I was a college junior when the original Great Dane opened in downtown Madison. My post graduation lunch was the first of many times where I brought out of town guests there due to their variety of pub fare and in-house brews. Over the years I’ve come and gone from Madison but The Great Dane has always been a reliable choice. The key word in that sentence is reliable. If you asked me to name my top 10 restaurants in Madison I’m not sure that the Dane would make it but I can tell you it’s a restaurant I eat at more often then half of those on the list.
The Hilldale location is the third Great Dane in the area (a fourth just opened outside of Madison in Wasau). Closer to my home then the downtown version or the uneven Fitchburg location, the Hilldale version recently went through a renovation and expansion thanks to its huge popularity since opening there in 2006. The décor is pretty similar to the other locations: pool hall in the back, cozy bar stalls and then a quieter dining area.
One reason I’ve always suggested the Dane for groups is that while the menu is full of pub fare, it is rather unique in its combinations. On a recent visit my group started off with the calamari. The squid itself was rather mundane but the addition of banana peppers and a spicy tomato sauce picked the dish up. A starter I can speak very enthusiastically of is the brown ale onion soup. I tend to avoid soups but this version of French onion was full of gooey Swiss cheese and the bread underneath had just the right amount of sturdiness. On my last visit I tried out the bacon mac and cheese pizza and yes it was as delightfully sinful as it sounds. While mac and cheese pizza has become more ubiquitous in this day and age of bistro pizza shops, Great Dane’s certainly stands out. The quality of the ingredients really set this pie apart especially the bacon and the crust laced with garlic oil. The 9-inch pie sounded small on paper but I ended up taking half of it home. My partner has become quite taken with the prime rib special on Saturdays and for the price I think its one of the best values in town. The skin on mashed potatoes and green beans that accompany the 16oz. piece of meat are not just afterthoughts either. Amongst the sandwiches I must point out two standouts. The brat and bacon pretzel burger was recently named the best burger in Wisconsin by Food Network magazine and while I won’t go that far, I’ll say it’s definitely in the top 10. The bun however is the greatest bun I’ve ever had in my life. The idea of a pretzel bun is again not new, but the execution is flawless. I’d order a dozen burgers at a time if only to take extra buns home with me. The brat, bacon and beef all retain their individuality and the homemade brown mustard deserves a spot in the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb. The other sandwich worth writing about recently left the menu. Don’t worry though folks the Dane often rotates dishes in and out so I have no doubt the meatloaf grinder will be back shortly. Served on a French roll (would be better on a pretzel roll, but I digress) the meatloaf sits upon fried onion straws, jalapenos and yes, mashed potatoes. In case you haven’t figured it out, the Dane is not a place to “eat light”. I could continue on about the solid food performance but I must mention the beer itself. Currently the Hilldale Dane is offering their Texas Speedbump IPA, which is one of my favorites. Not quite as hoppy as you might expect. Other standouts are the regular Landmark Lite and the seasonal Velvet Hammer bock and Tri-pepper pilsner.
Service has always been a standout at the Dane and the Hilldale version excels for the most part. I’d say their front of the house staff could use some more tips on seating. On the last two occasions I’ve had to lift a table out of the way for my pregnant partner and on the last trip we weren’t even offered the option the opportunity to sit outside. The wait staff though is knowledgeable and willing to do just about anything for you. On one recent visit we got numerous updates and apologies when the kitchen was a bit overwhelmed and on another we got some great recommendations including that amazing onion soup.
I’m guessing that once we welcome baby pop culture fanatic to the world, we may take a break from the Great Dane since we’ve ate there so often lately. That being said I can’t imagine another visit can’t be too far away thanks to their consistency from the tap and the kitchen.
Great Dane (Hilldale), 357 Price Place, Madison, WI, 608-661-9400
1 comment:
Excellent Review, Narrative Boy! The Great Dane is one of the few places I actually miss from the years when i lived and worked closer to the square! Glad to hear that the Hilldale location is expanding- it brings a little downtown character to the bleakness of the apartment complexes that permeate the Midvale area.
When the downtown Great Dane opened I was working downtown for a nonprofit organization (one of the many drastic mistakes I made during the 1990s), and i would walk up to the suare at lunch time, back when it was shaking every few minutes during the workday, due to the blasts of the huge holes being made in the lake bottom to house the supports for the new convention center. The old Fess hotel always had dust spewing forth and i noticed it was a really groovy old building in there and wondered what was going in there.
I missed the multi-storied antique store that was on the corner where the poolroom is now, but I soon found her daughter's shop down on Willy Street, and was of course enchanted by the full bodied ales of many flavors. Then, when my parents came to visit, I figured out why the Dane even bothers to brew Landmark Gold and Crop Circle Wheat. The same reason that restaurants with rather esoteric and interesting menus also have a kids menu with mac'n'cheese and chicken fingers on it. Some people just need familiar options.
Remember how, when Great Dane started, they were serving their porter as a dessert beer with fresh rasberries in it? I'm not sure that "chocolate covered raspberries" is still officially on the menue or if they only have the raspberries around in season, but that experience started a fifteen year fascination with beers that hint at or evoke, or hit-ya-over-the-head-with a dark cocoa flavor. Also I believe discontinued is their veggie chilli which was a good substitute for meat in a lot of their appetizers and entrees. But they still have a lot of good vegetarian options, from what I can recall. I haven't been to the Fitchburg location, and only once last year I went to the Hilldale Great Dane, and really liked it.
Microbrews and beer pubs have come a long way since Great Dane first fermented, but it's still really special. In 2001 I had a friend in town from Wichita, and after introducing him to the wonder of Broom Street Theatre, we went to the downtown Dane. He said there was no place in his town (a place three times the size of Madison) that served such interesting flavors of good beer, nor any that had such an interesting late-night menu. I have always liked the friendly staff there, too. I cant remember ever being served by people who were typical of the too-good-to-sell-you-anything attitude of downtown Madison retail.
Great, I just ate a bunch of veggies and now you've got me thinking about a "pretzel bun." Curses....
Thanks for sharing your thoughts it was a really fun read!
(I think this comment is going to show my e-blogger username, but it's really from Betty Granda, of JDC and the book of face :-D
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