s plenty of culinary highlights.Though it's freezing there now, aim to visit on a warm Saturday and spend your day on the square. Start with the farmers market and end with dinner at a top restaurant.
The Dane County Farmer's Market (www.dcfm.org) is considered the largest producer-only farmers market in the country. Farmers, cheesemakers, and bakers are at the market year-round. Everything sold is made by the vendor at the table.
Established almost 40 years ago, this popular market requires an early start. I found things at the market that I never saw before, including fresh hickory nuts and heirloom varieties of apples.
Nibble on some fresh baked goodies from one of the bakery stalls, but save your appetite for lunch. Produce will vary throughout the year, but ask for samples if there is something you haven't tried before.
This is also a great place to meet some cheesemakers and talk to them about their products. A few award-winning cheesemarkers to seek out are: Willi Lehner of Bleu Mont Dairy, who makes a variety of cheeses, including a fantastic bandaged cheddar; Brenda Jensen of Hidden Springs Creamery, who makes sheep's milk cheeses and mixed milk cheeses, and Tony and Julie Hook from Hook's Cheese Company, who make cheddar and blue cheeses. Their cheeses are generally less expensive at the market than if you bought them from another retailer.
For lunch, head to The Old Fashioned (www.theoldfashioned.com; 23 N. Pinckney St.), right on the square. I wish every town in America had a place like it. The restaurant is casual and fairly inexpensive, yet the menu highlights the meats, cheeses, produce, and local specialties from small Wisconsin producers.
Try one of 40 beers on tap and any of their sandwiches and salads. I particularly like the Wisconsin's Best Wurst platter - a selection of local favorites like Bavaria Sausage Kitchen's long and skinny Nurnberger bratwurst, Knackwurst and Weisswurst with grilled bread, sauerkraut, sweet gherkins, and mustards. It's a platter big enough for at least two or three. Be sure to get a side order of their wonderful potato salad. Another must-order is the fried cheese curds. I admit to not completely understanding the lure of the cold squeeky and salty "Wisconsin crack" that is cheese curds -- but battered and fried is a whole different story. They become little melty nuggets, like the best fried mozzarella stick you ever had.
In the afternoon before walking along State Street for funky shopping, don't miss Madison's premier cheese shop: Fromagination (www.fromagination.com; 12 South Carroll St.). Here, you'll find some of the best cheeses made in the state and often get a chance to meet cheesemakers as well. Best of all, they offer samples before buying. Many of the cheeses may be hard to find out of state. They also offer some other local Wisconsin specialities like five kinds of prosciutto from Bolzano including Paletilla Húngara, seasoned with smoky and sweet paprika Artisan Meats, local preserves, crackers, and mustards.
After a long day of shopping, treat yourself to dinner at L'Etoile (www.letoile-restaurant.com; 1 South Pinckney St.). Like The Old Fashioned, L'Etoile features farm fresh local produce. Chef Tory Miller often has more than 30 selections for the cheese course, including some you won't find elsewhere. The menu changes frequently, but I tried the Fountain Prairie Farm dry-aged NY strip (with "loaded" mashed potatoes, mushroom-broccoli ragout, horseradish-garlic compound butter, and cabernet jus); the Fantôme Farm gnocchi (with honeycrisp apples, buttermilk blue cheese, toasted hickory nuts, and an apple cider reduction); and the Artesian farm rainbow trout (with roasted sweet potato puree, Brussels sprouts, smoked ham, bourbon sauce charcutier, and buttermilk-fried onion rings). This trip was sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
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