Avenue Bar & Grill

Published by Brad Smith | 0 comments

Welcome home. This is what you want to feel after a long day and a long day we had. An hour drive through LA traffic to the airport, another on the tarmac for a weather delay, another 5 on the plane to Chicago, and yet another 3 driving. All this time brought us to Madison Wisconsin and where our first stop was not a hotel, but to Avenue Bar and Grill where we arrived, on a Friday evening, just in time for the ‘Fish Fry.’ Welcome home.

For those of you who are not familiar with what a fish fry is (which was the case for me) allow me to explain: it’s a Wisconsin tradition that dates back to the 1920’s when German Catholics settled into the area. Their religious beliefs required that they abstain from eating meat on Fridays, so they had gatherings where a meal of fried fish, potatoes, and coleslaw was served. Today many of the locally owned Wisconsin  eateries offer a Friday fish fry special but none do it better then Avenue Bar and Grill.

From the moment we stepped in we were welcomed with a warm smile and the amazing, friendly staff made us feel like we had been coming in for years. Sitting at our table, I couldn’t help but be reminded of dinners at my grandmother’s house where I always ate the best comfort food I can remember.  Our server, Rene, came and spoke with us like we were old friends and her 27 years of experience and love of the job showed.

The menu included the traditional German fish fry as well as a traditionally Scandinavian fish boil, that is actually a steamed fish and potato dinner, and we were lucky enough to have both. Everything we ate was fantastic, fresh, and made from mainly local ingredients and to top off the amazing food we were also treated to a full list of locally made craft beers.

For a first timer to Madison, this was the perfect welcome meal and the whole experience, from the first sip of my Hopalicious IPA to the wonderful peanutbutter pie that ended our meal, it was comfort food that gives grandma a run for her money. Sorry Nana but it’s true and as a newcomer to Wisconsin I loved the experience of stopping at Avenue Bar and Grill for a night of midwest comfort food and hospitality at its finest.

Click here to watch The Savvy Stews visit The Avenue Bar & Grill

 

Savvy Stews EXCLUSIVE
Here’s what you didn’t see at Avenue Bar & Grill in Episode 1:

 

Photos from Avenue Bar & Grill. Click on them to enlarge.