What they dish up are some tasty, interesting, nouveau Italian American dishes. Servings are plated gorgeously (not precious, but more like overflowing cornucopia style) and actually generous! Quality of produce is very high- hella fresh. It's not a cheap place but it's fun and delicious.
My friend and I split two appetizers and an entree, as well as a kir royale each and a bottle of wine. Total came to about $75 each and we we were STUFFED (and tipsy). Then one of the managers, Fabrizio (a funny man with tortoishell glasses and red leather shoes, who I thought should be named Otto), gave us some champagne. Bubbly fun times!
To give you an idea of the food they've got, the dishes we ate were:
grilled shrimp with wild mushroom salad and an arugula in a little hand made potato basket. Everything was yummy here, although there was no wow, why didn't I think of that. All the elements in the dish were fairly separate from each other, not melding. However, maybe I'm not as enthuisiastic about it simply because we had gorged on a huge fava bean, asparagus, wild aspagus, artichoke heart salad with truffled pecorino and prosciutto. Dressed in lovely olive oil. That was SO GOOD. wow.
We split an oven steamed branzino served with fresh lemon and some veggies. Also very good, a taste like crab with a flakier moist flesh. I loved it.
(Note:Kir royale here is made with chambord rather than creme de cassis. We split a $45 bottle of Carmelo Patti Malbec- a little bit strong for the fish, but great with our salad. Ah, and the bread came with a variety of olives and chunks of )
What it looks like: Tall ceilings, good light, lots of colors, mirrors and people. Huge french doors open out on to the street. Great for the summer dining. -
Review from Kat J.
Lavallette, NJ
6/19/2006
I loved it!
I used to live in NJ and head into the city often for dinner and drinks. One of my favorite Italian places, La Houppa, turns out is a sister restaurant to Madison & 5th! After I heard a new place opened in Palo Alto, I strolled by yesterday to check out the menu. There it was, the Pumpkin risotto, my favorite dish from La Houppa! I couldn't believe the description as it was identical - before I could finish explaining to my friend how in NYC it's served inside a pumpkin, a waiter walked by carrying one exactly like it!
So of course we decided to dine there. We ordered the risotto and it was just as tasty with huge chunks of lobster and fresh asparagus, just like in New York. We also had the fresh fish of the day special - prepared in salt, deboned at your tableside and served with a veggie-lemon-butter sauce, fresh asparagus, tomatoes and potatoes. The fish wasn't drowned in the sauce for a perfect balance of fish and sauce flavor. We also got the carpaccio, which was served with very fresh arugula and large capers, and the chicken liver appetizer, which was also delicious.
I got to chat with the guy who opened La Houppa and was currently here getting Madison and 5th up and running. He was very friendly, and, in my eyes, doing a great job so far! I'm not sure if he had tortoise shell glasses on so perhaps there are two great waiters that Julia K. and I speak of!!! The staff overall was very nice and attentive - my water glass was never empty. The whole meal was just great and other than the not quite tall enough buildings outside the french doors, I felt like I was once again having dinner in the city. I highly recommend Madison and 5th for a wonderful summer dining experience. A little piece of NYC right in the heart of Palo Alto. -
Review from Jessica S.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2007
I feel so torn writing this review. I thought it was some of the best mushroom risotto I have ever enjoyed...however, the service absolutely ruined our experience! We were seated by sweet, young blonde, yet vacuous, hostess stared blankly when we asked for one of those yummy mojitos (a must have if you do decide to grin and bare it). Also, the poor girl didn't know where to find the wine list...
Which brings us to our server...whom we spoke with 2 times the entire evening. He took our order and vanished to schmooze with other patrons, without offering an answer to any of our questions about the dishes.
My hat does go off to the buss boy/man (i really wish there was a better term).
He promptly brought us water throughout our meal, took additional drink orders, asked us how our food was, gave us a dessert menu, and waited on us hand and foot throughout the meal. Then, when it was time to collect mula, guess who magically reappeared?
Our server gave us a smug smile and slowed down just enough to drop the check...and returned to sitting on his laurels behind the bar chatting with his friend.
Another server picked up our check and wished us a nice evening and we sat there contemplating gratuity....
While our server was smiling at us intently from behind the bar (probably because of our numerous drink orders and high tab) we signed our check, stopped our bus boy, filled his hand with cash, smiled at our server and tried to refrain from mocking his arrogant gait as we walked out for our first and only time at Madison and 5th
(that is of course, unless we see new help and other patrons enjoying those irresistible mojitos). -
Review from Soo C.
San Francisco, CA
7/19/2006
The food here was great. Like several other reviewers, I had the pumpkin risotto. Wow. I've never had anything like that before, it was amazing. The Limoncello risotto - not as tasty. Would have been good somewhere else, but not in comparison to the pumpkin risotto. The beef carapcio and the antipasto trays were also great.
Now, the service. That's another story. Do not ask any complicated wine questions such as, can you recommend a good white wine? It will confuse the staff. Sometimes the staff will ask if you brought in a bottle of wine or bought it at the restaurant. I know, it gets confusing when there are two bottles - one which the restaurant carries, and the other that the restaurant does not. Opening bottles of wine and pouring them are also challenges.
Gas rating: 5
Okay, this may seem a little high, but let me explain. The steak comes with a half head of roasted garlic. I have no ability to control myself when presented with such a tasty goody. Unfortunately, garlic is right up there with milk products in methane-producing food. I disemboweled the head of garlic. Now I have gas. Really, really, REALLY bad gas. -
Review from Alecia D.
San Carlos, CA
8/6/2008
I adore this place, it has a great ambiance (would be a fab place for a date or post-work cocktails and apps). The food is awesome as well, Ive been there a number of times and will highly recomend the Orecchiette or the "Mad and Fifth"...yum! :)
The wait staff is generally friendly, attentive and quite knowledgeable about wine and food parings..a major bonus in my book.
I docked them one star, however, because one of the times Id been there the waiter was distracted by my friend's low cut dress and had to re-ask for our order
... on a side note, he did attept to make up for forgetting what we ordered with desert and a few rounds of lemon drops on the house. -
Review from Rick S.
San Jose, CA
8/4/2008
I really liked this restaurant.
And yes, it came close to feeling like a Manhattan eatery.
The Timeout Pizza was.... wow, my tastebuds just lit up thinking of it again. A fresh mixture of gourmet mushrooms and olives at the base, next layered with a very light cheese and marinara, topped with the leanest, tastiest prosciutto you've ever had. The dough itself was cooked to perfection, allowing that quintessential NY-pizza-bend as you docked that baby between your lips. Mmmm. I'm sure some cat named Luigi was in the kitchen there firing these up!
The Galletto al Mattone alla Diavola was the second entree. A spicy, marinated Cornish Hen with roasted potatoes and vegetables. This had to be "Luigi's" Momma's home-cooked recipe, or the like. This was a special dish as well.
Even the proscioutto & melon worked as the perfect starter. Both in season and highly delectable!
The service was.... extraordinary. They did not miss a beat! And just the way I like it; not ridiculously attentive, there RIGHT when needed, and discreet. The maitre'di, promptly recommended a red wine (not on the list) and it was a homerun in flavor. Rich, smoothe and velvety.
Madison & Fifth gets HIGH marks in all areas. So good, in fact, this will definitely be put on the "Return Soon" list... and so much so, I'd go outta my way even to visit the original next time in the Apple.
Oh yeah, APPLE ! The apple strudel and vanilla ice cream was so good it drew giggles!
This was a magical summer night... and Madison & 5th sparked the evening's enchantment.
Ciao Bella !! Magnifico!!Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Nathalie D.
New York, NY
3/18/2008
DELISH!
I wanted to give this place two chances before I reviewed them to see how consistent they were.
The first time I had an amazing experience. It was during Fall/Winter '07 and I remember I ordered the Carpaccio for appetizer. It was good but not enough food. For dinner I had the HOMEMADE pumpkin ravioli. Might I say that not only was the food amazing, the presentation was astounding. Four huge ravioli's sat in a creamy- not tooooo fatty white cheese sauce- speckled with pomegranate seeds for contrast. BEAUTIFUL! The presentation reminded me of a little French restaurant- the French are amazing at food presentations.
Last Thursday we went to Palo Alto for dinner again and tried Madison and Fifth for the second time.
I returned with high expectations that this place BETTER be good or else everyone will hear about it on Yelp. lol.
We were seated and greeted immediately by our waiter. That night they had a Sangria special with lots and lots of fruit in it. The only right way to drink Sangria in my opinion.
The appetizer: Sauted calamari. I am not a big calamari fan due to texture issues, but this was excellent. A little spicy to give you a kick but very well prepared. Sat in a bed of salad with a tomato salsa- very Italian with the chunks of tomato and olive oil.
Main dish: I opted for the ravioli again. All of there pastas are homemade so why not try them. This time I had cheese and apple ravioli in another cheesy cream sauce. The apples were presented in thin slices sitting next to the big raviolis.
My date had the veal meatball pasta special. It was the special of the night and by far the better of the two, so we switched. I wasn't in a creamy mood after seeing his meatballs! lol. No pun intended I swear. They were that good.
Dessert: Chocolate Fondue! Now this is no Melting Pot or La Fondue, but they did have hot melted chocolate to dip your strawberries and bananas in. And decorating the place with chocolate was fun.
Overall: I found the service was excellent- they did not bombard you so much you couldn't have a conversation, and they didn't neglect you when the water was empty. The food has been consistently good and the drinks are alway great. I give them 5 stars for the unique New York aesthetics and consistently amazing food.
Perfect for a date night! -
Review from Cynthia C.
Alameda, CA
7/3/2006
Oh University, why don't you have any inventive or tantalizing cuisine for under $25? Seriously we cruised the main drag AND the side streets, and found nothing enticing. Note: Evvia, Zibbibo, Three Seasons, Tamarine have already enticed in the past and alas, were closed for lunch on Sunday.
Pan to Madison and Fifth, a seemingly hip new restaurant planted right next to the crowd favorite: Cheesecake Factory. Could be a wrong move, but the prices are comparable, and it's fresh and new. Remember to not sit directly under the skylight during the day, because you'll be squinting the entire meal.
The staff are welcoming and attentive. I think the kitchen is still working on speed, because it took a little while for the food to arrive to the table. I was delighted by the olive dish sitting in olive oil, bread basket, and bologna that was delivered to our table as we waited for our entrees. Reminded me of being in Europe, cured meats and carbs.
I'm used to trendy places skimping on portions, but M&F really wowed in that department. The entrees had individual standouts, but the entree as a whole was not fabulous.
The homemade ravioli came out smothered in creamy sauce, and paired with pears, which gave it a very unique sweet flavor for a normally savory dish.
The stuffed balsamic chicken was flavorful due to the balsamic glaze, but the chicken was a bit dry. It was stuffed with cheese and spinach, and I must note that it was lovely how oil was not oozing from the insides. The caramelized mini onions and artichoke was lovely-cooked to perfection. The wild rice with vegetables was flavorful, and the addition of large pieces of red/yellow bells, zucchini, and squash were notable.
Each dish came out on various white plates with artistic quality. An example would be their mushroom risotto being served in a parmesan bowl. Stunning, creative, and really shows that they care about presentation. I hope that my next visit they will pay more attention to the quality of food. -
Review from Katelyn M.
Menlo Park, CA
7/13/2008
Came here for the first time with my husband for our anniversary. Had a good time. The manager was nearby most of the night to making sure everything was running smoothly. All in all we enjoyed the frito misto appetizer (don't expect too much shrimp - 2, or artichokes -1, though), the goat cheese salad, and one of their pasta and sausage dishes. If I came back I would definitely splurge on the risotto since it seems to be their signature plate. But it will set you back $20 and is quite hearty so I wouldn't recommend it after a large appetizer.
4 stars since I will probably not be returning. There are other restaurants in the area that I like more for that kind of price. But still a good choice for a night out in Palo Alto. -
Review from Kat C.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2009
The ambiance is great, the service very friendly, but as Jae M. says, the food is not great. The Caesar salad looked like a chopped salad on it's way to being coleslaw. I wouldn't have recognized it as a Caesar if it hadn't been for the large shaved slice of Parmesan.
The pasta was overcooked, not al dente. Normally, I wouldn't notice, except unfortunately, the overcooked pasta water was actually settling at the bottom of the plate.
I want to like this place, but there are definitely better Italian restaurants. -
Review from Tiffany S.
Chicago, IL
8/13/2006
Not Impressive! Overpriced, the service was terrible, and food is just meh.
The appetizer we got was a portabello mushroom with mozzarella, and it was amazing. Really tasty, and the ONLY redeeming part of my experience there.
I ordered the grilled chicken and vegetables, and I found that it tasted like lighter fluid, was very greasy, bland, and generally unimpressive. I wasn't expecting much since it's a pretty plain dish, but even the vegetables had no taste...
My friend ordered the stuffed chicken with cheese, and when she got to the center, it was not cooked. It was disgusting! We spoke to the manager about it, and he was rude, unapologetic, and initially was apprehensive about taking the un-cooked chicken off our bill.
I would never go back, nor would I recommend this place to anyone else. The restaurant was pretentious, and the service sucked. -
Review from Chris Q.
Palo Alto, CA
6/19/2006
Stylish decor and staff, too expensive. I stopped in to try the personal-sized thin-crust pizzas and found them alright but not worth the high price (mid to high $teens). Nearby Niebaum Coppola has similar fare and I prefer it slightly.
I was also shocked to find a $10 charge for a glass of sangria. Tasted ok, a little too sweet, but definitely not worth the price. -
Review from Alice B.
Ithaca, NY
11/21/2007
I really enjoy myself every time I go here. I always find the staff quite friendly and fun - I've never experienced what some of the other reviewers apparently have.
I'm a little surprised that people on here have compared the food to Denny's: even a not necessarily discerning palate could well tell the difference between pasta at Denny's and pasta at Madison & Fifth. The ingredients are, although not as locally procured/seasonal as I would like, quite fresh and very tasty. They combine interesting flavours such as pear and cheese.
I like the ambiance and the strawberry mojito's are fantastic (but overpriced).
They are also open late (shocking in Palo Alto). As far as a big dinner place to meet for birthdays and other such events: this place kicks the crap out of Buca di Beppo. -
Review from Gloria H.
7/18/2007
3.5 stars - 4 stars for food and 1-2 stars for service.
Service sucked when they first opened - no problem, happens to most new joints...it'll get better. Went back - service a little better but not much. Another return - hmm, same. The hostess always seem clueless and flustered. The manager has an attitude and very moody - I've caught him in a good mood and when he just feels like being a jerk..don't let him and he'll back down. They still struggle when it gets busy and they get busy most day. Fine, I'll just set my expectations accordingly.
Another problem they have - reservations. First opened, took reservations (depends on who you talked to). Then they don't take reservations. Then they only take lunch reservations but not dinner reservations. Then it was only dinner reservations but not lunch. The last time I was there in April - they said they take reservations for lunch and dinner. Ok, whatever.
Food - it's good, really. Sometimes, you'll get a little plate of mortadella and olives or olives in olive oil or just bread - you get the idea here, they are a bit inconsistent EXCEPT on the quality of food (at least in my experience and I've eaten here 6 times or more). I've had their salad, pizza, pasta (my favorite), fish, seafood...all good.
The place has high ceiling, spacious and bright - it's nice ambiance. I love the booths in the back if available. Good wine list too but sangria not so good.Listed in: Pizza! from frozen to…, Pasta - al dente or forget it!
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Review from Katharine A.
San Jose, CA
10/26/2007
The menu looks good/interesting and I would like to come back for a taste, but this review is a comment on the service.
What ever happened to professionalism? Seriously I don't know who owns this restaurant, but they need to do some serious "drive by" check-ins on their staff. The hostess at the front of the restaurant was leaning against the hostess station with her back to the door. She was on her phone so much it was ridiculous. She was at work and apparently texting her friends was more important than providing a good impression to customers. When she wasn't texting, her phone was on the hostess station ON TOP of the reservation book. Where was the manager. you ask?
He was pacing the restaurant (from bar to door next to customer tables) on the house phone or standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant loudly talking and gesturing to someone. I am guessing that it wasn't a business call. -
Review from Alice C.
11/9/2008
As a college hoops fan, we have this chant that goes a little something like this: "OVER-RATED!"
This chant is best used for teams that, well, are overrated and receive more publicity than they deserve. After my meal here, I had half a notion to stand up on my chair and start chanting basketball hazing-style, but refrained myself at the risk of making a scene...for the coworkers I was eating with.
The service was okay, but the food leaves much to be desired. I got a caesar salad, which turned out to be a big piece of lettuce and a big piece of cheese. Maybe they were trying to be artsy, but come on, really?? I thought of my dad's saying when it comes to salad--"Why should I eat that? I'm not a rabbit."--and it's dishes like this that make me believe he's on to something.
I got the salmon as my main course, which was decently flavorful, but the portion was pretty small. A big fat kid thumbs down.
So, overall, I guess they were successful in hitting one of the aspects of NYC--posh, but overpriced and overrated. -
Review from Esther T.
CA
6/26/2008
Been here a lot o Sunday lunches and a few dinners. Not cheap, but great for a date =)
The salads were fresh and very artfully arranged. Good dressing and not too much of it like so many places nowadays.
HIGHLY recommend the mushroom pasta with truffle oil. The actual pasta is al dente and great flavor, the mushrooms are full of flavor, and the truffle oil adds such a unique and delicious flavor.
My dad mentioned that the blend of mushrooms, truffle, and parmesan cheese creates the "5th taste" called umumi or something (similar to why some people put MSG in their cooking) Whether its true or not, their pasta is divinely delicious as are their desserts.
Oh and ask for a wine pairing with your meal. They pair their wines and pasta/ meat dishes very well here. -
Review from sherrie h.
Palo Alto, CA
10/14/2009
Great atmosphere, awful service. I arrived here with an out of town guest and was appalled by the service. We sat for 10+ minutes before I had to get out of my seat to ask if we would have a server for the evening.
The server I approached promptly came to the table to take our orders. We never got a name or an apology for the error on the overlook. At this point we just wanted some food.
I asked a few questions in regard to the menu that I learned were incorrect once the food arrived. I had asked about the portion size of a salad and was informed it was a large dinner salad, the only thing large about it was the plate is was served on. My friend was not overly impressed with his steak which took a hour before finally arriving to our table. Again we had to get up, this time to ask the ETA on our food.
Beverages were not refilled and we had to ask for our check.
At the end of the meal and after paying our check I inquired about seeing a manager to inform them of the service, or lack there of. Ends up the manager was our server. I figured it was not worth the effort at this point.
You'd be better off at the next door chain restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, then here unfortunately. -
Review from kim n.
8/7/2006
The space is fairly hip and noveau compared to the rest of the places on University. Lots of reds in multitones across the restaurant. A dispersion of booths and wooden tables line the long narrowish space and there is a decent sized bar in the right middle of the restaurant before the kitchen. High ceilings and wide open doors, that lead to a few outside tables give the place a spacious feel. Even as it got late many people poured into the place, being bustling in spurts. It seems like PA finally has another place that takes late diners.
To start you are given a small plate of mortadella, another of various pickled items, (olives, capers, carrots, peppercorns) and a basket of bread. We ordered the Sauteed Chicken Livers, in Balsamic with Morel Mushrooms to start and that was definitely a delicious beginning. I decided on the Lobster/Pumpkin Risotto while my friend got the Breaded Veal Cutlet. The risotto was a bit more al dente than I was used to but quite tasty nonetheless. Pair that with a half tail and claws of a lobster and I was happy. My friends cutlet was tender and not oily but he said because of the salad/vinaigrette topping it could have used more salt to offset the tanginess of the dressing. We then split an excellent crepe filled with nutella and topped with blueberries, strawberries and vlack cherries.
I'm waffling between a 3.5-4 stars and mostly due ot the fact that they don't seem to be in their groove yet because they are new. It sounds like quite a few people had horrific experiences which I didn't find to be the case. Asides from the delay in beverage refills I thought the service was mostly adequate. The odd thing I did notice was that the floor manager was attending to us a lot more than at most places. He must have checked on us a half a dozen times and also took our orders even though we had a waitress. Various other staff took care of serving and clearing our table. So my guess is to give this place a few more months to get their flow and then go for a return meal and see how things have fallen into place.
One more thing. Since Madison and Fifth ave are parallel to each other, and Madison ave never crosses Fifth street, what does the name actually refer to? -
Review from Ingrid C.
3/8/2009
Good, but not great. Not a top pick along University, but definitely not last either.
The majority of dishes is excellent - my osso bucco (while also ginormous - HUGE cut) was falling-off-the-bone and rich with the textures of the sauce, meat, and melted fat. My dad's lamb leg was also perfectly cooked (and also ginormous). The lobster risotto special of the night was also generously portioned (no lobster skimping) and creamy, as was the spicy black ink linguine.
The only failure of the night was a stuffed pork chop - seriously overcooked and tough. The presentation of the sides was cute; mashed potatoes were served in a hollowed apple, and my roasted potatoes came inside a green bell pepper.
Drinks were weak. I had their Madison and 5th cocktail, a variant of a screwdriver (they change the juice content to something more tropical). Too much juice - no balance.
Service was very polite. I would have found the super perky waitress annoying, had it not endeared the children.
Decor is subdued, which is nice, but to be honest, the art scenes on the wall was too fake, almost a Cheesecake Factory-style homage to New York. -
Review from Kierra M.
San Jose, CA
2/16/2009
I went there this past weekend and I loved it.
First off, the service was great . Johnathon really took care of our needs and he never disappointed.
As far as the food, I had the sea bass special. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sambuca infused cream sauce was excellent.
I will be going back frequently. -
Review from Lalu B.
Redwood City, CA
9/9/2006
Madison and 5th is a sleek, glossy, new restaurant on University Ave. The front wall completely opens so the restaurant is open to the street and makes for good people watching.
My husband really liked it. I found it disappointing. My impression is that it is another one of those high-priced Peninsula formula restaurants. There are good looking white girls manning the front, nicely designed recipes & menus, with a slew of low-wage Mexican workers in the back, doing all the work. The entrees are as expensive as anything you will find in SF or Napa, but not anywhere close to the value.
The Palo Altans I saw in the restaurant looked quite happy though -- the restaurant is very lovely and everything looks new, shiny, expensive, elegant. The only problem with moneyed folk on the peninsula is that they are high in cash but low in taste. This place is above average for Palo Alto and mediocre when compared to anything in SF/Napa.
The dishes are inventive and original. Nouveau Italian style. Their salads are good except that they are smothered in olive oil. If you don't care for a greasy salad, ask them to go easy on the oil. The pear capaccio is excellent, except that the melted cheese is already very greasy and they top it off with more olive oil. Their other dishes were acceptable although the preparation left much to be desired -- there's no "sous chef" presiding in the kitchen from what I could gather. Service by the waitstaff is very attentive.
Overall, I would say this is a great place for a drink with friends, maybe a salad or a light meal. There are definitely worse places to eat like Niebaum Coppola just down the street. Madison's atmosphere is great. This is not a good place if you are a foodie and if, like me, feel kind of jipped at a place like this. -
Review from Jessica C.
Cupertino, CA
2/19/2007
The place I really wanted to go was packed, so we wandered down University to find this place really empty on a Thursday night. I had the pork chop which was filled with some cheese. It was pretty tasty. The sauteed mushrooms on top were super salty, but the Asian styled broccoli was actually not bad.
The pumpkin risotto tasted really awesome however, with shrimp inside this mini pumpkin dish.
Service was weird however. No refill on ice tea? When it costs 2.50 a glass? Really? I can make a whole pot of tea for that price. We were waiting for 2 of our party to come and they were a little late, but the waiter started taking away their glasses, w/out asking us! The whole experience was on and off. -
Review from Anh H.
8/21/2008 2 photos
This is one of the many cute restaurants on University with outdoor seating -- love it! The ambiance is very warm and trendy, but like Esther L. said, not too trendy. Great date spot.
Food:
-Steak on the dinner specials menu: Topped with cheese and mushrooms, with a side of huge onion rings, baked potato, and broccolini. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and it was tasty! Perfect if you're craving beef.
-Linguine alle Vongole Bianchi: With clams, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. Great if you don't want a heavy pasta dish. I don't like tomatoes but I liked the ones that were cooked well since they were soft & tasty. (-1 star because they packed the rest to-go for me and when I opened it for lunch today, there was only ONE clam! I purposely made sure not to eat all the clams at dinner so I wouldn't have just pasta leftover.)
Drinks:
-Sangria: Yum! Perfect balance of fruity sweetness and dryness of the wine. This one is a creeper though... watch out!
-Appleberry mojito: Mojitos are my favorite drink but I think I'm still a little traumatized from a overdoing-it party experience so it was a little less than enjoyable to drink. But I'm sure I would have loved it under normal circumstances! -
Review from Meredith O.
Menlo Park, CA
6/30/2008
It was good. We ended up here when the wait at the Cheesecake Factory was out the door.
I was seriously craving mashed potatoes and steak and they were kind enough to make substitutions - so I got the items offered else where on the menu together on the same plate. The plates are huge literally and the Rib-eye and potatoes looked small on it (they were not.) Hubs had a pasta he really liked.
The maitre'd was a little odd, he seemed to want to talk to everyone he knew and was a tad too attentive to old-times and over-looked new comers. It took awhile to order and we about gave up, flagged down a busboy for the check, and forget about another round. The prices are going rate for the neighborhood - and actually not at all as bad as we expected.
Turkish could not figure this place out, Is it french, like the music & art suggests, or Californian, maybe Italian fusion? What is it? -
Review from Dana C.
Palo Alto, CA
6/10/2007
1 star purely for the TERRIBLE SERVICE. Long wait for them to take our order, long waits between courses and a really long wait to see a dessert menu - made us skip dessert. I couldn't tell if our waiter was a part owner or something because he had no skills or politeness. I'm sorry but if you want to market yourself as an upscale NY restaurant, you have to have better servers than that. It's the kind of service I expect at a hole in the wall on 6th st.
Foodwise - not bad. Offered Crostini Toscani and had pasta with real shaved truffles - so offered dishes with great potential but had poor outcome. -
Review from Lani T.
Dublin, CA
7/18/2006
We had the opportunity to try this new restaurant when we visited our friends in Palo Alto. The decor is quite nice and we were impressed with what they'd done with the space. The food wasn't bad, although for their prices I would say it was mediocre. I had the "homemade" pesto linguini, and the pasta and sauce seemed way too starchy. One of us had the pumpkin risotto, which came in a little baked pumpkin--nice presentation. The salads and appetizers are good. I had the grilled ahi carpaccio, and it was quite good.
The main problem we had with the restaurant, and the reason we won't be going back, was the staff and service. In one word: Inattentive. We are by no means restaurant snobs, but the level of inattentiveness was way over the top even for us. The women crew were dressed inappropriately for a restaurant that charges as much as they do (the hostess wore a skirt so short that she was providing peeks when she bent over, one waitress had a shirt that kept creeping up her midriff so that every time she bent over to serve a table we could see her thong underwear)--perfectly fine for nightclub setting but not for a nice dinner restaurant.
The worst however, was our waiter, Walter. He asked if we wanted Pelligrino or flat water. We ordered Pelligrino. Never once did he come back to refill our drinks or offer more bottles of Pelligrino (that would have made the restaurant another $14 at least for two bottles we would've ordered). He did not offer a bread basket for us, even after we asked (other tables got one). We were not offered ground pepper--the food needed it, and there was no pepper shaker on our table. We had to ask one of the hostesses because after the food was served, Walter didn't come back to check on us until after we were done eating. We also had two pasta dishes but was not offered any parmesan (the parmesan dish was sitting on the hostess's counter at the front).
When we were done with our entrees, Walter came back and asked us if we were ready for our check, having forgotten that one of us had asked for the chocolate souffle at the start of the meal. We reminded him, at which point he started to turn around and leave. We had to ask him if perhaps the rest of us might like to see the dessert menu. He took our dessert orders then walked away, failing to pick up any dishes. When we got our check, we did not get the tray of little cookies that others got at their table.
In the time that we were there, we noticed that the patrons at Walter's other tables seemed to always be looking around for him, as well.
All this for $50 per person (not including alcohol)? No, thank you. We won't be returning. If you go, make sure you don't get Walter.
I tried to email them at their Web site as listed on their business card, but it turns out their Web site as of today is just a parked domain name! -
Review from Candy C.
Fremont, CA
8/11/2008
Had a quickie SundayNightDateNight with the Mister and this is what we ordered:
Tegamino - eggplant layered with mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, and tomato sauce. Soooo super cheesy! Although very good (since I heart cheese anyway) the star of the dish got lost in all that gooey cheesy goodness. Really, where's the eggplant?!
Mr. C had the Penne all Vodka which he claimed tasted a lot like the Bertolli's that we keep in our freezer only fresher. Hmmm...are you sure it's not Bertolli's?
For moi, I got the Pumpkin Risotto with shrimp, asparagus, and black truffles. It was served in its own little pumpkin squash casing and I was impressed with the presentation. Very creamy, perfectly seasoned, and yes, it was good.
We were served bread with a side of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, water with lemon, and iced teas. The service was quick as was their small talk. We were seated semi al fresco- not quite outside, technically we were inside the restaurant, but the doors were open fully so it seemed like outdoor seating. Nice relaxing scenery where you can people watch and get your grub on. -
Review from Paola L.
San Mateo, CA
8/8/2007
4-for food
1- star for the service
no service expecting no tip Euro style fair enough
but i am not in europe and even with bad service i ALWAYS tip so this just pissed me off.
1st off u get seated and the waitress pretty much asks you what you want along w drinks. umm can i open the menu please?
we ask for a couple of minutes she comes in 1 ...still not ready so we order drinks. + extra lemon
get the drinks no lemon. fair enough she forgot no big deal ill ask again. still not ready w the order.
we order get our food, she forgot the lemons again, i dont even bother asking because she never came around EVER even when we wanted more drinks. I think she must have feared the lemon question again. its not like i asked her to fly to costa rica for freakin lemons. Anyway the minute we stop putting food in our mouth the option of desserts comes yes i want the chocolate souffle...the wait 30 minutes.
i wish she would have mentioned that in the begining like a side note. "btw i know you just ordered but if i fancy some dessert the souffle takes 30 mins to make" thats all she had to say. but no
so the souffle comes we eat and get our bill 20 seconds later.
so annoying can i have a conversation at least w/o being rushed. At least if i am going to be ignored all night -can i have another martini and some freakin LEMONS!!!! thanx
so what saves madison & 5th: the Food
I like going out to eat because of A) the experience. I like being able to TALK to my friends, catch up, banter if you will, have an accessible waiter and be left alone with B) great food.
The food was a amazing the pasta is typical primo piati italian portions = small 1st plate so unless ur on weight watchers this is pushing the SMALL on portion control. I suggest getting the Penne Vodka it comes with an amazing sundried tomato cream sauce but get an appetizer if u actually eat.
as a main i go for the pumpkin Risotto- it comes in a PUMPKIN a small but completely edible squash. seriously just come for the pumpkin risotto its a show stopper on its own..did i mention it comes IN THE PUMPKIN...oh the excitement. and dessert order the souffle but ORDER IT KNOWING IT TAKES 30 minutes to make!
The bar is legit they do have some great cocktails if u prefer not to fight for one at Nolas. -
Review from Veronica V.
San Jose, CA
1/29/2007
The Grey Goose tonics are strong hence this beaming review for Madison and Fifth. They also come adorned with both lemon and lime. I have scarcely tasted a vodka tonic more refreshing.
Having glanced at some of the previous reviews of Madison and Fifth I find it interesting that people also bring up Sex and the City because athough this place is not very hip and caters more to a yuppie girls night out crowd it does somehow bring the show to mind. Perhaps its the colors.
The worst and paradoxically best part of the decor was the managers sport coat. I thought he was going to try to sell me a used Mercedes.
Good drinks and an atmosphere that allowed my boyfriend and I to continue our conversation from Borders about our future and the world. I would come back for dessert maybe but after seeing some of the reviews regarding dinner I'd have to pass. -
Review from marisa e.
San Mateo, CA
2/21/2007
I was not impressed at all. The location is great and the atmosphere was hip and the decor was pretty nice but the overall experience was pretty bad. First we had to wait 15 mins to be seated (we did have reservations). Once we sat down, it took over 15 mins for the waiter to bother to come over to our table. Once he finally did he greeted us with "Do you know what you want?" Kinda rude.
So my friends and I shared the fritto misto (fried calamari and veggies). While it was Ok, we could have had the same thing at Denny's. My main course was good, but not great. Throughout dinner we kept having to ask the busboy to get our waiter- he never came over to see how we were doing.
We then ordered desert- Crepes with Nutella. We were disappointed when we got nothing better than 2 small crepes covered in Hershey's chocolate sauce with frozen fruit.
I won't be back here anytime soon. -
Review from Jae M.
Lower East Side, Manhattan, NY
7/6/2009
Gosh, you know Im not one to say something bad ... I'd rather not say anything at all but my dining experience @ 5th and madison was rather disappointing.
The ambiance is great, love the place. Waitress was friendly, but the food was, well, not good. I ordered the lamb shank with saffron risotto and my friend had the saffron risotto. The lamb it self was decent but the presentation was awful ... it literally looked like a violent explosion of some kind had landed on my plate. Not to mention the rice wasn't even thoroughly cooked, it fell very short from being risotto.
Nicely enough they noticed we hadnt taken but a bite of our food and comped the bill ... offered free dessert but we passed!
So dine @ your own risk! -
Review from Angie C.
1/16/2007
I got the black linguini with seafood which was pretty good but is it worth the price tag? That is questionable. My friend's ravioli was sweet and deliciously dessert-like, altho I cannot fathom how she can happily devour a plate of that for dinner.
The service was totally not up to par. The waiters need basic manners. For example, when explaining the night's specials and what not, don't lean on the table as if your life depended on it and scare your guests.
