Laura Zastrow
A wonderful beurre blanc dresses a meaty piece of sea bass and two perfectly seared scallops.
Around the middle of May, something strange started happening on my social media feeds. Friends and acquaintances all started posting the exact same picture — the eastern side of the state Capitol, taken from about the same height as the dome. Some featured props like wine glasses, others were gleeful selfies. Where was this fun rooftop party, and why was I not invited?!
Turns out, everyone has been hanging out at Eno Vino Downtown, the restaurant in the new AC Hotel at 1 N. Webster St. Occupying the building’s 10th floor (and part of the 9th), the sleek and elegant space offers truly impressive panoramic views of the city, both lakes and the aforementioned white granite building. Even the women’s restroom has floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing a gorgeous view of Lake Mendota.
This is the second location for Eno Vino, a wine bar and bistro that has been a favorite on the far west side for years. The downtown site’s menu offerings are similar to what you’d find at the original — tapas, bruschettas, flatbread pizzas, soups, salads. But while Eno Vino West specializes in rather predictable sharable plates, the new restaurant tiptoes into slightly more adventurous territory — with varying degrees of success.
My first visit was on a weeknight slightly later than the normal dinner hour. I had hoped to avoid the rush, but the dining room, which seats about 80, was still packed. Luckily, you can order food at the bar, which seats about 40, or at one of the adjacent high-top tables. And if those areas are full, head down to the 9th floor where there’s another bar, plus a lounge area and patio.
The two-dozen sharable plates draw inspiration from French, Spanish, Mexican, Italian and American cuisines. Eno Vino does a nice version of the increasingly popular poke bowl, featuring salmon tossed in a ginger chili mayo and tuna dressed with a pineapple sweet and sour sauce, served atop a bed of wakame (a type of seaweed). It’s served with a side of fried wonton chips. It’s a simple yet substantial dish, perfect for sharing. I could have done with less mayo and more sweet and sour, but the flavors were nice and the fish was high quality.
Another seafood dish, sea bass and scallops, was even better. A nice meaty piece of fish come topped with a cool, slightly sweet tomato jam and garnished elegantly with a fried basil leaf. It’s accompanied by two perfectly seared scallops, and underneath everything is a truly wonderful beurre blanc made with verjus, an unfermented grape juice similar to a mild vinegar.
There’s not much in terms of vegetable-centric tapas, but spicy ponzu-glazed brussels sprouts with crushed peanuts were okay (though I’d describe them as salty-sweet instead of spicy). Piquillo peppers come three to an order, stuffed with Manchego cheese and ground veal and generously topped with a cheesy Mornay sauce and a drizzle of chili oil. But the veal was bland and gritty, and the rich accoutrements didn’t quite save it.
I used the extra Mornay as a dipping sauce for the chicharrones, because I am both shameless and an innovator. I am also obsessed with fried pork skins (aka carb-free chips!). At Eno Vino, they’re huge, amazingly light and crispy and dusted with white cheddar and chili powder. It was like eating bacon-flavored bubble wrap (I mean that in a good way). But I wanted more spice!
The turkey leg confit was recommended by a server who praised its gargantuan size and fall-off-the bone texture. It was as long as my forearm (and significantly meatier) and quite tender, but the preparation was tragically unappetizing — a sparse bed of limp napa cabbage, a sprinkling of “crispy” red lentils that added neither flavor nor texture, a cranberry agrodolce that was pretty much just Craisins in a vaguely sweet brown liquid. Chicken lollipops were much better, fried to a delicate crisp and served with a rich “moody bleu cream.” I thought the shiitake giardiniera slaw was weird at first, but it actually kind of worked.
If you want the best food in Madison, go somewhere else. But if you want the best view in Madison and some pretty good food, give Eno Vino Downtown a shot. And make sure to get your selfie.
Eno Vino Downtown
1 N. Webster St.; 608-455-0663; enovinodowntown.com
Dinner 4 pm-10 pm Sun.-Thurs., 4 pm-11 pm Fri.-Sat.; $8-$30
