I've been thinking it for a while but I'm finally going to put it in print: Mado is my favorite restaurant in Chicago. Last night, my husband I stopped by Hot Chocolate around 8:30 to see if we could get a table. No dice, as the wait was an hour and a half just for a seat at the bar, so we called Mado, and they got us in by 9:00. A quick walk to Red & White (based on the comments on this thread) for a bottle of red, and we were set.

This is the 4th or 5th time we've eaten at Mado and each time the meal is different, interesting, and delicious. The staff is consistently friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate. Last night's charcuterie was the always amazing chicken liver pate (the creamiest either of us have ever tasted), testa, and coppa, with pickled beets. All of the meats were delicious and complex; our only wish was that the bread that accompanies the meat was a little more interesting. It's a soft, thickly cut pillowy french bread (I think?) which would be great as sandwich bread but as an accompaniment to all of these amazing meats and pickles it's a little lackluster.

Next up: brandade and roasted carrots. Mado's brandade gives Avec a run for its money. Mado's is much lighter, almost the consistency of mashed potatoes, but with a very nice pronounced salt cod flavor, whereas Avec's is much richer. Same bread problem as the charcuterie though: we would have liked thinner pieces of toast rather than big thick slices of soft bread. Roasted carrots were served cold with a little goat cheese underneath and were really nice.

Mains: pizzochieri (a house made buckwheat pasta) with cabbage, potatoes, and maybe something else I can't remember. This was really great, but probably didn't need potatoes. The texture and flavor of the dish was outstanding. Other main was pork hearts with a pork sausage and rapini. The pork heart had a similar flavor and consistency as the beef heart we've had at Mado before. Very flavorful but a little on the chewy side. Rapini was fantastic. The only letdown of the night was the pork sausage, which had flavor like a brat but was very dry. When I first cut into it, it actually crumbled, and the texture was definitely dried out. Overall, a successful combination if not for the sausage.

We shop at the Green City Market almost every week and consequently have many of the exact same vegetables in our fridge as are on the menu, but Mado's preparations always intrigue and inspire us without being overcomplicated or fussy. I think Mado actually makes us look forward to approaching the carrots and brussel sprouts in a new way. Bravo, Mado!

For a limited time (this week, actually), Mado is offering "steak frites" from the cow that was featured during Sunday's beef dinner. For the steak, depending upon availability, you have the choice of a NY strip, filet or sirloin (from towards the back part of the cow; I'm told by Rob that it's a more sinewy cut, but has flavor like a filet). We went for the filet and strip, which were priced at about $26. Although you shouldn't expect traditional French-style steak frites, if you can, please get to Mado to partake in this unique and lovely example of grass fed beef. Steaks like these are rare (ha ha). Although grass-fed beef has the reputation of being tougher than corn-fed beef (it's less fatty), you would never know it from these fine examples. The filet sliced like butter and the strip was tender as well, yet appropriately more aggressive in flavor. Both steaks tasted of Beef with a capital B. What made this beef stand out, though, was its distinctly grassy flavor. As I chewed through the first few bites, I thought I detected rosemary -- but no -- that wasn't it; then it came to me -- grass. Rob was very excited to be serving Mado's first steak frites and asked us what we thought; after discussing it, he confirmed that the grass notes were very distinct in this cow. It's like I was eating a cow that was very happy and had been very well taken care of during its life.

The flavor of the grass-fed beef was only bettered by cooking in Mado's wood-fired oven. Rob nailed -- and I mean, nailed -- the (suggested) medium rare temperature on the steaks. Both steaks had a nice crust but the inside was pink and only slightly more pink in the center -- no gray edges whatsoever. I asked him if seared and blasted it, and he said no, but instead made use of the various hot and cold spots in their wood-fired oven. I'm guessing that he achieved this perfect temperature by executing a modified version of America's Test Kitchen's alternative to the sear and blast method.

The frites were steakhouse-cut and fried in beef fat. They were distinctly beefy-tasting and nicely potatoey (I'm not a fan of the delicate frites that are more like potato sticks). If I had a complaint, it is that they could have been a tad crisper. I loved that Mado provided an aioli to accompany the fries, but it was a bit loose for me. (I'm of the school that believes that 1 egg yolk should absorb no more than 3/4 c. oil -- so my preference is for an aioli with more body.)

If you can get to Mado to reserve these steaks, I highly encourage you to do so. I would guess that both of our steaks were in the 8-10 oz. range in size. The filet was about 4 inches tall.

aschie30 wrote:It's like I was eating a cow that was very happy and had been very well taken care of during its life.

I prefer eating sullen, withdrawn cows.

aschie30 wrote:If you can get to Mado to reserve these steaks, I highly encourage you to do so.

I tried. NB: Mado is closed for a private party tomorrow. Bastards.

Kennyz wrote:

aschie30 wrote:If you can get to Mado to reserve these steaks, I highly encourage you to do so.

I tried. NB: Mado is closed for a private party tomorrow. Bastards.

Time for a tweet, methinks.

Santander wrote:

Kennyz wrote:

aschie30 wrote:If you can get to Mado to reserve these steaks, I highly encourage you to do so.

I tried. NB: Mado is closed for a private party tomorrow. Bastards.

Time for a tweet, methinks.

already done

I enjoyed two meals at Mado in the past week - - one with RAB and one with three women from work. Both times, Mado was packed and bustling, but the food and service didn't miss a beat. In fact, I was amazed that Rob and Allie had any time at all to stop and chat.

I learned one thing from my meal with RAB - - it's hard to go to Mado with just one other person. In fact, I can't remember the last time we were there with fewer than two other people. For the first time, we over-ordered and ended up taking home a few things to enjoy later. While the grassfed steak was outstanding, I think my favorite bite from that meal was a penne with ground pork and chicken livers. It had a great soul-satisfying funk to it, a wonderful winter dish. We also enjoyed a new arugula salad which included chestnuts, cocoa nibs, fennel, and raw celery root (similar to their raw beet julienne preparation) in a bright, but well-balanced, sherry vinaigrette. This intriguing dish really worked.

Last night, I was joined at Mado by three work friends, two of whom had never been to Mado. And, the winning dish of the night was the pork heart, served with pickled peppers, garbanzo beans, almonds, and parsley. I explained to my dining companions that heart was just another muscle and wasn't a "part" like tripe or lungs. I was worried that they wouldn't even try the heart (no big downside, though = more for me): two of them are grossed out by eggs, and the third likes her meat well-done. And, yet, all three tried and enjoyed the pork heart. I think this was my favorite Mado heart preparation yet - - and one of my favorite Mado dishes.

And, for anyone who likes chocolate cream pie, I suggest you go to Mado before it's taken off the dessert menu. I enjoyed the dessert twice in the last five days and already would like another slice.

Ronna

happy_stomach wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I told Rob to scold Allie for removing both the rice pudding and the yogurt pudding from the menu - probably my two favorite things there. Chocolate cream pie was wonderful, but I still miss my whiter desserts.

Rob didn't insist you have the maple-pear-butter tart? Last night he declared it his favorite of all time of Allie's desserts, gave me its full history. There was no room to resist. I love their chocolate cream pie, but the pear tart was magnificent following mutton leg.

White dessert is back, and last night I confirmed that Allie's rice pudding is among my favorite Mado menu items. For me, it's just soul-satisfying comfort food.

Yet another excellent Mado meal, with more Mado newcomers agreeing that it's a special place.

Sadly, Mado is no longer serving Sunday brunch - - At least, that's what I was told on Saturday when I called to make sure that they weren't taking any time off for the holidays.

I've enjoyed several Mado brunches, but can understand that it may not have been worth it for them. The restaurant was always pretty empty during brunch, despite the long lines at nearby brunch spots.

Ronna

Mrs. JiLS and I finally got off our duffs and made it to Mado last night for a late dinner. What were we thinking? I can't add much to the praise that has been justly lauded upon Mado by others, only to note that we were charmed by the staff and chef and mightily impressed by the food.

As to specifics of the meal, we began by inhaling a full meat platter appetizer and half a bowl of olives; all gone before we knew we'd started. They do amazing things with charcuterie at Mado, and if I had one minor complaint, it would be that one of the meats in our selection was a country ham, which while tasty enough, was not really as funky/smoked as I would prefer (a matter of taste; I just like the Virginia style best). Mrs. JiLS thoroughly enjoyed her hanger steak entree, and I continue to have lucid dreams about the pigs head stew that was my main course. Echoing Kennyz's sentiments in another thread, I was hungry for cassoulet, and this was a better substitute, to my taste ... take it away, Kennyz:

Kennyz wrote:Meanwhile, the pigs head stew makes a superb substitute: white beans with a spicy tomato broth, fantastically spiced cotecchino, pulled head, and some other ingredients I've forgotten. One of the best winter-warmer dishes in town.

What Kenny doesn't emphasize is the real spiciness of the dish, hotter than I would've thought would work, but which was ultimately a big enhancement. I'm looking forward to what Mado does with cassoulet, but this dish would be enough to keep me coming back. In fact, I don't think I saw anything on the menu I would not have wanted to try. Too full to order dessert, we were comped one to split, anyway. Did I mention we like this place?

One final note, we had the pleasure of chatting with a friendly and engaging couple at the table next to ours, in which we learned we had a couple of things in common, one being certain connections to Iceland, the other being LTH. Lurkers on this forum, our neighbors indicated they live in the far southeast part of the city, but regularly make the long drive up to Mado. Hope this will encourage them to try posting about their experiences and thoughts on Mado as destination dining.

hey lthers....

puke on a stick, mado is the worst! i mean, obviously it's not disgusting, it's just over-hyped and under-good. my gf and i had a bland, lukewarm brandade (HOW DO YOU EFF UP ONE OF THE EASIEST BEST TASTING DISHES IN THE WORLD?), bizarrely room-temp root vegetables (tho dressed with a perfectly honey-ish glaze), and, again, a 72-degree casuela of meatballs and pork (truly a poorly made dish, flavorless meatballs and gristly bits of p. belly, served at a too high price). good roast chicken tho!

Considering how oddly luke-warm all of our food was I could have been eating in Moscow (inside joke for anyone who has ever eaten proletarian food in Russia or central asia... it's all served at room temp.)

http://www.classesandcareers.com/educat ... bsDown.jpg

JimInLoganSquare wrote:What Kenny doesn't emphasize is the real spiciness of the dish, hotter than I would've thought would work, but which was ultimately a big enhancement.

Yes indeed, though after having Mado's fiery harissa some time ago, I'm no longer that surprised when Rob brings the heat. I completely agree that the spiciness here added an extra layer of deliciousness.

Was that the green harissa that was served with pork rinds? If so, I found it to be one of the best condiments that I have had at Mado. It definitely brought some heat.

msmre wrote:Was that the green harissa that was served with pork rinds? If so, I found it to be one of the best condiments that I have had at Mado. It definitely brought some heat.

That sounds interesting, but I've never had it. I was talking about the very red (and very hot) harissa served with a trout preparation some time ago.

sailingfanblues wrote:puke on a stick, mado is the worst! i mean, obviously it's not disgusting,

Puke-on-a-stick not disgusting? Not much credibility in this hyperbole laden line.

Mado, count me a fan.

Not much credibility in this hyperbole laden line.

I'm thinking that's why the post was totally ignored.

G Wiv wrote:Not much credibility in this hyperbole laden line.

I guess I do think it's weird that this forum has such a long thread for Mado... and if you read through the comments it's just all a bit of over-bearing chef-worship. Which hey, I'm guilty of (I've been first in line at Joël Robuchon restos and I dig what that broad-shouldered, hot-dog loving, Chicago-defining Paul Kahan does). But, I didn't expect that in this forum. So, I apologize if my words broached hyperbole-- I was just trying to add a bit of color to an otherwise bizarely unbecoming, particularly uncritical and thoroughly, unlike most of the thoughtful commentary I read and enjoy at LTH, fetishistic thread.

The food just wasn't that great... and please, someone answer for the brandade (jk!)

all best,
sailingfanblues

Ronna and I indulged our Mado fetish for New Years Eve. We've been to a few family dinners at Mado, but this NYE edition may have been the best. Like all of Mado's family dinners, communal seating and shared plates are the thing, and since everything is offered in such generous quantities, pacing and restraint are key. And, best of all, even though it was New Year's Eve, the atmosphere was relaxed and low key. Jeans were acceptable attire and everyone was in a great mood, happily sharing plates as well as BYO wine and beer.

We started with two generous charcuterie platters, once with cured meats and one with cooked. Rob pulled out all of the stops for NYE and served the best charcuterie assortment that we've ever received at Mado. The cured plate included bresaola, genoa salami, and a hot copa. The bresaola was deliciously beefy and had just the right amount of chew. The flavor of the genoa was spot-on -- a really a great example of this type of salami. T his was our first time trying Mado's hot copa. It was well-seasoned and just slightly spicy, with a wide strip of lardo-like, melt-in-your-mouth cured fat.



The cooked plate included ciccioli and a pork and pistachio terrine. The ciccioli was deliciously gelatinous and porky. The pork terrine was another winner, and was as tasty as it was pretty. It had a country pate center, surrounded by mortadella-like emulsified meat, studded with bright green pistachios.



The antipasti course featured smoked sturgeon with blood orange, buckwheat crespelles, and braised cauliflower and fennel. The lightly-smoked sturgeon was delicate and fresh and went well with the sweet and tart oranges.



The crespelles were a fine example of Mado's keep-it-simple style: buckwheat crepes were smeared with crème fraiche, folded into triangles, and topped with another dollop of crème fraiche and caviar. The quality of the ingredients were really allowed to shine.



The braised cauliflower and fennel was served slightly warm, and topped with a decadent truffle fonduta.

The next two courses were linked - - the pasta and the meaty main course, the gran bollito misto. Quoting the Mado website: "The bollito misto is a traditional Northern Italian celebratory dish. A variety of meats are simmered together and the resulting brodo is served as its own course. To follow, the meats are served with garnishes." Rob explained that the meats (veal breast, chicken, cotechino, beef tongue, and shortribs) were cooked in series. The veal breast was braised in stock. Then, that braising liquid was used to braise short ribs, and so on. Ultimately, the result was a rich, deeply complex broth, which was served with (way too many) herb-filled, house-made tortellini.

Just as we started to get full, the platters of meat showed up. Fatty veal breast, moist short ribs, juicy chicken, corned tongue, and pork-skin studded cotechino. Dishes of house-made condiments arrived, including salsa verde, pear mostarda, horseradish cream, and thick, garlicky aioli. Then, sides of crunchy, roasted fingerling potatoes and honey braised lentils were delivered. We were in over our heads. We loved the tongue and cotechino. We dipped roasted potatoes in aioli, we sampled each of the meats with each of the condiments. Then, we hit the wall.

At this point, we worried that we were too full for Allie's desserts. We needed a break. Thankfully, our neighbors weren't in any hurry to leave either. We cheered the arrival of 2010 and four of us sat, and drank, and nibbled for a couple more hours. Rob and Allie assured us that we should stay and enjoy. Our platter of sweets and another of cannoli were empty by time we left (as were many bottles of hooch). The cannoli were perfect - - not too sweet, with a nice subtle sourness from the ricotta, and a crisp shell. The candy platter included amazing, soft, buttery pistachio cookies (that (we hear) are likely to replace the shortbread on the regular dessert menu), chewy marcona almond nougat, super-sour and perfumy candied grapefruit peel, and crisp hazelnut cookies. All gone, all thoroughly enjoyed.

We had planned on a quiet New Year's at home. We're so glad, though, that we changed our minds at the last minute and spent the evening at Mado. After so many memorable meals at Mado in the last year, and so much warm service from Rob, Allie, and their team, it only made sense for us to close out 2009 there.

--Rich

sailingfanblues wrote:I guess I do think it's weird that this forum has such a long thread for Mado... and if you read through the comments it's just all a bit of over-bearing chef-worship. Which hey, I'm guilty of (I've been first in line at Joël Robuchon restos and I dig what that broad-shouldered, hot-dog loving, Chicago-defining Paul Kahan does). But, I didn't expect that in this forum. So, I apologize if my words broached hyperbole-- I was just trying to add a bit of color to an otherwise bizarely unbecoming, particularly uncritical and thoroughly, unlike most of the thoughtful commentary I read and enjoy at LTH, fetishistic thread.

The food just wasn't that great... and please, someone answer for the brandade (jk!)

all best,
sailingfanblues

So you had one bad meal at Mado and you assume that the vast number of positive reviews are all wrong? So be it - who cares. My reaction would probably be different: maybe with all of the positive feedback, I visited on an off-night.

As for the brandade, I'm not sure what you were expecting, but I've had it served hot, cold and even just warm and if you travel to the south of France you'll hear one chef after the next tell you why his brandade is the only one prepared correctly.

RAB wrote:perfumy candied grapefruit peel

I love Allie's desserts, so I'm sometimes a little sad when I've over-indulged to the bursting point on charcuterie, polenta, etc. and simply can't stomach rice pudding, shortbread, chocolate tart, or some other of her delicious creations at the end of the meal. Ahhhh, but there will always be room for that soothing digestif, the candied grapefruit peel. She had blanched it who knows how many times to remove all but the perfect remnant of bitterness to balance the tart and sweet. It's so simple, but try making this at home and I guarantee that it'll take umpteen attempts to get it come out as right as Allie's. I hope this stays on the menu in one form or another.

sailingfanblues wrote:I guess I do think it's weird that this forum has such a long thread for Mado... and if you read through the comments it's just all a bit of over-bearing chef-worship. Which hey, I'm guilty of (I've been first in line at Joël Robuchon restos and I dig what that broad-shouldered, hot-dog loving, Chicago-defining Paul Kahan does). But, I didn't expect that in this forum. So, I apologize if my words broached hyperbole-- I was just trying to add a bit of color to an otherwise bizarely unbecoming, particularly uncritical and thoroughly, unlike most of the thoughtful commentary I read and enjoy at LTH, fetishistic thread.

Well, recognize your own subjectivity and put it in context: you have to figure that everyone on LTH has at least one restaurant they just don't "get." (Me: Kuma's Corner.) Fine. Be critical, not insulting. I've had a few banal dishes at Mado, so it's not beyond reproach--but recognize that people get pretty self-righteous when a well-vaunted foodie place does not live up to expectations. No one's feelings will be hurt if you contribute some mixed perspective on the restaurant.

There are many people on this thread whose opinions I respect and whose judgment I trust. It both surprises and pains me a bit to have to disagree so unqualifiedly. We went to Mado last night and were surprised, among other things, to find it almost completely full at 6:30. Of course that speaks well of the place and is in line with the general tenor of this thread. Our meal, however, was contrary to what I've read here.

We started with two apps: the bruschetta and the brandade.


The bruschetta was quite good and we both enjoyed it but the portion is not exactly what I'd call plenty to share. That's not a complaint about the portion size but only to note that, contrary to the server's statement, I would have been unhappy had we limited ourselves to that one app to split.


In the event, I had the brandade. This happens to be a favorite of mine and I've had it many places as well as made it many times at home. While the portion was clearly more than enough for two, the quality simply wasn't there. I've made brandade like this at home many times and been disappointed with my efforts. There was nothing special about it, no depth of flavor, no unctuousness, in short, a rather average dish.

Given the limited menu (which we understand and have no issue with), we both ended up with the same entree: cider-brined pork tenderloin served over a turnip puree with pear mostarda.


Where to begin? The pork, while a nice portion, was salty. Not too salty to eat, but distinctly and unmistakably salty. The meat was cooked very nicely (pork tenderloin is a tough cut to get just right) and rich, but the saltiness was hard to escape. The pear mostarda tasted primarily of whole grain mustard; if the menu had not identified it as pear, I would never have imagined it. There may have been pear (and other things) in it, but it was largely a one-note condiment. On the other hand, the turnip puree was ethereal: light, flavorful, and if I hadn't been in public, I probably would have licked my plate for that part of the dish.

Desserts: LDC chose the rice pudding.

In a word, excellent.


I wish I could say the same of my ginger-stout cake with cherry compote and pistachios. The cake was dry. As in two-days-old dry. Wonderful flavor and a nicely conceived dish but I sure wish it had been fresh.

Reasonably priced, nice room, though some sound tiles or tapestries or something else to absorb sound would be a nice investment. It would be nice not to have to hear every conversation around us in detail. Tables are too close for my comfort. As I said at the top, I am pained that our experience was so different from that of most posters to this thread. But I would be dishonest to report anything else. It was a disappointing dinner.

I could be wrong (as it was about 5 bottles of wine into the evening), but that looks like a very differently colored ginger-stout cake than the one I received a few weeks ago. Your looks much, much darker - almost chocolate or porter colored.

As far as other dishes we shared in common, I did very much enjoy the bruschetta. We ordered 2 for a table of 6 and got one bite each. I also agree with your take on the brandade. It was fine, but the flavor was a little one dimensional.

As lauded as their gamier fare is (rabbit, mutton, offal, etc), I've been very pleased with all the beef dishes I've had at Mado. From beef heart with shisito peppers, to their bistecca Fiorentina, to a recent hanger steak with gorgonzola polenta, I've found these were all great quality meats expertly prepared in their oven. There are other places to get steak in this town, but I thought I would mention that Mado does these things very well, so it can be an option if you are dining with the unadventurous.

I have to more or less agree with GB. I've now been to Mado several times and while I enjoyed all my visits, nothing I've eaten there so far has really wowed me or made me eager to rush back, the way many meals at, say, Avec have. The dish that came closest was the charcuterie assortment; it was very good, but what detracted a bit was 1) two of the three meats ended up being very similar (the ciccioli and terrine, if I recall correctly); and 2) the accompanying supermarket-quality fluffy, tasteless bread ($4 upcharge, together with a dab of mustard and a couple of niblets of some uninspiringly pickled something-or-other). Other than that, and a very competent risotto, the only dish I remember is a sunchoke appetizer. It was delicious, but something like $8 for maybe one medium-sized sunchoke + a few parsley leaves and a drop or two of lemon juice and olive oil.

So I'm quite willing to concede that we probably ordered badly. What are some must-have dishes that will have me joining the ranks of the faithful?

gastro gnome wrote:I could be wrong (as it was about 5 bottles of wine into the evening), but that looks like a very differently colored ginger-stout cake than the one I received a few weeks ago. Your looks much, much darker - almost chocolate or porter colored.

Indeed, it was very, very dark and the "cherry compote" (dried cherries that had been soaked in I'm-not-certain-what and that was it) was very dark as well.

Oh, I forgot one other thing: the website clearly and unambiguously states "Cassoulet dinners, January 26-31, 2010." There is nothing--nothing whatsoever--about needing to pre-order. We got to the restaurant and asked about ordering cassoulet. We were told "no; you must pre-order." That's fine, although I'm not sure why. But if that's the rule, then at the very least, it ought to be clear from the website.

There have been so many interesting openings lately that I've been trying new spots every chance I get, but when my wife's sister (the one who lived in France, the one to whom we sent my first course-by-course description of a meal— a postcard detailing everything we had at L'Esperance in Vezelay, the one now exiled to the provinces of teaching in West Virginia) was coming to town for a conference, I knew where we wanted to go to give her a guaranteed knockout Chicago meal in non-stuffy circumstances: Mado. It’s the closer of Chicago neighborhood restaurants.

Taking her made me think freshly about the ways in which a meal at Mado is different from the usual fine dining experience. Appetizers at so many restaurants are the most creative parts of the meal, which is appealing, but it also means they're often the richest, which unbalances the flow of the meal— you've had a bunch of butter and frying and rich meats such as crab up front, making the main course seem heavier and duller. At Mado, though, the combination of the charcuterie platter and a few simply dressed seasonal vegetables from the antipasti plate has a light and clean feel that segues perfectly into richer main courses. Some of that, of course, is simply the Italian way of doing things, but kudos to Mado for internalizing it so thoroughly that it has become their natural way of pacing a meal even when the dishes themselves don't seem Italian in any way.

The charcuterie platter had three things on it— our old favorite testa, housemade ham (a touch boring, frankly, and quick to dry out; the same meat would probably be better served some other way) and ciccioli. I couldn't particularly explain how the ciccioli differs from testa but it was the best of the three, a wonderfully nourishing mix of cold meat and subtle spices. In the dead of winter, I wondered if the antipasti would amount to much, but both a sweet carrot dish with a touch of middle eastern spicing, and beets with, I believe, sheep cheese were as good as any antipasti I've had there. We also enjoyed the brandade (though I'd say Cary Taylor's at Chaise Lounge was better) and a crock of velvety chicken liver as well.

Well fed by this point, we only ordered two mains, though one was a double portion: the shepherd's pie, a Valentine's special for two, and a porchetta with white beans. Of the two, the shepherd's pie was the revelation— nothing unusual about it, God knows nothing deconstructed, but so rich with deep braised lamb shoulder flavor and root vegetables and fresh rosemary scent throughout the potato top; great ingredients (even turnip chunks sang!) prepared to bring out their all. It was as comforting and as profound as comfort food gets, and so too the creamy polenta (ordered only because it seemed like something the youngest son would eat if he ate nothing else), simplicity itself but sharpened up with something grownup like parmesan to transcend its gooey, fit-for-babies texture. The mascarpone grits (basically the same thing) at Kith & Kin seemed especially diminished after this.

It's a shame to only order one dessert for yourself at Mado, because they tend to be on the subtle side, low on sugar and avoiding the pyrotechnics that make dessert an easy way to send everybody out happy. You are much more likely to like dessert at Mado if you can try several things at once and, again, get an appreciation for how good they are at letting ingredients stand out on their own without cheap tricks that aim straight for the sweet tooth, bypassing the brain. We had a sour cherry pie with chocolate creme fraiche, an almond cornmeal cake with spiced apples, and rice pudding with golden raisins and nuts, along with a bit of the migas bark, and going back and forth between all of them was far more than the sum of their seemingly modest parts. As we finished up, amid a happily full house, I could see that we'd done right by a guest in her one shot at a big city meal before returning to her college town. Mado closed the deal.

Wow. I have never felt quite so out of step w/ LTHworld but Kasia and I ate at Mado on Thursday and had one of the most disappointing meals we've ever shared. Not the worst -- but the most disappointing. We really wanted to like it but we couldn't. Of the 4 dishes we had one was great, one was terrible and two were OK but nothing like thrilling.

We started with the charcuterie plate. This was great. Testa, ciccioli and ham. All really good. The testa was a little more toothsome than the ciccioli but both were great porky bites. I thought the ham was the star. There was a lot more going on than one would expect in a slice of ham -- weird back flavors (vanilla, maybe?) and a saltiness that floated over the top of the meat rather than in the meat. Really tasty.

Then things went horribly wrong. We shared the salad of arugula, celery root, fennel, pecans, and cocoa nibs. This was bad. The bitterness of the nibs clashed unpleasantly with the overly sour lemon dressing. But most unforgiveably some of the pecans tasted old and the ones that weren't were under toasted. We were hoping that this dish would provide a clean fresh counter point the the rest of the meal but it just erased all the good will that the first course built up.

Our main courses were the porchetta and the pig head stew. I liked the porchetta better than Kasia did. It was a very good, rich, fatty piece of pork. K thought it was too one-note, but I thought that the note was good enough. Nothing wrong with it but not life-changing. The pig head stew came with kale and chick-peas and some very tasty meat balls. The spices were faintly morrocan -- cinnamon, maybe some allspice. Again -- OK but not exciting. Ultimately it was just a little bland. The spicing was way in the background and there was just a certain lack of complexity to the whole dish. Ordinary.

I expected and wanted to like this place. The philosophy is attractive. People whose opinions I really respect and rely upon (see Mike G, above) like this place a lot. I don't know if we hit a bad night or if we are missing the boat but we just didn't love or even like our meal.

Sigh.

edk wrote:Our main courses were the porchetta and the pig head stew. I liked the porchetta better than Kasia did. It was a very good, rich, fatty piece of pork. K thought it was too one-note, but I thought that the note was good enough. Nothing wrong with it but not life-changing. The pig head stew came with kale and chick-peas and some very tasty meat balls. The spices were faintly morrocan -- cinnamon, maybe some allspice. Again -- OK but not exciting. Ultimately it was just a little bland. The spicing was way in the background and there was just a certain lack of complexity to the whole dish. Ordinary.

Some Beetniks converged on Mado last night to work on a forthcoming piece. I zeroed in on the pig head stew as my main. Granted my objectivity on Mado is a bit skewed from various relationships there, but man I found this dish hardly ordinary.

What it was most of all was filling. So filling that the unthinkable happened to me last night. I skipped dessert (actually a good thing as I am trying to emulate my wife's No S Diet.). There have been times when people have complained about the portions at Mado. No so with this. I was confronted with a very large container of food to finish. I've always liked Rob Levitt's hand in the spice jar. I've said in the past that a lot of his food has a kind of medieval taste to it, because of his mixes of sweet and savory spices. The meatballs again had his ineffable touch. And that juxtaposed well against the awfully rich pig head meat. Really, this is a dish meant to satisfy not overwhelm, and last night it did just that.

You never know how long a given Mado charcuterie item will remain on the menu, so if you get the opportunity to order the Salami Toscana, do it! Most noteworthy to me was the intoxicating, almost overwhelming aroma, imparted by some terrific red wine that was used in the curing process. Add to that heavenly smell a generous quantity of coarse ground peppercorns and fat, and my mouth is watering just thinking about the Toscana I had a Mado earlier this week. Bring a big Italian wine to go with this.