Everyone on our team at City Cast Madison loves good food, and we’re lucky to live in a city with so much of it! We ate so many tasty things this year from beet pickled deviled eggs to Detroit-style pizza. Here’s a list of our favorites.
My friends and I have a monthly “Fancy Feast” where we dress up, go out, and well, feast. Our adventures first took us to Lallande in 2024 and we were so blown away by the menu and service that we immediately knew we’d have to come back.
Our second trip to the Monroe Street restaurant was no less extravagant than the first. But their menu changes seasonally, so many of the dishes we had the first time around were nowhere to be found. This just made our second trip all the more exciting.
Dishes like buttery escargot, refreshing salads, and tender meats were consumed almost as quickly as they arrived at our table. Lallande deserves all of the flowers and more in my book. — Hayley Sperling
Level 5 getting a storefront this year was one of the sweetest things that could have happened for me. Most of my favorite weekends this year started with some of their donuts.
From grabbing a box when family is in town to biking over on a perfect summer day, Level 5 rarely misses. Recent favorites of mine have included milk and cookies, cran orange, and birthday cake. — Jade Iseri-Ramos
The new Canter Inn restaurant out in downtown New Glarus is SOOOOO charming and the food was some of my favorite eats of the year. When I went, I did it UP with lots of dishes and cocktails to understand what these renowned chefs and friends of mine are putting down.
Everything we had was a winner. From appetizers including the beet pickled deviled eggs and shrimp toast with coconut squash bisque to the mains of skatewing schnitzel and pork short ribs over creamy grits, I left walking on a cloud! (I literally have a photo of me after dancing in the street.) — Bianca Martin
I admit to being a bit of a skeptic when it came to Detroit-style pizza. I like crust! Why invent a pizza with no crust? But the new Molten Monkey Pizza won me over. I was having drinks with Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians at Robin Room across the street and we got a pizza to go. It was fantastic. Perfect crust, delicious toppings, and a pizza that’s the perfect size for two people to share. To the fine people of Detroit, I apologize for disparaging your pizza. — Rob Thomas
I first had the muffaletta on a whim at this year’s Atwood Fest and it quickly became one of my favorite bites of the whole year. Maybe it was the heat of the day or the buzz of the festival but everything about that sandwich at that moment was perfection.
When I say this sandwich has everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Savory and salty meats like Soppressata, pepperoni, prosciutto, and porchetta are piled high on top of house-made mozzarella, topped with arugula, giardiniera aioli, and all held together by pizza bread. Plus, they have a veggie version for the non-carnivorous among us. — Hayley Sperling
The truffles at Infusion Chocolate are bite-sized works of art (Bianca Martin/City Cast Madison)
Over on Monroe Street, Infusion Chocolates’ truffles AND hot drinking chocolates have that special je ne sais quoi and are just beyond scrumptious. I floated over to this shop on special occasions this year to gift myself or a lucky loved one these delicate works of edible art.
Infusion Chocolates has a wide selection of truffles that are genuinely creative, thoughtful concoctions that mix top quality ingredients. My favorites are the exotic caramel, which has a tropical passionfruit and mango puree, the smoked salted caramel, and the pomegranate malbec. Their chocolates frankly feel a bit like they’d be reserved for royal mouths only. And who doesn’t want to be queen every now and then? — Bianca Martin
The one meal from this year that I wish I could go back in time and eat again was from Nook on Atwood Avenue. This spot is known for being hard to get a reservation. They open their books at 12:01 a.m. on the first of each month for 2 months in advance; i.e. reservations for March are on Jan. 1.
Meals are served as a 13-course tasting menu and a beverage pairing is optional. I wasn’t in charge of securing the reservation (thanks Nora!), but in my opinion it was well worth the several attempts. — Jade Iseri-Ramos
One thing I love about winter and the dark arriving earlier in the day is the dark beers that come with it. Specifically, Hop Haus Brewing releases its Black and Black barrel-aged stout on Black Friday each year, which features one main variety (available on tap and in cans) and three tap-only variants, including Raspberry Ruckus (aged in raspberry brandy barrels) and Run Raider (aged in molasses rum barrels). A flight of all four is a great accompaniment to a dark winter night. — Rob Thomas
