Sardine

View at the bar seats.

4th of July week was a fun time to spend with my new family, we ate a lot and were always surrounded by people. After we returned to Madison with our stomachs full and our suitcase packed to the rim. We needed sometimes to go on a date, just the two of us, so we booked a table at Sardine for dinner. 

We have been to Sardine before, but without booking a table, we mostly wanted to try the Happy Hours Oysters, it was so delicious that we had to come back again. This time, we reserved a table for dinner, but obviously, we couldn’t pass the Happy Hours Oysters time, so we arrived early. 

We had East Coast oysters both times we went there, but then I realized that even though it’s the same coast, different beaches would give the oysters a distinct, slightly different, but noticeable taste. I noticed East Coast oysters were lighter, chewy, and savory in flavor, but West Coast oysters were sweet, more plump, and had a buttery finish. I referred to the East Coast oysters more because of their size and taste. 

After the Happy Hours, we moved to our reserved table and started having dinner. For the first time, in a long time (since I was in college in Savannah), I have finally found a place that served the right French soda, with flavor syrup, club soda, and cream. Simple ingredients, but a lot of places said that they served French soda, but didn’t put any cream in, which made it just a flavored soda, and charged $8 for it, that's my red flag.

To start dinner, we ordered Soup Du Jour (“Soup of the Day”), which contains asparagus and broccoli, garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley on top. It was surprisingly well seasoned and you could taste all the ingredients without anything overpowering them, sometimes, simple ingredients, could elevate the dish so well. For the second dish, we ordered Green Garlic Caesar, it was a simple salad, with literally green Caesar dressing, which was slightly salty for us, and you can taste the “greens” in the name of the dish.

As the name of the restaurant, we had to try some sardines, so we ordered Wood-grilled Sardines for our petite plate. To break down each ingredient that makes this dish one of the complete favorites, of course, the sardines were not fishy and you can smell that “wood-grilled” element of it. The white bean purée was very interesting, creamy, and not overly fatty; the lemon anchovy vinaigrette was a sensible effect of the dish. The ingredients were well-played together making this dish flavorful yet light.

Walking into the main dishes, we ordered the Malfatti and Pan Roasted Duck Breast. Malfatti was quite interesting. It was the chewy dough that surprised me the most. You can tell that the dough was freshly made and it was homemade instead of store-bought. The sauce was simple but savory and somehow kept you from wanting more after each bite. When we first got the Pan Roasted Duck Breast, it didn’t look too appetizing to us, the color was kind of bland, and nothing too popping in the plating; but once we got the first bite of it,  it was for the first time, we experienced the saying: “Don’t judge the book by its cover”. The flavor exploded in our mouths a little bit of everything in one bite, it was creamy yet light, and flavorful. The duck didn’t have a smell, and the grapes were a nice touch that tightened the dish together in a very interesting way. 

To end dinner on a high note, we ordered a Salted Caramel Chocolate Mouse, it was very creamy, and rich in chocolate, yet light, not too sweet, and just the right portion as we were too full. I have to say this is one of my top 3 favorite places that I have tried so far for the past 2 months living/traveling in the U.S. I would love to come back for the Happy Hours and the regular A La Carte menu. And for such an interesting menu, our tastebuds were enhanced after every bite.

Location: 617 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703