Last month my gal pal Jessie and I visited our Missouri State Capital, Jefferson City, MO and on our trip we had the pleasure of dining out at Madison's Cafe in downtown Jefferson City. If I am completely honest with you, I have fear of trying new restaurants as you never know what you are getting...to be completely frank, I have a limited vocabulary when it comes to food, seriously in our house it's meat, taters, and beans! Giving that I have no clue what to pair my food with, how to say six different types of cheese in Italian, or a clue how to order many appetizers in 5 different language.
I have developed my own technique for getting a true experience when visiting a new restaurant, when the waiter or waitress comes to take my order I simply tell them what I can or can't have ( I am allergic to shrimp, and have intolerance to aspartame) and tell them not to let me down. Of course this often catches the folks I am dining with off guard, but never fails I get the best of the best and truly get to experience the restaurants unique flavor.
I pulled my unique technique at Madison's Cafe in Jefferson City...I remember my waiter standing there stumped for a while, but he did me right as he carted out our delicious appetizers, picked me out the most delicious entree, and all with a smile on his face.
My appetizers:
Calamari - Lightly floured calamari rings with flash fried red peppers and fresh spinach, served with our chipotle raspberry dipping sauce.
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| Mad Crab Stack |
Mad Crab Stack - Stacks of chunked avocado, pico de gallo, quartered artichoke hearts, chopped red
peppers, lump crab meat, served atop a basil pesto swirl with sweet red wine vinaigrette dressing on the side.
Talk about too pretty to eat, I never would have thought anything with artichoke hearts could be so pretty, well this was....and even better it was so yummy I think I could have just ordered this for lunch and been just fine!
My Entree:
After all my mouthwatering appetizers, I had decided that my waiter either knew how to read my mind, or he wanted to make sure I didn't need to eat for a few days! For my lunch he carted me out a giant plate of Rigatoni Quatro Fromage, okay I am not Italian, I am from the Midwest, but there is one thing you have to know about us Midwest girls we like to eat our dairy....especially our CHEESE. Rigatoni Quatro Fromage is a combination of FOUR CHEESES.....as my momma always tells everyone "Becky is my cheese lover" and she is soooo correct!
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The proper description of Rigatoni Quatro Fromage (okay, I stole it from Madison's menu) is:
Rigatoni noodles prepared in a cream sauce with fresh diced tomatoes and a blend of parmigiano, asiago, muenster, and gorgonzola cheeses....to sum it up, you probably better just wear your stretchy pants!
Now for me, not matter how yummy the food is, how cute the restaurant looks, the thing I judge the most when dining out is my service....Madison's did not let me down either. Madison's is located just blocks from The Capitol Building, so it is obvious that there are far more important people than me dining at this place, however, I felt like I was my waiters only customer (even though I saw him waiting on others). He remembered what I was drinking, even remembered that I was allergic to shrimp, and he always had a smile on his face. If I was to return to Madison's (and I am sure I will someday) I would not hesitate to have a gal pal lunch date, dine out with my kids (age 5 & 9) or even have a late evening romantic dinner....the place is just that diversified!
To see Madison's full menu, hours, specials, and learn more about this "happy place" in Jefferson City, MO visit their website.
Have an Adventurous Day!
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