L'Etoile Restaurant & Graze Review

I could not have had a better experience here! The food was incredible, the wine pairing was emaculate, and the atmosphere was beautiful! The most amazing thing about L'Etoile was that ALL the food used was local! I understand the food and beverages are pricey, but you know that walking through the door. The staff's knowledge of the dishes is impressive, they must study more for work than they did at college! The presentation of the food was not only beautiful, but impressive itself. The chefs skills are amazing. I have never seen a thinner sliced onion in my life!

I celebrated an anniversary here and they have us a glass of champagne and delectable bite of the best homemade cracker(?) topped with cheese, which was then topped with an onion jam and decorated with a small chive. I was so impressed!

The wine pairing alone was a treat in itself. We did the 4 wine pairings with each meal which included an entree and dessert. I couldn't even hardly eat my entree, and could not finish the shared dessert either, because it was so hard not to eat everything off my plates.

I wish I could take all my friends and family here at least once. I also would love to experience this fine dining once per year, but it is just not in the budget. Although, when I need a night out with the significant other and we need a romantic night to ourselves this is will be the place to go.

I would also like to add, that they use all their staff. I never saw any person standing in one place for more than a couple minutes. I have never seen a staff work so well together. Everyone was very respectful of one another, and never seemed to make the other staff feel rushed.

I thank all the chefs and other staff for a very memorable night.

I will never think of food in the same way again after eating here with my aunt who was visiting from out of town. Yes, the food is pricey over here but it seemed like I was eating art. The plating was absolutely divine and the portions were good enough to savor the taste of each dish while not being overfed.

You won't get a feast at L'Etoile if you're looking to fill your empty stomach, but you will be able to eat for pleasure. This was one the most enjoyable meals of my life and I hope you can have the same experience too.

This may be the best restaurant I have tried. It was a rare occasion. A friend of mine got a gift card, and she treated me there for my birthday.

I had the lamb. I am very critical of my food. I have to admit that it was amazing. The meat was tender and juicy. It was just right, not over or under-cooked. The service was great. They pay attention to the detail.

It's a fancy restaurant. So, it's not your everyday choice. If you have a special occasion to celebrate, I'd recommend L'Etoile.

Our server was absolutely wonderful the rest staff was a joy and the wine came with wonderful stories about where they came from and what to expect. Everyone clearly enjoy what they do.

The food was amazing and the chef clearly wants everyone to enjoy themselves when eating it.

I can't say thank you for a wonderful evening enough.

All sorts of impressively delicious food and drink sourced locally and served in the fanciest of capital square fishbowls

The octopus is really good. I peed in my pants when I felt the food closed. That's sooooo good right. My wallet is broken now, because the food here is very expensive. Poor me Next week, I'll eat indo noodles unless I can sell my kidney so I can come back here.

We have been here numerous times before and are never disappointed. Excellent service and food.

A simply stunning New Year's Eve prix fixe dinner featuring the incomparable Tory Miller, Elizabeth Dahl, and sommelier Michael Kwas, and the incredible waitstaff, like our server Caitlyn. Every bite and every dollar is worth it.

I loved the outdoor seating here. Lots of parking available, great lighting for night time. Didn't really check the interior space. Counter style and they bring your food to you. Self-bussing.Still hands down a fan of Mediterranean cafe on state street over this place (despite their minimal seating, cash only and lunch hour only).

We had a life-changing-ly good dining experience. Can't wait to go back.

Lovely time! Excellent cuisine & service. Tried some Calvados ;) Thanks Tory!

I think l'etoile is, for most people, a once a year if that kind of place. I went most recently for my wife's birthday and we had the best dinner we've ever had. And this is coming from a chef. Every time i eat there, which is seldom, I am reminded what real service is. Every server is completely professional. it really impresses me. The food comes out perfectly. It is sourced locally with very few exceptions from what i can tell and it carries through in the final dish. If you like food and are willing to pay the price, than it is a must.

A fine dining restaurant with a very nice tasting menu. Keep in mind this place is about fabricating an interesting and varied meal experience and looks to quantity and flavor over quantity. This is probably the most expensive place in Madison but you are paying for quality of the ingredients and the care and effort going into crafting each course. The service was spectacular and our waiter was very kind and answered all of our questions. I was impressed with his knowledge and ability to explain the dishes. I thought the food was very good and there were things which I had never tried before. Overall all of the flavors really worked well together even though each individual piece seemed so odd. The duck and the beef tartare were stand outs for me. This is a great place for a fancy occasion. I enjoyed their cocktails but did not try much of the wine. The dessert wine was very good and went along with the dessert perfectly. This place is very reminiscent of michelen star restaurants focusing on molecular gastronomy except L'Etoile is more on the traditional side. The food had a lot of french inspiration, but they did a good job at locally sourcing a lot of the ingredients which I thought was a great touch.

Simply the best meal you can eat in Madison, Wisconsin.

The food is not as good for what you pay for. The decor is a little too modern for my taste, but the other people dining are appalling! Discussing inappropriate things during my meal made me sick during my meal. Overall the service is lacking any friendly attitudes. If you have the pocket book money to waste, go for it, but you want a good dining experience, go some where else.

Can't afford it more than once every few years but damn that's tasty fun!

Great, juicy food. Best meal ever. The atmosphere was so grand. Amazing experience. Made my day. Eating dinner here was so memorable.

Compared to most restaurants, 5 stars. Compared to other James Beard Award winning restaurants? 3, at best. My meal was about 6 months after the 2012 James Beard for Best Chef Midwest was awarded to Tory Miller. I have a fairly extensive culinary background, I made the trip to Madison specifically to eat at this location. The wine selections that came with our Prix Fixe menu ( Chefs Tasting Experience I believe it was called? ) was much better than the meal itself. We went with the regular wine pairing and the "reserve" pairing. The regular pairing was ok, but the reserve pairing was spectacular.

The food itself wasn't very...inspired. There were several courses, such as a stuffed pasta, that came out cooked just a bit wrong. Nothing horrendous, just not perfect. I think it was $125 for the menu, and $50(?) for the regular wine pairing and $100(?) for the reserve wine pairing at the time. I just remember the cost of the wine pairing and the food costing about the same as the standard menu cost at The French Laundry when I was a stagier there.

I'll go there again soon and update the review I left (3 stars) to see if things have been improved.

my fiance and I were looking for somewhere really sexy to go for a hot date night. We chose this place because I remembered going there a few years ago and really liking it. It was just as good as it was before she was so impressed with me that she was talking about it for several days afterwards. Delicious food very classy. There was a bunch of politicians around us to making it really extra sexy it is expensive though

Dylan E is an elite bartender and the best in Madison. Great vibe

Came here for a special occasion and the service was incredible. They loved doing special requests and put a custom message on the menu. Anything to make our night perfect

We had the Family Meal during the current pandemic. Everything included in the meal was fantastic - there is no skimping on quality or quantity, The value was perfect, I would highly recommend this option for restaurant quality "take-out" food.

This is the best restaurant in Madison. Th chef has continued to make this place something special! Tori is the coolest chef around town and nobody does it better. My wife and I come here for a lot of our special occasions. I promise you will have an emotional connection with your food. Also the waitstaff is unparalleled. Keep it up!

This is a great place to get non-alcoholic cocktails! They have a bunch of great interesting options, and it's such a classy place. Not cheap though... especially for cocktails with alcohol in them. They're more like NYC prices.

With over 20, 000 works of art, it has the state's second largest collection of art. On the first Sunday of every month, it offers a free classic music concert as part of its Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen series. There are works by artists like Warhol, Miro, Picasso, Gainsborough and Rothko.

A comparable value to this meal would be $75 and we paid $360 for two people which is crazy. Portion sizes were small and the food wasn't even that good.

PHENOMENAL! This isn't just a meal, it's a sensory celebration. The seven-course meal and superb wine pairings brought out the flavors of their one-of-a-kind dishes-- including squab and a squid-inked something that I couldn't believe tasted so good. This wonder-of-the-world restaurant was on our bucket list, but we still have to go back again. With the outstanding food and finest service, it was worth every penny. A triumphant experience!

King crab legs were firm, delicious and worth the price. The service was great. The bar area is a bit small for a "supper" club however all employees made us feel welcome. Definitely will be a spot to return to when we are back in town and can take the time to dine.

The height of service and food excellence in Madison. Dining here goes beyond food and becomes a culinary experience.
Service is outstanding. Servers are far more than simple food-runners; they are knowledgeable, skilled artist, dedicated to your experience.
Pairings are excellent and exciting, courses are served at a relaxed pace that allows you to enjoy each flavor.
The price is moderately high but worth it. Make sure to include a generous amount as a gratuity to your server.

The food here is amazingggg. The chef really pays attention to how to display the plate and balance the taste. Loved!

FANTASTIC service and food--my boyfriend and I loved everything, and I felt like a pampered princess! Not only was the food tremendous, the servers offered thoughtful suggestions when we were on the fence about what to order, and the sommelier visited our table to personally deliver each glass of the course-by-course wine pairing (well worth the cost) as well as to explain why he chose the wines he did and to offer a description of the region from which the wine came. I can't wait to go back!!!

Amazing food like nowhere else and fantastic service. They treat you right there.

Best haute cuisine I've ever had (then again, I haven't had much). Takes mighty deep pockets to enjoy it, though.

The quality of our meal and service was impeccable!

Lovely spot with high-end food and a view of the capitol. Went for dessert and drinks, which were all exceptional. Only negative was how expensive a glass of wine was (all $15-$20 range), which to me is excessive.

Our first visit didn't meet our expectations, but our second visit exceeded in all areas. We didn't mention our previous unsatisfactory visit until after we paid our bill, so the food and service was not influenced by that. It was genuinely great food with great wine pairings, great service and atmosphere. We enjoyed the 7 Course Menu with Reserve wine pairings for $300 per person. The wines were perfectly paired with the menu items and both wine and food were portioned well as to ensure you could make it through the meal. Congratulations to the new chef, manager and team that are working well together!

Came here for our first wedding anniversary and it was phenomenal. The food and service was wonderful and they even treated us to a little extra to make sure our anniversary dinner was perfect. Can t thank the team more! With views of the state capital and a nice welcoming interior, L Etoile is a really wonderful place.

Beautiful restaurant with a gorgeous view of the states capital. The food was divine and ever dish was more then perfection. I strongly recommend sitting down to this place for whatever you may be celebrating. The service was excellent, our waiter did a beautiful job explaining each dish to it's fullest. For anyone that enjoys fine dinning I highly recommend this establishment. Made for a amazing and memorable first anniversary.

Amazing restaurant with food so delicious you won't believe your taste buds. Just keep in mind that it's very fancy and prices are high. Worth splurging on for a celebration or something.

Began with a cocktail they'd added a few years ago at my request. Though it was no longer on the active cocktail list, the bartender was able to consult a library of archived cocktail recipes and make me a fine "Le Fleur Antique," which is based on mezcal and violet liqueur. When I finished the cocktail at the bar, I moved to a table

Who gives L'Etoile 1 star? My goodness that's just silly. This is probably the best restaurant in the state. It's very expensive, of course, but in this instance, you get what you pay for. Chef Tory is wonderful.

Hands down the best restaurant in town. Excellent food drinks and service

Went here on parents' 35th anniversary. It was great! The bill was almost a thousand dollars but the FOIE GRAS (which I mistakenly pronounced as fooey grass like an idiot) was probably the best thing I have ever had in my lifetime. I wish they had it on the main menu so I could just order a bunch of it instead of the $200+ seven course menu where you are forced to eat the gras with a bunch of other, also very delicious items.

The best meal I have ever eaten. The chef is an artist who works with food as other do with marble or oil paints. My girlfriend and I talked about it to everyone who would listen for days afterwards. We did the 7 course tasting menu with the wine pairing. Each course was better than the last, and the wine paired beautifully. The service was unmatched. The atmosphere was elegant. The entire meal was a delightful experience from the first bite to the last sip. My hat is off to the entire staff.

Food was delicious atmosphere welcoming along with the waiters n waitresses all around a wonderful

Very good service but overly expensive and the food is not so good.

This place looks like a run down speakeasy from the outside. Inside it's a nice cozy steak house. My first impression was the menu is limited but after I tasted the filet I realized there's no reason to order anything else. It was a high quality, tender piece, cut thick and cooked perfectly.

Second time visiting here and doing the chef tasting menu both times. This time they included a surprise course about half way through which was an amazing pretzel bun with carmelized shallot and onion ash butter. The staff are very attentive and friendly. It is pretty pricey but definitely worth it. Be warned, each dish seems small but adds up to a ton of food. I was stuffed when I left.

I am the first to talk down about a place likebthis HOWEVER I CANNOT..take it from a meat and potatoes military guy. Eat here. You wont regret it
-Danny

We didn t actually eat here although the menu did look lovely online but we don t live in Madison and were in town and decided to try and see if we could sneak in to this restaurant and their host up front was appalled that we even thought we could walk up to try and get in... this is a fine dining restaurant...we don t just let people come in without reservations ...it s a restaurant..not someone s doctors appointment. As much as we come back I will NEVER try to go to a restaurant that has no class or couth at the front of their house.

From start to finish, the staff made sure to make the evening such a special one for us. We were given a lovely secluded table, bubbly to start and a couple sample tasters. Such hospitality! We had carrot pastrami and mustard gnocchi for first course. Both delicious and unique. Monkfish was amazing as was NY strip. Finished off with beignet and dark chocolate cremeux. All delicious and highly recommend!

Exemplary team. Stellar food. Management is top notch. Cannot recommend the experience of this place enough. Please go

I won't beat around the bush. L'Etoile is one of the two best restaurants in Wisconsin, and this is a state that abounds in good food. Come to L'Etoile for a special experience where you be welcomed as an old friend, enjoy exquisitely beautiful ambience, and be treated to creative and original cuisine. Oh yah, and the wine list is enormous and frankly astounding. L'Etoile is Perfection with a Heart and Soul.

Exceptional food and service. A great place to celebrate any special occasion. The vegetarian tasting menu was very well constructred and the hen of the woods mushroom dish was to die for.

Not so much French as modern fine dining. My wife and I were astounded. The Pre Fixe menus are a great value, because you are given the opportunity to taste so many amazing things. Chef Tory Miller combines flavors in delicious and amazing ways. I am usually a bit of a traditionalist, but he really won me over with mind-bending combinations of flavors and textures that were both original and tasty. We'll be back!

Great creations in the tasting menu with very good wine pairings...Winter 2020. Waiters were top notch!

It had been a few years since we dined at L'Etoile, so we made reservations for our anniversary dinner. Lovely wine selection, delicate and unique food offerings, the service, however, brought me to 3 stars. It was "over-service" to the point of servers/wait-staff constantly interrupting us mid sentence/conversation. I had assumed that the staff would have more insight regarding the flow of a meal and diners wanting to savor a luxurious meal. All in all, disappointed and won't be heading back anytime soon.

Tomato tasting menu was perfect. Knowledgeable, kind staff. Location sometimes a little weird with everyone looking in at you but I like looking at the capital during dinner.

Haven't had this type of well-balanced and thought out dishes outside of Paris. Each dish got an A+ for presentation. The "Tasting" menu had several ingenious combinations. They weren't all winners, but as my husband said, "I didn't eat anything that I was disappointed to have tried." I would add that a few of them were out of this world. A delicious fish tartare with a heavenly buttermilk aioli stands out in my mind as one of those bites that makes you wonder why you bother to shovel other food into your mouth.

The view of the Capitol building is quite lovely and the staff here are obsequious but well-informed, and didn't make me feel stupid for not knowing what the notch in the sauce spoon was for. Who knew there was a sauce spoon anyway? I guess it only matters if the sauces are as exquisite as these.

You should come here at least once if you live in Madison.

The first entree was not my liking but the main course was probably the best steak I've ever had.

Dining here made for one of the best experiences of my life. We chose the 7 course dinner with the wine pairing. The food was perfect, our sommelier was funny and picked the best wines, and the environment was lovely. I can't wait to come back.

Fantastic fine dining, best restaurant I've been to in Madison, one of the best in Wisconsin.

Starting from the appetizer I had to dessert it was all perfect. My octopus was cooked to perfection and what they paired it was an explosion. My friends dish was also amazing as the pasta was buttery and just melted. Ienjoyed my scallops it was balanced well with everything in the dish. My friend had a fish dish and that was delicious!

I had a great dinner here. The selections were great. The food was delicious and plentiful.

if you have only one evening in madison, this is the place to eat. emphasis on local and fresh ingredients prpeared with a french flair; great cocktails; lovely open ambience. good value for the price, but that's not the reason to go there. don't miss the pasta dish of the day.

Went for my birthday and tried the beef larvae and Lao bowl cocktail. Could not have had a better night.

Everyone should eat at L'Etoile at least once, if not once a year. Despite a couple of hiccups, the overall dining experience was wonderful. After the first course never having arrived (someone else must have enjoyed it early perhaps), the service quickly recovered and made sure we left happy. Nevertheless, not all the food was mind-blowing, a high bar L'Etoile sets for itself by its price and posture. For example, while we were waiting by the bar to be seated, our inquiries on sherry could have been met with more grace from the bartender, and our dessert's overuse of chocolate sauce made it seem amateurish. However, there seems to be considerable effort to attend to all details; the wine pairings, coffee, flat water, and sparkling water were some of the best I've ever had (I am totally serious).

Long overdue review: I would go on a day trip to Chicago to have dinner here. Approachable, delicious food and very attentive, excellent service.

the most expensive restaurant I visit in Madison
{if someone offer to pay - GO!}

Very open and pretty, upscale with great servers and hostesses. Everything as you would expect for the price, except the one thing you actually come for. The food was on par with your typical pub food, with a fancier name and twice the price. The graze burger had so little flavor it felt like there were ingredients missing, the duck cassoulet had a tiny bitesize morsel of duck, and the steak wasn't any better than your typical $15 sirloin. In summary, upscale prices with impressive sounding ingredients, but taste that hardly surpasses your average pub. Only gets 3 stars for location and stellar service.

Ye gods. One of the best meals I've had in my life (and I've had a lot of great meals). The thing that sets L'Etoile apart is the level of detail in their food. Rather than just using the finest ingredients simply, they use them to build layers upon layers of flavor within a single dish, using a huge number of complimentary ingredients. But there's no molecular funny business here - the presentation is simple and elegant, focusing on the freshest local ingredients.

One interesting thing I noticed after the meal - I realized that the only meat I'd had was thinly shaved in the bottom of two of my courses - I could have easily eaten it in one bite if I'd been insane. The entree (cheddar beignets) had no meat at all. Fruit, on the other hand, was used in every coarse, and it made sense every time. They never relied on cheap fatty tricks to enhance flavor.

The service is impeccable - very attentive without hovering. The room is gorgeous. The whole experience was worth the lofty price of admission.

Amazing dishes. If you're looking for a really unique and fantastic dinner, this is the place.

An amazing experience as usual! The food was amazing, but my girlfriend and I always share our meals, especially at a place like L'etoile, and when we told our waiter she split each course between the two of us, on separate plates. That's the kind of thing that sets L'etoile apart from other restaurants.

I knew I had to try it for myself. It did not disappoint. As a solo diner on a work trip, I also really appreciated that they sat me at the front by the Window (with floor to ceiling glass), prime seating and the service was excellent. The service here is unmatched from the hostess, to the wait staff, and the sommelier. The only other meal that I have had that comes anywhere close to L'Etoile was Petrus in London (and that place has a Michelin Star).

truly fine dining, however never saw one price tag until the end. Menu was missing prices, dinner for four $900.00! seems extreme. Cocktails were over the top innovative and delicious. The atmosphere was divine. Everything was memorable. It was our daughters 21 year old birthday which is on Valentines day so it was special. We did choose the pairing of wine with the 7 course meal. Just believe you have a right to know the cost upfront. We knew it was expensive before we went there, but this style is not cool.

Really enjoyed the food and surrounding. Very attentive servers. Good location too. Plenty of choices of food items.

Very elegant. Pretty pricy but food was amazing --we were somewhat frugal and it was about $100 apiece but a beautiful view of the capital, amazing food, fantastic attentive service. Worth a splurge. We were obviouly being budget conscious (it was a business trip to Madison) but our service was just as good as folks who were going all out.

Wonderful cocktails. They usually serve food at the bar but call ahead if that's your plan because some nights it's drinks only.

The food, the service and the drinks are amazing. This is not for the casual dining crowd. L'Etoile could be a shining star in Chicago, Los Angeles or New York. Clearly the class of Madison. This is not your typical Wisconsin big portion restaurant. Each dish is carefully designed both for taste and visual appeal. You have to love Farm to Table. We ordered both a first plate and a second plate and we left very full.

They chef has a wonderful prix fix multiple course menu that looked amazing, but after the game we were too tired for a 6 course dinner with wine pairings.

The wine menu is complete with a wonderful cross section of wines from the US, Italy, France and South America.

Craft beers, great views, elegant service. Cody the bartender was very professional and met my every need. Perfect for date night. Suit n tie recommended and ladies wear your best heels!