We will be driving up from the Chicago area, and sleeping on the west side of Madison. Actually anywhere convenient, easy access , is fine. Type of food? No need for gourmet, just a pleasant place to stop before retiring on this road trip. Thanks.

P.S. We have been to Madison a couple times, so .. keep that in mind. We do not NEED to go into town and see it. Prefer to stay on outskirts, if posible.

We like Bluephies at 2701 Monroe. Interesting food, fun place, not expensive.

thanks. I have taken note. I also see Eno Vino Wine Bar is not far from our hotel. Any comments?

For the west side, I would recommend Quivey's Grove (a little expensive) or the Great Dane in Fitchburg (less expensive. It's a bar/restaurant with good food and great beer.) There is a Tutto Pasta on University Avenue that is good as well.

All of my favorite places are downtown, though. If you're willing to venture there, I would recommend Harvest, Kabul, Ocean Grill, or the Old Fashioned.

thanks again!

We've been to Eno Vino and the food was wonderful. We didn't realize that it is all appetizers and wine. It could get expensive to make it a meal.

We really like 2 restaurants in Middleton, (west & not far from Hwy 12). We like Louisiannes for Cajun insprired food in a neat atmosphere. Something different than the run of the mill.
http://www.louisiannes.com/
Next door there is a small Italian restaurant called Vin Santos that we enjoy.

If you are in the mood for steak, there is Delahney's on the west side as well. It serves our favorite steak in the city but the seafood is only average.

At Quivey's Grove you may eat in what they term "the Stable". It has a less expensive menu and loads of rustic atmosphere.

The other choice is to eat in the more expensive "Stone House" which is an old farm house with lots of quilts hanging. It is charming and has a regular dinner menu. There is a tunnel that connects the two. I hear they are also seating on the grounds outside under a tent. It is normally their venue for weddings and big events.

Quivey's is another of my favorites..
http://www.quiveysgrove.com/

This is great! Thank you!

Quivey's Grove is one of my favorite "fancy" places but if you are just looking for a wonderful meal right in downtown Middleton is Hubbard Avenue Diner. Our family has eaten here dozens of time when in Madison. Maybe a 10 minute drive from West Towne.
http://www.foodfightinc.com/hubbard.htm

Soups and salads are always fresh, homemade and fantastic but my favorite is the tuna steak, wonderful fresh dill sauce. Busy place but clean and servers are polite and attentive. Portions are a little large so you may want to share. The place is famous for all their bakery items, especially pie.

keeps getting better!

If Eno Vino is close to your hotel then Biaggi's Italian will be close too as they are next to each other. Biaggi's is a chain, so nothing special to Madison, but I have had two good meals there. It is casual and easy if that suits what you are looking for that night.

I will tell you where we went and what we thought. Thanks for all the suggestions. I will pass them on to family who might also be driving this way.

Is it too late to respond? La Baguette on Mineral Point Road is definitely one of the gems of Madison's Westside. It seems like it should be downtown, but nope, it is out with us in mall land. It is owned by a French couple who strive to produce actual French pastries. Great place to go for a light breakfast or for a delicious lunch. Why, just yesterday I had a ham and brie sandwich served on a baguette. Delicious. Here is a link: http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/ar...?article=23832

well, as so often happens, timing did not accompany us that afternoon/evening. We got into a TERRIBLE traffic jam, finally managed to get off the road, were running very late, and called the friend who we were going to try to have dinner with somehwere

As luck plays it, however, we had gotten off near her house, and just went to a convenient, very tasty Jamaican place, I think in the southern part of the beltway.

I have passed these suggestions on as I have family who ocasionally goes that way. If I am ever up that way again, I certainly will give one or two of them a try.

I DID go to other places recommended in Osseo and Minneapolis.. so at least everyone's efforts weren't in vain.

Thanks for all the help,I really appreciated it.

Hey, Lin, don't feel bad about not using the recommendations. They won't go to waste! Our son goes to UW so we're up there overnight at least two or three times a year. And we're always looking for new places to eat. Though we love the ethnic restaurants on State Street, it's not always convenient to go there. So I'm very glad you started this thread! Lot's of good ideas here.

Oops, meant to ask you about the Jamaican place where you wound up eating. It sounds good!

I bet they went to David's Jamaican Restaurant on Monona Drive. I have an acquaintance from Jamaica and that is her favorite restaurant. Not fancy but good food.

Yes.. that´s it! I knew it was a man's name!

A fellow in Starbucks, where they very nicely lent me their phone to make a call after not finding a pay phone anywhere, recommended it as it was just down the road a bit. She had never been there but also really liked it.

If you do go there.. the portions are large, we could have shared.

Thank you both very much! We'll definitely put it on our "list"!

CAPH52.. this is a glorified picnic type place.. very very basic, not sparkling and cute.. but served our purpose for quick road meal. The ladies running the place are very sweet..

Thanks, Lin! Glad to have more info as the only thing I could find when I googled it was a link that gave the address and a map. Sounds like it would've been just what we needed for lunch last weekend when we were trying to avoid State Street on "move in" weekend. Definitely a place to keep in mind.