Back to Basics
When upscale ethnic has you down, try Fitzgerald's.

Are you growing a little weary of paupiettes of sole with prawn sauce? Are you beginning to wince when they bring you yet another couve a Mineira? Can't you face one more helping of mango chutney?

Maybe it's time to take a break from Madison's upscale ethnic cuisine and return to your roots. Maybe you need a good steak. Hash-brown potatoes. Rainbow trout. A salad bar where the iceberg is cold and crisp and the tomatoes are plentiful. Maybe you need a place like Fitzgerald's, on the West Beltline in Middleton. You can't miss it - it's just past Bruce Co.

Fitzgerald's is a true, old-fashioned Wisconsin supper club, where you can find folks of all ages and from all stations any night of the week. It's a big, sprawling place, with a homey atmosphere and super-friendly service. The prices are modest and the food is hearty. Okay, there is Coquille St. Jacques on the menu, but Fitzgerald's specialties run more to steaks, chops, chicken and seafood. Especially steaks. Fitzgerald's advertises itself as "The Place for Steaks," and for good reason. They are good.

Two companions and I stopped by for dinner one night last week. After a cocktail, we all headed for the salad bar to load up on the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, croutons and other assorted accouterments. A miniature loaf of home-baked bread was a welcome accompaniment.

My companion ordered a small sirloin steak, which was done exactly to order, and was tender, full-flavored and juicy. He downed every morsel, practically inhaling the plate.

I had the evening special, barbecued pork ribs. There were six ribs, well-supplied with tender meat that fell easily off the bone. The mild sauce won't win any state championships, but it was pleasant enough and certainly won't offend the faint of heart (or stomach). My French fries were thin, crisp and hot.

Shelly, our waitress, was a gem - super-efficient, helpful and good-humored at all times, even when confronted with the antics of my companion, who is a traveling salesman.

We lingered over coffee for more than an hour, which in itself says a lot. A dining experience involves much more than the mere quality of food. The atmosphere and the level of service are equally important.

In the end, if you go home with a warm and happy feeling in your stomach, you know that you've had a good dining experience. And that's what we had at Fitzgerald's.

as written by Jerry Minnich