Christmas Dinner 2008 - one for the books

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas meal with family and friends, we sure did. It was a holidaypalooza, we had Linda's traditional Holiday fare - pirogi, polish sausage, horseradish, oysters on the half-shell, and shrimp all very tasty (I love these traditions) and then combined it with some more fare - Roasted prime rib, broccoli with cheese sauce, au jus. It was a feast that everyone enjoyed as we celebrated the joys of being together and giving thanks for a wonderful holiday. After dinner some yummy baked goods that Linda has being making for a number of years hit the table - Chocolate scotcharoos, her almond toffee, bear paw cookies and the classic chocolate chip all added a sweet finish to the evening. Lets just say we had enough for 15 people but only five of us to tackle the feasting table.


As we wind down 2008 I want to thank some off the folks that make our life special as it relates to food and drink.

• Jim Goggin who's $10 wine exchange has been great fun all year - we sent some good one s and he returned the favor. If you can't find something for $10 or less you are just not tasting enough wine.
• The gang at Seafood Center - we could not live without our fish mongers - Bob, Bob and Tom you guys always have the freshest fish in town. Thank you for your wonderful service.
• Nate and Gabe at Sardine - thank you for always making us feel special every time we come in for either a drink or meal.
• Micheal and Patrick at Lombardino's - you always deliver an outstanding and thoughtful dinning experience - innovative too!
• Joesf and his gang at Monroe St Bistro - you guys rock and your attention to personal service with great food and drink is simply the best.

We so appreciate everyone that touches our lives when it comes to service, food and beverages. The common denominator is the love and passion that is shared around something as simple as a meal or drink. Thank you so much!

Monroe St Bistro for Saturday Lunch

Another blustery Saturday of running around town left us hungry to get out of the cold and something warm in our tummy's. Like I said we had made the complete circuit around Madison, east side to the west and then downtown. We both craved something delicious with a bit of holiday cheer on the side. We headed to Monroe St Bistro for a burger and a Bloody Mary two of our favorite Saturday lunch items. Why MSB, because the chef uses local beef from Fountain Prairie Farms, cheese from Hook's and they make amazing frites the old fashion way. So we dropped in and sat at the bar - the real treat is having the owner Joesph wait on us. We love that he always remembers us and ask a question that signals he truly cares about getting to know his customers. We order a couple of bloody Marys and to our surprise the mix is made in house - it is fresh, lively with multiple layers of flavor that tickle our taste buds. A salad in a glass basically to go with our burgers. We ordered the MSB Burger - cooked to order with think sliced fried onions that are caramelized to bring out the sweetness, thin sliced ripe Roma tomatoes and Hook's white cheddar cheese all served on a toasted ciabatta roll with house-made aoli. What an awesome burger warm and tasty to take away the chill of the now falling snow. You know I know burgers - I do them for a living but Linda is a burger lover from way back and she has had a lot of good and bad burgers in her travels. This one she says is so good because the meat and the flavor of the meat is just amazing. The flavor is steaky and beefy with lots of juiciness - not greasy but juice running down her hand. I think they have built a wonderful signature burger that for $12 delivers a great dining experience served with a stack of salted frites that amek the meal complete. This was our first lunch visit to MSB the other two times have been for late night dinner - and the menu delivers on those occasions. So if you have not had the pleasure of dining at the Monroe St Bistro by all means stop by and have a drink or a nosh with Joesph, Rebbecca and the rest of the crew. Once you stop in you will go back again and again to a place you can call your own.

Monroe St Bistro
Hours
MONDAY-SATURDAY - 11am-bar time
SUNDAY - closed
LUNCH 11am-4pm
SMALL PLATES 4pm-5pm
DINNER 5pm-11pm
LATE NIGHT MENU until 1:30am

Location
MAP 2611 MONROE ST., MADISON, WI 53711