4 Sisters Tapas Restaurant
Seafood specialties at 4 Sisters include a nachos-esque tuna tartare.
Over the past decade, Verona has become a suburban hotspot. Not coincidentally, dining options are expanding. Now Verona even has tapas, in the new retail development a stone’s throw from the Wisconsin Brewing Company.
4 Sisters Tapas Restaurant, sister to the 4 Sisters Wine Bar & Tapas Restaurant in La Crosse, has been open since October. The menu — not strictly Spanish-style tapas — has a nice variety among small and large plates, along with soups and salads.
My table of four jumped right into the tapas menu with the tuna tartare, a fun way to start off the meal. This upscale version of nachos features sashimi-grade ahi tuna diced and scattered across crispy wonton chips. A drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil add a hint of flavor, but the tuna doesn’t need much (though a dollop of wasabi comes on the side). There’s also a nice little slaw with shredded purple and Napa cabbage, carrots and edamame that adds texture to the dish.
The prosciutto-wrapped shrimp was another fine choice. Two large shrimp came tightly wrapped with salty prosciutto, nicely arranged atop poblano cream and garnished with a few microgreens. The only complaint here is that it would be nice to have more than two; the photo of the dish on the website shows three.
An unexpected highlight was the Manchego brûlée, a savory twist on what’s usually thought of as a French dessert, but has roots in Catalonia as well. An au gratin baker arrived filled with warm, creamy Manchego cheese and a generous amount of house-cured pancetta, topped with a brown sugar glaze. Thin-sliced crostini is included for dipping.This is the kind of dish you dream about after the fact.
Vegetarians will find sustenance in the portobello Napoleon. The mushroom is quartered, crusted in pine nuts and fried. Thick slices of fresh mozzarella are barely melted over the mushroom quarters; everything is drizzled with 18-year aged raspberry balsamic vinegar and garnished with a few colorful, edible flowers. The hint of raspberry created a bit of an off flavor; if it could be changed to just aged balsamic, this dish would be perfect.
Pescatarians will find plenty of options in the “sea” section of the tapas menu, with oysters, crab cakes, scallops, halibut, salmon, mahi, shrimp and tuna. Vegans will probably need to head to salads with the cheese left off. While dedicated vegetarian options are limited, they are done well. The basil pesto gnocchi entrée presented beautifully and was packed with flavor. The scallop-shaped gnocchi were tender but just a touch al dente, tossed with a light cream sauce and topped with crispy onion strips and shaved SarVecchio parmesan. Served over a bed of roasted pine nuts, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and grape tomatoes, this is one of the best vegetarian dishes I’ve had.
Another standout entrée was the salmon, so fresh it needed only a simple preparation. A hint of French cuisine appeared in a winning, citrusy limoncello beurre noisette (brown butter). It’s served on forbidden (black) rice, chewier than brown rice and very tasty.
For dessert, the more traditional sweet crème brûlée was sharable among three people. Again, this is a simple dish but proved to be exquisite.
While some of the prices on the menu may seem a little high for Verona, they are not out of line for the quality of the food that’s being served. And there’s always happy hour, Monday through Thursday from 4-6 p.m., which features a few tapas as well as drink specials.
It’s exciting to see higher-end restaurants like 4 Sisters make their way out to the suburbs, introducing new flavors and dishes, in spaces that are elegant yet not stuffy.
4 Sisters Tapas Restaurant
958 Liberty Drive, Verona; 608-497-3004; 4sistersverona.com
3:30-10 pm Mon.-Thurs., 3:30-11 pm Fri.-Sat.
kitchen closes one hour earlier; $6-$28
