Lunch at Madoka
Madoka is now open for lunch, Wednesday through Saturday. Debbie and I ate there last Thursday.
We started by sharing the chipotle red clam chowder. It was great. Lots of clam meat, rich flavor made more interesting with a bit of smoky chipotle and bacon. I think it's my favorite clam chowder ever.
For a main course, I had the American Kobe Beef burger. These photos were taken with my cellphone, so they're pretty low-quality:
The burger was served on a ciabatta bun. I asked for it rare, and they obliged. It had dry jack cheese, arugula, and a fruit chutney that I don't recall on top, and came with taro and yam chips. It was really yummy. $14
Debbie had the BLT.
It's also served on a ciabatta bun. The bacon is house-cured and smoked, and is fantastic--really meaty and flavorful. It's made with kurobuta black pork. I think I'd use sliced toasted bread (pain au levain or something) instead of the bun for this. You can either get chips or sriricha slaw, and Debbie got the slaw. It tasted a bit like kimchee but not so intense. I liked it a lot. $12.
For dessert we shared the coconut-ricotta ice cream with chocolate rum sauce, which was good--lots of coconut gave it an interesting texture, and it's served with a piece of rich, flakey shortbread.
Overall, the food was excellent, and the prices are reasonable--less than some other restaurants in town, for much better food. (I know, $14 for a burger, but it was "American Kobe beef", which is always pretty expensive. You'd pay $25 in New York...)
My only criticism of Madoka is that they might consider getting some better serviceware. They have a very elegant interior and then bring food on plates and silverware that look like they came from a diner. They don't have small spoons for serving with espresso, so you have to stir it with a teaspoon.
UPDATE: Had lunch there again. They really do have reasonable prices for lunch--pasta dishes for $10, and their take on a Salde Niçoise that I had was $12. The salad I had consisted of flash-grilled tuna that was cut into cubes, baby lettuce, green beans, and a not-quite-hard-boiled (whatever you call that) egg. As the weather gets better, the patio will be a good option.
We started by sharing the chipotle red clam chowder. It was great. Lots of clam meat, rich flavor made more interesting with a bit of smoky chipotle and bacon. I think it's my favorite clam chowder ever.
For a main course, I had the American Kobe Beef burger. These photos were taken with my cellphone, so they're pretty low-quality:
The burger was served on a ciabatta bun. I asked for it rare, and they obliged. It had dry jack cheese, arugula, and a fruit chutney that I don't recall on top, and came with taro and yam chips. It was really yummy. $14
Debbie had the BLT.
It's also served on a ciabatta bun. The bacon is house-cured and smoked, and is fantastic--really meaty and flavorful. It's made with kurobuta black pork. I think I'd use sliced toasted bread (pain au levain or something) instead of the bun for this. You can either get chips or sriricha slaw, and Debbie got the slaw. It tasted a bit like kimchee but not so intense. I liked it a lot. $12.
For dessert we shared the coconut-ricotta ice cream with chocolate rum sauce, which was good--lots of coconut gave it an interesting texture, and it's served with a piece of rich, flakey shortbread.
Overall, the food was excellent, and the prices are reasonable--less than some other restaurants in town, for much better food. (I know, $14 for a burger, but it was "American Kobe beef", which is always pretty expensive. You'd pay $25 in New York...)
My only criticism of Madoka is that they might consider getting some better serviceware. They have a very elegant interior and then bring food on plates and silverware that look like they came from a diner. They don't have small spoons for serving with espresso, so you have to stir it with a teaspoon.
UPDATE: Had lunch there again. They really do have reasonable prices for lunch--pasta dishes for $10, and their take on a Salde Niçoise that I had was $12. The salad I had consisted of flash-grilled tuna that was cut into cubes, baby lettuce, green beans, and a not-quite-hard-boiled (whatever you call that) egg. As the weather gets better, the patio will be a good option.
posted by Peter at 10:10 AM
