My hubby Kevin and I happened to be in Madison to visit my father this past weekend and, whilst out and about on Saturday, we all decided to stop in at Mickey's Tavern for lunch. Established in 1902, this historic watering hole on Williamson Street just recently delved into the rough and tumble world of food service--a decision made in direct response to a drop in business due to the city's smoking ban--so I felt this to be a prime opportunity to sample their fare.
As with every visit we've ever had to Mickey's, the staff was extremely friendly, making us feel right at home in the cozy pub. With six to eight tables for two, which can be easily pushed together for four, and counter seating available at the street-facing window, Mickey's can accommodate about twenty diners. There's no need to wait to be seated--just pick a table and sit down.
On the day of our visit, we were greeted by the owner, Jane Capito, after a few minutes. She kindly made sure that we had menus, but was quick to note that she wasn't the waitress and would send her over right away. I had noticed when we entered that there was only one wait person on shift, so I expected a little bit of a wait. As a former food jockey myself, I understand and empathize with the stress of trying to cover all your tables--a task made that much more difficult when you're the only one. The minutes did tick on, however, and I approached the amiable bartender and asked if he could send over the waitress, which he did.
The waitress informed us that they were only serving brunch that day, so we had to look over the menu again and make new choices. Brunch at 1PM on Saturday? Sure, why not. Later, I overheard her telling another table that this was their first time serving brunch, so an all-day tryout sounded reasonable to me.
Both my father and I ordered Eggs Benedict, while Kevin ordered the humbly named World's Greatest Sandwich. The bartender brought over our drinks--a Spotted Cow for Dad, a Chardonnay for Kevin and a Bloody Mary (aka Bloody Me) for me. The Bloody Mary was exceptionally good, garnished with a big olive and a pickle spear, and just spicy enough. To be honest, I can be a tad wimpish when it comes to hot spices, but this drink was near perfect in that respect.
Our meals arrived and we were ready to dig in. The Eggs Benedict was served in the traditional open-face manner, with poached eggs and ham atop halves of an English muffin and covered with hollandaise sauce. Though I think the ham had been fried instead of broiled--I could be wrong on that--it was nonetheless a notable interpretation of the dish. The hollandaise, which can be tremendously tricky and easily make or break any Eggs Benedict, was creamy but not too heavy, with a very slight hint of lemon. The eggs were poached exactly to the point they should be and not one second longer. The dish included a side of fried potatoes that were a little overdone and could have benefited from more spice, say onion and garlic, but it was a very fulfilling meal overall.
Kevin had ordered the World's Greatest Sandwich, so expectations were high for that particular dish. The sandwich consists of bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, fried egg and mayo on toasted sour dough bread. The egg had been fried soft and the yolk was still runny, so it was a bit messy, but his evaluation was a positive thumbs-up, saying that there was no conflict at all between the egg and the mayo. The World's Greatest Sandwich is served with a side of homemade cold slaw, which of course I had to taste. I was impressed by its light yet flavorful vinaigrette, allowing the essence of the raw red and white cabbage to come through. Their menu proclaims it to be "kick..ss" and I wouldn't disagree with that.
Mickey's Tavern is a nice addition to Madison's dining scene and, by the healthy number of patrons on hand during our visit, it's clear that others feel that way, too. If you're in the state capital soon, I recommend you try them for brunch or dinner. They're off to a very solid start and I suspect it can only get better.
Mickey's Tavern
1524 Williamson St.
Madison, WI
608-251-9964
Dining Hours: 5PM to 10PM; Sat-Sun Brunch 10AM to 2PM
Payment: Cash Only
ノースフェイス
趙廉江市の子供たち4とまれな疾患で苦しんで半分 - 進行性筋ジストロフィー、専門医学用語でも連続的ではYiziyiziは、ザノースフェイスホーキングに苦しんで、彼の両親によると、見つけるために、さらにいくつかの両親に尋ねた疾患である。
Posted by: ノースフェイス | February 07, 2012 at 03:53 AM