Nearly two years ago Chicago lost two of its best pastry chefs when Tim and Elizabeth Dahl quit their positions—at Blackbird and Boka, respectively—had a kid, and headed north for Madison to open their own place. Capitol Square in Tim’s hometown—site of a recent restaurant boomlet—is also the scene of their return to the restaurant world, a “Mediterranean” but largely Italian-leaning casual spot that couldn’t be more different from the relatively rarefied environments they left behind.
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It’s wedged into a stuffy angled space in the pie slice landmark Jackman Building on the corner of the square, the majority of the dining area running down a corridor to the side of the kitchen that imparts the illusion of extra space thanks to the tall, wide windows that look out on the dramatically lit Capitol Building.
What’s a bit startling is the amount of seafood on the menu, and a dull yellowtail crudo with grilled octopus raises questions about the advisability of ordering raw fish in smaller midwestern cities. But I had to forget them after tasting a tomatoey brodetto with crispy pieces of snapper and plump, sweet mussels fired with chile oil. And a grilled sturgeon fillet was just an excellent piece of fish set in a relatively complicated plating with chickpea aioli, artichokes, and olives with a tangy salsa verde.
111 S. Hamilton, Madison
608-395-3295
nostranomadison.com
