Why we sit at the Bar

I wanted to share with you one of the reasons we sit at the bar and dine in almost any city. Frankly it gives us a chance to have a one to one relationship with the bartender and the service ends up being far better. Case in point the other night we made a late night dinner stop on the way home from teaching our Retro Diner cooking class. We stopped at one of the few late night spots we have in Madison, Sardine. It is always great to stop have a drink and a nosh at the bar with Nate the bar manager providing excellent service. The entire bar staff at Sardine excels in great bar service - genuine, friendly and treat you with great care. Recently they have added a 2 item late night menu at the bar for after 9 pm: a hand made burger with frites and a fried wall-eye sandwich. We love the burger and it is a nice change from our menu favorites of Mussels with frites or the Duck Confit salad. This is the salad that is by far one of the best in the entire country, it always meets expectation. But again back to why we sit at the bar, we feel more welcome and enjoy the conversation we have with others around us but also the bartender. Nine times out of ten we would rather eat at the bar even in a high end restaurant.

Oh but as far as Sardine the reason we rank it as one of the very best places in Madison is that the chef owners are always present. One of them is always in the kitchen making sure that the food is executed to their vision. It is this same philosophy and leadership that transfer to their staff and guides them to give great service, especially at the bar. Next time you are hungry at 10 pm - check out the gang at Sardine. You will go back again and again because it feels like your place.