Wine in Wisconsin?
While admittedly not as easy to find a pleasant spot to have a glass of wine in downtown Madison as it is to find cocktails or beer, we did find a lovely spot called Field Market, just across from the Capitol. We were just killing time before our dinner reservation, and were delighted to have a glass and get to know our bartender, Sean from Boston. Now, if you are reading this, make sure you pronounce it as Sean, not Shawn. As he said, you know, Irish Catholic from Boston. The more he talked the the accent came out. My first guess was he was there, or had come, because of the university. Nope. He had grown up in Boston and Cape Cod, but moved to Minnesota and then Madison with his parents. He can’t wait to get back to Boston, Steamers (the whole clam bellies, not strips), and oh, he really did say Harvard...now say it like you mean it...Pahk the cah near Hahvahd....If had to guess, he studied biology, or some other natural science since he talked quite a bit about ecosystems, and seemed to know about geography and history too.
Next, our dinner at Harvest was spectacular. We started with an amuse bouchée from the chef, which was a pea shoot in a citrus cream. Wow! Woke my tastebuds right up! We shared a beet salad, with beets five ways: Raw, roasted, pickled, beet chips, and darned if I can remember the 5th! It came with some Wisconsin cheese, and was a great start to our dinner. The appetizer special was prawns with frito mixto (cauliflower, eggplant and carrots lightly batter and fried) and a garlic aioli. Chris ordered the walleye (a white fish native to Canada and the Northern USA) with a pico de gallo style salsa and an avocado cream purée.
Walleye is worth a digression. Very popular amongst anglers and one of the most popular fishes in Wisconsin, walleye was also at the center of what has become known as “The Walleye War.” This war, feud, battle, protest? went on for quite some time between local Native American Tribes and local sport fishing communities. The tribes insisted that they had fishing and hunting rights on their former territories based on several treaties but the locals did not want them spearing walleye during spawning season. The courts ruled in favor of the tribes, more than once, and ultimately the protests were stopped. Fish is not just fish in Wisconsin, and probably not anywhere.
My meal was delicious with no battle cries. The Berkshire pork chop was cooked perfectly and plate atop a Carmen Pepper Romesco with charred Swiss chard. My only complaint is there was really not enough chard!
We shared a bottle of 2014 Ridge Merlot that paired perfectly with both our meals, and finished with homemade pear ice cream
If you are in Madison, and like fine dining and wine, Harvest has my vote!
