Dining Review News Today

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are already in the rearview mirror and the Holiday Season has blasted into sustained focus like a team of flying reindeer fortified by Walter White. Already I can already...

Chook is another word for chicken, which is common knowledge if you’ve been to Australia, New Zealand or a Denver restaurant bearing the name.

It’s taken Dino Maniaci most of the last year to figure out the formula, but he’s finally found his stride. Back in early 2020, Maniaci and his partner, Chris Hoke, opened D’Vino, a wine bar featuring charcuterie and an extensive list of cicchetti (think Italian tapas) in the space next to Woof’s, the bar the two have co-owned on King Street since 2006. Thanks to the pandemic, that plan lasted a mere 11 days. When the weather turned nice and made outdoor setting possible, Ma...

MADISON The COVID-19 pandemic has taken much away, and the list of restaurants that haven’t survived a full year of reduced capacity is longer than a Senate filibuster and more than enough to break any serious food-lover’s heart. But it has also given us some unexpected surprises. Pivots and pop-ups that are very much of the moment—and very much worth your time. One of the absolute best is Miller Family Meat & 3, a Southern comfort food pop-up headed by Madison’s most recogn...

The Gazettes restaurant review team The Four Dishes made the trip to Lake Geneva recently to test the tastes at Oakfire Pizzaria.

Lucy’s #7 is not your typical burger place. Located in the heart of downtown Beloit in the Phoenix building, its interior is rustic with exposed brick walls, tables with black Windsor chairs, lots of wood for that homey feel and Edison bulb fixtures that provide ambient lighting. The restaurant is named for a local woman who was a nurse, singer and pinup girl during World War II, and its website offers a fascinating look into that inspiration. It is definitely an interesting read. The staf...

MADISON With most restaurants, there are certain items on the menu that tell you all you need to know about how the establishment approaches its craft. At Alchemy Café on Madison’s east side, that item is the buffalo wings. In fact, “buffalo wings” doesn’t really describe or do this plate a finger-lick of justice. These aren’t bar-fare, out-of-the-bag wings that are fried and doused in some hopped-up Frank’s Hot Sauce. Crisped with a dry, bourbon-cocoa buffalo s...

MADISON Of all the downtown restaurants, the Settle Down Tavern might just be the one that has navigated the travails of the pandemic most successfully. Since opening its doors last May, owners Ryan Huber, Sam Parker and Brian Bartels’ compact eatery—tucked into a corner of an atrium next to the Majestic Theater—has done all it could to cater to the moment. It was among those that honed and capitalized on the “streatery” concept that allowed downtown restaurants to use ...