A Little More Madison, Please

When The Boy and I were in the beginning stages of our budding relationship, we swore the plan was to spend at least one romantic weekend getaway exploring the small isthmus town of Madison, WI. But then time flew by, and The Boy and I hadn’t managed to get away at all. In a last minute decision, we packed two weekenders, a few road meals, and a camera into my Jeep and set route to Madison.

We arrived at the Mansion Hill Inn, a luxurious boutique hotel located on North Pinckney Street and only a short walk from downtown Madison. The historic property was designed and built back in 1857. Each room is unique and features rainfall showers, European linens, and a daily fresh-baked cookie with a fun fact and weather report. The hotel also offers complimentary access to B-Cycles, Madison’s bike sharing program, but after a four-hour drive from Minneapolis, biking was the last thing on the brain. Food was
our focus.

Down the road just a few blocks away lies Graze, a high-end and local interpretation of the New York gastropub scene, and the brainchild of Executive Chef Tory Miller. Not set on stuffing our faces but still satisfying our belly, The Boy quickly gravitated to the Wisconsin Meat & Cheese Board, also known as a charcuterie board (an item which quickly became his go-to selection on the trip) and I found myself staring down a plate of deviled eggs and Fried Cesar’s cheese curds. The meal was quick, delicious, and of a standard that showed us the city of Madison had far more to offer than we originally anticipated.

Waking up the next morning, the natural light streaming through the windows from our own private balcony made it difficult to leave, but The Boy and I knew in order to survive this trip we would need good, quality alone time — which lead him to CrossFit Recursive and me to The Studio. Each located on the edge of town on Williamson Street, the two facilities are impeccable and more than accommodating for travelers looking to drop-in for a workout. But a fair warning to those with pet allergies, CrossFit Recursive is also home to a well-behaved gym dog that is more than friendly and has no problem going in for a little extra love.

Dinner that night took the two of us to a town favorite — The Tipsy Cow and tipsy was a pretty accurate description. With an hour-plus wait time, the Tipsy Cow doesn’t take reservations, so plan accordingly. We feasted on an order of truffle fries, two tipsy burgers (two 1/4 pound Knoche’s Market patties, 3-yr cheddar, onion, Widmer’s brick, Nueske’s bacon, tipsy sauce, and Mike’s pickles) and washed it all down with the help of a Tipsy Punch and a Tipsy Rita. And by the end of the meal we were indeed tipsy, but that didn’t stop us from jetting across town to Plan B, the high-energy gay club — the Tracks of downtown Madison. With a full drag show in progress, we watched as several local performers took to the stage serving high hair and even higher kicks.

Admittedly hung over, but extremely excited, we woke up Saturday morning at the crack of dawn to experience all the hype surrounding the Dane County Farmers’ Market — and it was massive. The Saturday tradition began in 1972 and features everything from meats, cheeses, flowers, vegetables, and other specialty products from more than 300 vendors and is the largest farmers market in the Midwest. Along the path visitors can also experience live performances from local opera singers, violinists, and even a magician with more than few tricks up his sleeve. Yeah, I said it.

After wandering the farmer’s market for a few hours, nothing pleased us more than a hot shower and a hot meal. While making our way to Merchant was easy, it was deciding where to start on the menu that was tough. After a charcuterie plate and fried local cheese curds tossed in buffalo sauce, and two handcrafted original cocktails, we were finally able to take our time and soak in the menu. Provided with a map of all the locally-sourced ingredients, we were able to find exactly where our delicious braised duck breast was raised. But by the end of the entrée, we didn’t care where on the map our beets were sourced for the red beet & dark chocolate cake, — we just knew it was delicious and easily our favorite dessert on the trip.

The final day in Madison, though bittersweet, couldn’t have ended on a better note. Sardine, a lakeside bistro, offers an amazing view of Lake Monona and an even better brunch selection. With material sourced directly from the Dane County Farmers’ Market and local town favorite Underground Butcher, this foodie favorite opened its doors in 2006 and never looked back, which can’t be said about The Boy and me.

As we drove the long stretch home, we couldn’t help but look back and wish for just a little more time on the isthmus. And while, at one point in time, Madison may have just been another throwaway college town, that certainly isn’t the case anymore. Madison has managed to become a thriving destination spot with all the glorious amenities of big city life without all the hassle and attitude of big city bitches.