My husband and I really enjoy eating at the bar of our favorite restaurants. There are many reasons: no reservations needed; it’s more casual and laid-back; there is a convivial feeling when sitting at the bar; and most importantly you avoid the No. 1 pitfall of dining: the bad server who either interrupts the meal too often with “how is everything tasting?” — grammatically incorrect and annoying, especially when you’ve just taken a big bite of your dinner; or the opposite — a waiter who takes your order and you never see until the bill arrives. There really is nothing like a truly professional server to make the meal just right (a topic for another blog?), but too often that isn’t the case, hence eating at the bar. The bartender is there to pour you a drink right away and the formalities of the server/diner relationship are missing. Sounds like a perfect combination to me.
Over the next few weeks, I will be bellying up to the bar (literally, as I am 8 weeks shy of giving birth) to hit some of the area’s restaurants that allow dining at their bar. Here are my criteria:
- Must be locally owned — sorry, no chains.
- The full menu must be available at the bar — abbreviated bar menus don’t count.
- It must be a restaurant that has a bar at which food is served and not a bar that happens to serve food.
What’s in season: Kale
Dark, leafy and oh-so-good for you! With so many varieties at the local market, it’s time to dig in. Roughly chopped and sautéed in olive oil with a little red onion, red chile flakes, and some balsamic vinegar, it’s the perfect side dish with any protein; or swap the vinegar for soy sauce and eat with brown rice for a perfect vegetarian dinner. Yum.
February 11th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Sarah - what are some of your favorite restaurants to eat at the bar in Madison?
February 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Any good Kale Recipes to share?
February 13th, 2008 at 11:47 am
It’s funny, I also like to eat at the bar, although I don’t think I’ve ever really admited it to myself. Whenever the tables are full and only the bar is open, I always get a little bit excited.