Chef Joe Papach knew exactly where to go when he decided to open his own restaurant. As a six-year veteran of the Michelin-starred Napa Valley stalwart French Laundry, he could have debuted his kitchen anywhere. Forget San Francisco, Chicago or L.A., though. He opted instead to open his Harvey House in Madison.
The fact that the Wisconsin capital was the hometown of his wife, Shaina Robbins Papach — herself an accomplished chef who had collaborated with farm-to-table pioneer Alice Waters— was only one reason for the choice. Papach also knew that Madison had become an Upper Midwestern dining hub in its own right.
The city's Dane County Farmers' Market, the largest producer-only market in the country, has been a locavore bastion since the 1970s. Circling the Capitol Square, and dense with vendors selling everything from just-harvested fruits and vegetables to Dairyland cheeses, it is a showcase for Wisconsin's bulging larder. Yet Madison offers more than heartland cuisine. The university town draws a global population of savvy diners who expect their hand-pulled noodles and Thai curries to be on point. The result is a network of independent, chef-driven kitchens that drive an eclectic smorgasbord.
New kids in town
Where to start? For pure sense of place, the Harvey House — opened last fall after pandemic delays and already dubbed by Esquire as one of the top 40 new restaurants in the country — is worth a side trip to Madison alone. Located in the two-story baggage claim of a historic train station, the restaurant teasingly plays with the Wisconsin supper club tradition. The menu starts off with an elevated relish tray; the deviled eggs come topped with trout roe and sit next to pastrami-style smoked sturgeon. The kitchen's version of meat and potatoes materializes as an all-day-braised short rib paired with glazed root vegetable and celery root cream, and a classic roast duck playing a duet with roasted fennel. For dessert: an apple pie pavlova, the cloud of meringue billowing above spiced Honeycrisp apples. Just as good: a butterscotch banana pudding.
But the Harvey House isn't the only noteworthy Madison restaurant debuting recently. At Fairchild on the near west side, the menu from co-chefs Itaru Nagano and Andy Kroeger changes weekly, focusing on the best of the local harvest with Mediterranean twists. If you're lucky, it will feature a creamy lobster bisque, a veg-centric risotto tossed with butternut squash and king trumpet mushrooms, and an organic pork loin sitting in a Romesco sauce.
Just off the Capitol Square, the Settle Down Tavern is already famous for its creative cocktails, such as an Old Fashioned spiked with Campari bitters. The diner features comfort food all day, but the best time to come is Friday, when the fish platter includes a lager-battered and fried Alaskan cod sharing space with peppadew relish, pickled jalapeno and lime slaw.
Farther east, Mint Mark features veg-forward small plates. The crowded cauliflower dish includes bagna cauda, golden raisins and crispy sarvecchio, and an acorn squash is roused by madras curry, spiced nuts and smoked honey.
