Eno Vino - Madison Wisconsin

Although not right in downtown Madison, Eno Vino is very much worth the trip from wherever you are. Eno Vino is a tapas style restaurant that boasts over 400 wines by the bottle and more than 40 wines by the glass. In essence, tapas are the currently fashionable Spanish tradition of eating numerous small plates of food accompanied by drink. Traditionally in Spain, this means visiting many bars/eateries, but in the United States, it has come to mean little bits of food. Either way, the tapas at Eno Vino are exceptional; the food is great. For our first plate, my companion had the tomato bisque with baby-grilled cheese – excellent, while I had the Frisee and Belgium Endive salad – a very tasty salad and a nice dish to start with. Our next dish was mussels served with steamed spinach all of which was flooded in an amazing broth. I could have eaten them all night. Foie gras trio was wonderful; although the foie gras flan wasn’t something I’d be into having again. We then had the Bisque of Cold Water Lobster and King Crab. A good dish, nothing to keep you up at night thinking about though. For desert we had a philo wrapped brownie – very tasty, but as with most desserts, terribly overpriced.

The service was excellent. The server did a nice job of suggesting wines and followed through with very well done wine service. The décor was fine, my only negative comment being the style of seating – on a busy night, the lack of booths or separation of seats would make you get to know your neighbors a bit more than perhaps you want to.

Overall, Eno Vino is an excellent restaurant that I highly recommend.

Location:
601 Junction Rd,
Madison Wi
608.664.9565

Price range $14-$30

Guest Review - Christian's Bistro

This is our first guest review by a writer known as Jeff. If you'd eaten somewhere and want to comment (even if it is outside Central Wisconsin) please send it to me! Thanks Jeff for your hard work.

Christian's Bistro
Christian’s Bistro has been open for around nine months. It is in Plover, WI near the Hampton Inn. The physical set up is very nice. It seats around eighty, but they only have six booths, so if you want a booth make sure to ask for one when you make reservations. By the way, you should definitely make reservations. We’ve found that even what you’d think of as a slow night can get busy. The one bad thing about its physical set up is the high metal ceiling and hard floors make it an echo chamber. Christian’s features an open kitchen with a food bar – it is fun to watch the goings on of the cooks while waiting for your food.

The food itself is simply a delight. The waitress told us that they rotate the menu every three months; their current menu includes entrees such as New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich, Grilled Flat Iron Steak Panini (w/ Brie Cheese and Sweet Potato Fries), and Bacon Wrapped Gulf Shrimp, and appetizers such as Baked Three Day Duck & Wild Mushroom Strudel and Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Plate.
On my recent visit I had the Steak Panini ($9.95). It was excellent. The Brie cheese worked with the steak to create a flavorful combination. My co-eater had one of the six specials offered the night we were there – Monkfish served with broccolini on a bed of arugula ($20.00). After tasting her dish I wish I had chosen to spend the extra money. It was delicious. Our waitress told us that they get their seafood overnighted and it is never frozen. This sounded a bit like a sales pitch, but after tasting the Monk fish, I believe her!

The service was wonderful – our server was attentive but not annoying. Our only complaint is the time it took to get our food. It was a busy night, but I still think thirty minutes to get our entrees was a bit long. Combine that with the fact that they don’t provide any munchies while you wait, and it probably seemed longer than it was.
All in all, Christian’s gets an A+ from us. Excellent food, reasonable prices, good atmosphere.

EDITORS NOTE
Just wanted to add some information from their website:
Christian Czerwonka is an acclaimed chef with an A.O.S. Degree from the Culinary Institute of America. Beginning as a line cook, for superstar chef and TV personality, Emeril Lagasse, at his famous New Orleans eatery, NOLA Restaurant, he gained his southern cuisine flare and refined the art of food and wine pairings. Over the years, he moved his way up to the Chef de Cuisine, designing the menus and running Emeril's Delmonico Steak House in the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, and his Atlanta restaurant. Under Christian's supervision, Delmonico was voted the best Steakhouse for two years running.

3066 Village Park Drive, Plover, WI 54467
Hours of Operation:_
Open at 10:30 a.m. with seating until 8:00 p.m., Tuesday-Friday_
Open at 7:00 a.m. with seating until 8:00 p.m., Saturday_
Closed Sunday and Monday_

Quick List…Updated 11/13

Here’s an alphabetical list of places we (meaning me) would recommend eating at in the Stevens Point, Plover, Wausau area of Wisconsin. I’m not including large chain restaurants, since you know what you are getting in those anyway…
I’ll be adding to the list, but wanted to get it posted and started up. Suggestions are welcome.


Chef Chu's
Open for lunch and dinner
Chinese cuisine - great Sunday buffet
$5-$20 entrees

Christians Bistro, Plover
Open for lunch and dinner
$10-$30 entrees

The City Grill, An American Bistro, Wausau
Open for lunch and dinner
$10-$25 entrees

El Mezcal
Open for lunch and dinner
$10-$25 entrees
Excellent traditional Mexican food

The Hill Top, Stevens Point
Open for lunch and dinner
$5-$25 entrees

Hudson’s Grill, Plover and Wausau
Open for lunch and dinner
$10-$25 entrees

Pagliacci
Open for lunch and dinner
$10-$35 entrees
a little overpriced, but good food

Silver Coach, Stevens Point
Open for lunch and dinner
$20-$30 entrees

Water Street Grill, Stevens Point
Open for lunch and dinner
$10-$25 entrees

The Wright Place on 6th St, Wausau
Open for lunch and dinner
$20-$35 entrees

The Wooden Chair, Stevens Point
Open for breakfast and lunch
$5-$15

Insta Review - The Wooden Chair

Located at 1059 Main Street, Stevens Point, The Wooden Chair is another fixture in Stevens Point, much like Bernard's. Unlike Bernard's, I wholeheartedly recommend eating there. The place is full of mismatched chairs, hence the name. They are open only for breakfast and lunch, (7am-2pm). Traditionally, The Wooden Chair has been a great little eatery. Stevens Point held its collective breath a few years ago when it was sold. Thankfully, the quality hasn’t changed. They have a nice array of standard breakfast dishes with especially good omelets – my favorite the sausage and potatoes – as well as sandwiches that range from traditional to stuff the vegetarian crowd likes. The only downside is the service can be spotty. Don’t let that stop you; it’s a great little place to grab a bite.

Insta Review - Bernard’s Country Inn

Bernard’s Country Inn has been a fixture in Stevens Point for longer than I’ve lived here. Maybe that can explain why it is spoken of in such venerating tones. My dinner there was unexceptional. The décor was a mishmash that I suppose was designed to create a homey atmosphere. It didn’t. The breadsticks served before dinner were good, but the olive oil with which they were served was not. It was flavored, and not delicately. I would have preferred at least the option for of plain oil. Ok, so who cares about the free bread? Well, the entrees were no better. I had a rib-eye steak that didn’t measure up to any I could have purchased at the grocery store, but at least it was edible. Which could not be said of the Steak au Poivre – the meat was satisfactory (not great) and was covered – totally covered – with WHOLE black peppercorns. In fact, they were pounded in, rendering it impossible to scrape off the peppercorns. This was not a crust of crushed peppercorns, rather it was an impaling of whole peppercorns. I could barely get down a few bites before my mouth was aflame – and I like spicy food!

On the bright side, the service was exceptionally good and the food came out fast.

For the price of the dishes ($20 and up) I expected a whole lot more. I would have liked to try Bernard’s in its heyday. As of now, unless my visits were total aberrations, I see no reason to try again.

Postings

I know this blog isn't updated as frequently as it should be, but writing restaurant reviews is really more difficult than I thought. I have decided to add some quick reviews in the coming weeks...stay tuned!

Dine in or Take Out

Be sure to check out my Dine in or Take Outblog for a witty, sarcastic, funny, etc., take a waiting...