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FeedBest of Madison 2011
Our reader's picks (and 30th anniversary!) for the very best in dining, shopping, arts and entertainment and more
(page 1 of 2)
FOOD
Best Restaurant
Gold: The Old Fashioned
Silver: Paisan’s
Bronze: Eno Vino
New Restaurant
Gold: The Coopers Tavern
Silver: Dahmen’s Pizza Place
Bronze: Vintage Brewing Company
Upscale Dining
Gold: L’Etoile
Silver: Harvest
Bronze: The Admiralty Dining Room (at the Edgewater)
Lake View
Gold: Paisan’s
Silver: Sardine
Bronze: Captain Bill’s
Best Ambiance
Gold: Porta Bella
Silver: Weary Traveler Freehouse
Bronze: Harvest
Breakfast
Gold: Pancake Café
Silver: Marigold Kitchen
Bronze: Mickies Dairy Bar
Brunch
Gold: Great Dane
Silver: Sardine
Bronze: Nau-Ti-Gal
Lunch
Gold: The Old Fashioned
Silver: Marigold Kitchen
Bronze: Babes Restaurant & Cocktails
Neighborhood Bar
Gold: Weary Traveler Freehouse
Silver: Harmony Bar and Grill
Bronze: Jade Monkey
Outdoor Dining
Gold: Great Dane
Silver: Paisan’s
Bronze: Captain Bill’s
BBQ
Gold: Smoky Jon’s #1 BBQ
Silver: Fat Jacks Barbecue
Bronze: Brickhouse BBQ
Burger
Gold: Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry
Silver: Nitty Gritty
Bronze: The Old Fashioned
Caribbean
Gold: Jolly Bob’s
Silver: Jamerica Caribbean Restaurant
Bronze: David’s Jamaican Cuisine
Chinese
Gold: Imperial Garden—West
Silver: Hong Kong Café
Bronze: Chang Jiang
Fish Fry
Gold: The Avenue Bar
Silver: The Old Fashioned
Bronze: Quivey’s Grove
Greasy Spoon
Gold: Mickies Dairy Bar
Silver: Monty’s Blue Plate Diner
Bronze: The Curve
Indian or Nepalese
Gold: Himal Chuli
Silver: Maharaja
Bronze: Maharani Indian Restaurant
Italian
Gold: Lombardino’s
Silver: Tutto Pasta State Street
Bronze: Vin Santo Cucina Italiana
Japanese/Sushi
Gold: Restaurant Muramoto
Silver: Ginza of Tokyo
Bronze: Takara Japanese Restaurant
Kid-Friendly
Gold: Ella’s Deli
Silver: Culver’s
Bronze: Rocky’s Party Pizzeria
Mediterranean
Gold: Bunky’s Café
Silver: Mediterranean Café
Bronze: Lulu’s Deli and Restaurant (closed)
Mexican/Southwestern
Gold: Laredo’s
Silver: Eldorado Grill
Bronze: Pedro’s
New Orleans/Cajun
Gold: Louisianne’s Etc.
Silver: New Orleans Take-Out
Bronze: Liliana’s
Pizza
Gold: Glass Nickel Pizza Co.
Silver: Ian’s Pizza by the Slice
Bronze: Roman Candle Pizzeria
Seafood
Gold: Captain Bill’s
Silver: Ocean Grill
Bronze: The Blue Marlin
Sports Bar
Gold: State Street Brats
Silver: Babes Restaurant & Cocktails
Bronze: Pooley’s
Steakhouse
Gold: Tornado Steak House
Silver: Johnny Delmonico’s
Bronze: Smoky’s Club
Supper Club
Gold: Tornado Steak House
Silver: Smoky’s Club
Bronze: Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club
Thai/Indonesian
Gold: Sa-Bai Thong
Silver: Lao Laan-Xaang
Bronze: Bahn Thai
Bakery
Gold: Scott’s Pastry Shoppe
Silver: Greenbush Bakery
Bronze: Lane’s Bakery & Gift Shop
Butcher
Gold: Jacobson Bros. Quality Meats and Deli
Silver: Ken’s Meats & Deli
Bronze: Knoche’s Butcher Shop
Brewpub
Gold: Great Dane
Silver: Capital Brewery
Bronze: Ale Asylum
Craft Beer
Gold: Spotted Cow (New Glarus Brewing Company)
Silver: Hopalicious (Ale Asylum)
Bronze: Island Wheat (Capital Brewery)
Cheese
Gold: Carr Valley Cheese Company
Silver: Hook’s Cheese Company
Bronze: Cedar Grove Cheese
Chocolate
Gold: Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier
Silver: Candinas Chocolatier
Bronze: DB Infusion Chocolates
Coffee
Gold: Barriques
Silver: Ancora Coffee Roasters
Bronze: Michelangelo’s Coffee House
Deli
Gold: Fraboni’s
Silver: Gino’s Italian Deli
Bronze: Ella’s Deli
Grocery Store
Gold: Woodman’s Food Market
Silver: Metcalfe’s Market
Bronze: Willy Street Co-op
Ice Cream/Custard
Gold: Babcock Hall Dairy Store
Silver: Culver’s
Bronze: Michael’s Frozen Custard
Specialty Food Store
Gold: Brennan’s Market
Silver: Willy Street Co-op
Bronze: Fromagination
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Golf Course
Gold: University Ridge
Silver: Door Creek Golf Course
Bronze: Odana Hills Golf Course
Live Music Venue
Gold: High Noon Saloon
Silver: Barrymore Theatre
Bronze: Majestic Theatre
Movie Theater
Gold: Sundance Cinema
Silver: AMC Star Fitchburg
Bronze: Point Cinema
Museum
Gold: Madison Children’s Museum
Silver: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Bronze: Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Performing Arts Group
Gold: Madison Symphony Orchestra
Silver: Broom Street Theater
Bronze: Madison Opera
Radio Personality
Gold: Connie Kellie
Silver: John Flint
Bronze: Van Edwards
Radio Team
Gold: John & Tammy, 96.3 Star Country
Silver: Connie & Curtis, WZEE-Z104
Bronze: Jonathan & Kitty, 105.5 Triple M
TV Personality
Gold: Charlie Shortino
Silver: Christine Bellport
Bronze: Susan Siman
TV Team
Gold: Charlie Shortino and Christine Bellport
Silver: Rob Starbuck, Charlotte Deleste & Haddie McLean
Bronze: Eric Franke, Jay Wilson and Gary Cannalte
Website
Gold: Channel3000.com
Silver: Madison.com
Bronze: Thedailypage.com
Reader Comments:
How does Glass Nickel Pizza Co. keep winning for Best Pizza. It is terrible. Worst pizza perhaps. There is no way anyone in their right mind would pick it over Ian's.
This whole poll is an absolute joke. I mean some of them are just straight laughable, most of them. I'm more of a downtown diner, where places tend to support local goods rather than Sysco. The fact that Papavero, Merchant, Nostrano, Underground Kitchen, Graze, Nattspil,and The Madison Club were all not on the list is a complete embarrassment. News Flash: These are the very best restaurants not only that our city has to offer in 2011, but literally ever, in the history of dining in this town. Time to crawl out of your shells folks.
KellyCritic: The restaurants you mention as missing from the Best of Madison readers' poll are frequently featured--and highly praised--in the pages of Madison Magazine. As for the poll's integrity, I'm sure that the hardworking restaurants and other businesses that won--and deservedly so--would be disappointed to think that simply because your favorites aren't highlighted this year, somehow they are less than the best. Brennan Nardi, Editor
I will call the polls integrity into questions, specifically the yoga section. How did Aniu win 3rd place? They don't even have a yoga studio anymore (its Core Athletic now). Why is Aniu featured as one of the four yoga studios in the poll every year, when there are many other very high quality studios in town with a long history in Madison (Mound street yoga, perfect knot, main street yoga, yoga coop, and the list goes on). I found the answer at the top of this page. There was an advertisement is for Aniu.
I think it would be much more beneficial to do a poll that doesn't include the winners of past years. It creates a biased poll, and doesn't give others an option to even be considered as people breeze through it selecting from the 3-5 options given.
If you would like to create a poll that is fair, either write all entries in or include all nominated businesses. Brennan, There are some winners on this list that are not the best, and should not have made the list, period. Not very credible in my opinion...
Can't please everyone! The restaurant choices are good. Now to those of you who live downtown... well you tend to stay downtown so your lacking in diversity of restaurants being confined to one area. Glass nickel is the best pizza around I believe all the choices are great pics! Well except Ancora coffee that stuff is horrific!