Carolyn Fath
A beautifully plated citrus-marinated salmon demonstrates the kitchen’s attention to detail.
Compared to downtown Madison’s super-saturated restaurant scene and the east side’s established mix of eclectic neighborhood eateries, the western part of the city is still somewhat of an up-and-coming gastronomical destination. The Tin Fox, the latest spot to open on Monroe Street, gives diners a new and intriguing reason to visit the area.
The family-run restaurant launched in early May at 2616 Monroe St. in the former home of Freiburg Gastropub, which has relocated to State Street. Owners Marissa and Greg Neal opened the restaurant in partnership with their son, Justice Neal, who serves as executive chef. He learned his craft working in kitchens in Chicago and Milwaukee. At The Tin Fox, he’s showcasing his culinary range and ideas with an expansive menu of creative dishes that highlight local ingredients with a few twists.
The space has been painted and lightly renovated to reflect a modern, minimalist style but hasn’t changed much from its previous incarnation as a spot for German beer and fare. The bar features an array of local brews on tap and a menu of approachable and whimsically named craft cocktails. Chalkboard signs highlight partnerships with local farms along with drink specials and happy hour (4-6 p.m.).
The dreaded Monroe Street construction is taking its toll on businesses in the area, but The Tin Fox seemed to have a slow and steady stream of customers when I visited for dinner over the last few weeks. As of July 5, the restaurant has switched to a new summer menu, but many dishes from the spring offerings remain. Sadly, the citrus-marinated salmon is now gone, but it speaks to everything that this restaurant is doing well. The filet was perfectly cooked, buttery-smooth with a delicate crust; the beetroot risotto had beautiful color and the roasted parsnips were perfectly charred. A bundle of raw enoki mushrooms didn’t add much flavor, but I appreciated the texture and decorative flair.
A New York strip steak, previously offered as a special and now officially on the summer menu, is a lovely cut further enhanced by a light cocoa crust and two luxurious daubs of foie gras butter. But the deluxe preparation doesn’t help when it arrives overcooked, as mine did. A pile of whipped potatoes was strangely lumpy, but the accompanying charred carrots and asparagus were perfect.
A more impressive entree is the charred octopus, also new for summer. A generous portion of impossibly tender tentacles comes atop a mound of fluffy frisee and roasted fingerling potatoes and dressed with a refreshing cilantro vinaigrette similar to chimichurri. It’s true: Octopus tastes like chicken. When it’s been prepared properly, as this was, the texture is incredible — think chicken-flavored shrimp or lobster. It’s a perfect companion to the smear of satisfyingly spicy ’nduja salami that makes the base of the dish. Candied lime offered a fun pop, but I found only two small specks on the plate. For a lighter option, I enjoyed a dish of spicy halibut cheeks, which come tossed amid a summery mix of potatoes, corn, green beans and red chilis. A server warned about the spice level, but it was almost imperceptible, especially compared to the ’nduja.
The menu offers a mix of sharable “nibbles,” meat and cheese boards, salads, first-course starters, and larger entrees. The burrata was a revelation — gloriously creamy cheese accented with tart cherry jam, artfully applied balsamic glaze and my favorite thing, crispy Maldon smoked sea salt.
The chicken skin chips are another ingenious invention; they are wafer thin and extraordinarily crisp, but they badly needed a sauce or some other accoutrement. A beautiful plate of crab salad came topped with brilliantly colored radishes, caviar and a bright orange smear of carrot gelee, but the success was only visual — the crab itself had almost no flavor.
The texture and flavor of the beef cheek tostada was fantastic, as was the interplay of salsa roja and lime crema, but the tostada itself was far too small, and the entire thing was overwhelmed by kohlrabi. Tempura cauliflower was the weakest dish I tried — the vegetables were underdone and almost aggressively bland (to be fair, cauliflower can be difficult). The batter was light and crisp but imparted no flavor or salt. More chili vinaigrette might have saved the dish, but bleu cheese overpowered The same tempura batter worked wonders, though, on the smelt fries. It’s a famously fishy fish, but The Tin Fox’s version didn’t have that problem at all.
With its sprawling, ambitious menu offerings, it’s easy to forgive the few missteps at The Tin Fox as this promising new restaurant continues to get its bearings. It will be interesting to see which direction Neal decides to push things, as the concept now rests squarely between reimagined comfort food and a more modernist cuisine.
The Tin Fox
2616 Monroe St.; 608-709-1616; thetinfoxrestaurant.com;
1 am-11 pm Tue.-Thurs., 11 am-midnight Fri., 10 am-midnight Sat.,
10 am-3 pm Sun.; $4-$30
