Eating on the Town

A billboard size welcome to the restaurant.

 Lombardino's Restaurant started on Madison's State Street before moving to its current location at the corner of (Old) University and Highland Avenues.

 

 The current owner, the fifth generation, describes his approach to the menu on their website, "we combine locally-sourced ingredients from Wisconsin's rich farm culture with Italian food traditions, new and old, to create one-of-a-kind menus that showcase the best of both cultures."

 

 Since we moved to Madison more than 10 years ago, we've wanted to eat at Lombardino's.  There was one-time we actually made it to the front door, only to discover it wasn't open.

 

To me, Lombardino's is a special occasion restaurant, so it felt good to finally walk through the front door then pass through the curtain into the classic Italian restaurant.  Much of the decor and design by the original owner is still in place making it the perfect atmosphere for our anniversary dinner.

 

My wife enjoyed the Eggplant Napoletana while I savored the Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil.  Our server was welcoming and took great care without hovering.  It reminded us of a similar size Italian place in Beech Grove, Indiana we liked for special nights, Napoli Villa.

 

Just what makes it a great restaurant is difficult to define, I think what makes a place great is how it makes you feel.  From the moment we walked inside, we were warmly welcomed, promptly seated (first-come, first-served), and felt comfortable at our table, enjoying a wonderful corner of Madison where we escaped a cold, January night to be surrounded by good people and excellent food.

 

The Dairy Cafe. 1/22/23 dwm

The following morning, we returned to Paoli's Seven Acre Dairy Company for breakfast at The Dairy Cafe.

The cheerful place with gleaming tile and bright colors was what we needed on an overcast day with snow flurries.

We both had the Seven Acre Biscuit Sandwich, which is built on a buttermilk biscuit with silver lewis muenster cheese, an organic fried egg, and choice of meat (sage breakfast sausage, double smoked ham, or bacon).

Hot Chocolate & biscuit.

 I went with ham on mine.  It was a delight, enough to be filling yet not overwhelming in size or bulk.  Usually I limit my breakfast sandwiches to Chick-Fil-A's chicken biscuit but this one was excellent and could do the trick again some time.  

 

 The Seven Acre Dairy Company isn't far from the Badger State Bike Trail so this could be a great place to fuel up while riding south.  Combined with a nice cup of hot chocolate (you choose the kind of milk) it was a warm first meal of the day that got me to lunch without any trouble.

 

All photos by the author.