The Lunch Bunch

Madison resturant reviews from all perspectives.

September 21, 2011

Graze Restaurant Review

Graze is a restaurant that’s on the capital square in Madison Wisconsin. They buy a lot of the food they use, at the farmers’ market on the square. They try to buy as much of their food local as they can. they freeze lots of produce so they can use them in the off seasons as well.

The Setting

The setting is what I thought of as modern but slightly home-y. It went very well with the local, farm like, organic feeling. One thing that stuck out to me was there was pieces of fabric that looked like denim that they put on the ceiling.

They also had different levels of seating throughout the restaurant. They had tall tables with stools. Standard tables and the booths were slightly lower than the tables. It felt more separate, even though there were other people it felt more divided but still one room.

The Food

I shared a Pub Burger with french fries, onion rings and Sassy cow cheese curds.

Pub Burger w/french fries $11

I thought the pub burger was amazing. The flavors of everything blended together. The bun was soft and the burger was cooked just right. The french fries I also thought were good. I liked how they were soft on the inside but crunchy on the outside. The french fries came with garlic mayonnaise dip, which I thought was fine but I preferred the french fries plain.

Panko onion rings with BBQ sauce $6

I had mixed feelings on the onion rings. They were very crunchy which I liked but I couldn’t taste very much onion. It was very good fried dough. But I was sad how I couldn’t taste very much onion. I preferred the onion rings without the BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce tasted fine but I just didn’t like that combination of flavors.

Sassy Cow cheese curds $8

These I really enjoyed. The cheese wasn’t super hot and melty, it was just warm and nice. The cheese curds came with a house ranch which I thought was good but again I

just liked the cheese curds plain.

I would recommend this restaurant. It was a nice place to look at, and I thought their food was good. They customer service was good. It was very relaxed and nice. Everyone was cheerful and helpful.

September 20, 2011

Terrific smells, good company and modern atmosphere. By Hannah Priscilla Craig

Nothing makes one’s mouth water more than terrific smells, good
company and modern atmosphere. Graze, the local-serving restaurant on the
Square in Madison, WI has all of these qualities, plus their food is amazing.

I sit in a silver (and surprisingly comfortable chair), looking
through the 30-foot windows onto our State Capitol as I enjoy some of the most
delightful food around. The architecture and atmosphere of the whole restaurant
is very alluring. The dining area is open, with a red wall on one side creating
a background for the large bar lit with vintage-looking light bulbs hanging
randomly from the ceiling. On the other side of the room, a floor-to-ceiling black
board offers introductions to featured famers as well as special artisan
cheeses and delicacies available. To light this side, there are bright red chimney
caps illuminating a modern-agriculture glow. Overall the interior is modern,
but with vintage and up cycled accents making the scene entirely thrilling. One
could go to Graze for eye candy alone, but the eating gets better.

The cool building and view

The coolest wall ever.

The menu is filled with local delicacies from fried sassy-cow cheese
curds to wedge salad with smoked wild mushrooms and ranch
& sesame “French” dressings to Farmer John’s Provolone
sandwich with pesto. Although the menu is
classy, it’s still based on creating comfort with food from home. The sake of
the restaurant’s name not only signifies their commitment to serving
locally-raised (and grazed) foods, but to also encourage patrons to Graze their
own different pastures. Therefore, there are lots of munchies included on the
menu, perfect for grazing.

After we’re waited on by a very friendly, but not
creepy wait staff, I order the Pretzels with house mustards, potato fries with
aioli, and the roasted beet and walnut burger. As a vegetarian, I give extreme
credit to restaurants that get creative with vegetarian entrees—especially when
they’re superb as my lunch was. The beet and walnut burger has become an
obsession of mine. The crunch of the micro greens, the chew of the brioche bun,
the taste and texture of the patty and the hint of dill make this burger irresistible.
The pretzel was very good and the mustards where superb. The fries were perfectly
crunchy and the aioli made the whole flavor fit together perfectly.

Beet and Walnut Burger

Sassy Cow Cheese Curds

Pretzels and mustard

Warm beet salad (I didn't eat it, but it was beautiful!)

Graze started with the” food-to-plate” movement
before it was moving strong in this area. Before it was “cool”, Graze was
already preparing delicious food without relying on shipments from around the
world. Their goal is still to produce their entire menu with food not more than
60 miles from your table at Graze. Their downtown location is perfect not only
because of the delightful ambiance, but also because Chef Tory Miller is able
to get first pick of produce at Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. In fact,
parked in the entry-way of the restaurant lies the famous “Graze cart” in which
they tote the locally-grown food during farmer’s market.

When all is said and done, what makes the human experience
great? Food, friends and ambiance. All which can be experienced at Graze (from
Local Pastures).

Aren't we adorable?

By Hannah Priscilla Craig

http://visualafflatus.wordpress.com

http://gallimaufrybliss.wordpress.com

September 16, 2011

We ate, and will eat again!

Hello eaters, critics and restuarant-goers!

Welcome to our Lunch Bunch Blog! You can subscribe to the blog by clicking the subscribe button on the side of this page. If you are member of Lunch Bunch and would like an invitation to be an author of the blog, please email me.

Although it’s not required, we highly recommend that you write a restuarant review for every restaurant to which we go!

Until we eat again…

~Hannah

1
21, Sep, 2011
Graze Restaurant Review
2
20, Sep, 2011
Terrific smells, good company and modern atmosphere. By Hannah Priscilla Craig
3
16, Sep, 2011
We ate, and will eat again!

October 26, 2011

Inspiration

I’ve been having issues with motivation to write my review this month. Then, I read this reviewer and changed my mind. It’s really funny to hear a different person’s view on our city and atmosphere! Hope you enjoy!

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/my-trip-to-madison-bikes-brews-burgers-and-a-bb/?hpw

Posted by hannahbananabean on October 26, 2011 in General.