Brasserie V
| Address: | 1923 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711, USA |
| Phone: | +1 608-255-8500 |
| Site: | brasseriev.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 4–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
BE
Berseker Mayan
Located in an unassuming storefront, Brasserie V offers a wide selection of Belgian and craft beers matched with quality food. The restaurant itself is small and decorated quite simply. There is a bar to the left and some tables along the right side wall and near the back. For being as small and as busy as they the tables are not crowded in the least. There are about 12 or so beers on draft, most of them being Belgians (or in the Belgian style) and the remainder being craft brews. Recent offerings included Ommegang, Corsendonk, NG Hop Hearty, and Tyranena Blackhawk. The bottle selections were so numerous I have to wonder how they could possible keep so many beers in such a small space. I pulled down a NG, while the wife enjoyed a wittekerke, both of which were served in the appropriate glassware. Beer prices were certainly fair, with most of the Belgian draft beers being around $7. The wine list looked respectable, with many offerings by the glass, but with so many beers, I wasn’t interested. Brasserie V’s food turned out to be better than expected. It has a bit of a Belgian/Northern French influence, but is really more contemporary American than Belgian, with a nod to seasonal and local ingredients. Moules-frites and steak-frites are the main attractions, but it seems as the rest of menu changes weekly. I must say the food was quite good. Started off with a goat cheese appetizer, followed by a mixed greens salad, and then a steak sandwich, all of which were clearly freshly prepared. The frites came out hot and with a slight crispness. The steak was cooked correctly and slathered with blue cheese, while the salad included some surprisingly aggressive greens in it. My wife had fried walleye, that was incredibly light, not at all greasy, and served with an oddly pleasant, vinegary cranberry slaw. Service was both friendly and attentive. While the restaurant filed up early, our server was neither pushy nor sought to rush us. Prices were on the higher end, but I would say the food and beer is on the higher end as well. Portions are not sizable, but clearly the focus here is on quality, not quantity.
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A Private User
We went to Brasserie V for the beer, and were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. We waited a bit for a spot at the bar as it was a very busy night. I dont understand some of the other reviews claiming the service was bad? The bartenders working that night really knew their beer and were very apologetic about having a wait at the bar to be seated. Having worked in the service industry before, I can understand that my wife and I were not the only customers there, and they were trying to serve as many people as possible in such a small space. Additionally, once we were seated, I did not have to ask for my water to be filled, my plate cleared, my beer filled, they were on top of everything. This was a pleasant surprise compared to many of the places close to campus staffed by younger college students. I ordered the steak, and my wife the mussels. Both were amazing. The mussels are by far the best I have had in Wisconsin, and the red wine sauce on the steak, fabulous. The frites are to die for! This eatery compares well with many of the small restaurants I have visited in larger cities and europe, and will continue to return in the future. Finally, the beer was awesome! I was so excited to see beers that I have only been able to enjoy in Belgium and large east coast cities. Anyone who could not find many positive aspects to dining and drinking here, probably doesnt find positive aspects anywhere they eat. All the better, more room for those of us who love this spot!
RY
Ryan Matthes
I love Brasserie Vs food and drinks, I really do. But what sinks this place is its lousy service. First, Brasserie V refuses to take reservations, which was understandable back when it had limited space. After their renovations, the restaurant doubled in size, but still its first-come, first-serve. Since its so busy, youre always waiting at least 30 minutes before your service even begins. Sure you can call ahead and ask about the wait time, and once we did -- only to discover once we arrived that the wait time doubled on us. (We went somewhere else that night.) I was there for a craft beer event recently. The guest brewer was great -- super informative and easy to talk to. The rest of the restaurant staff, by comparison, was frustratingly inattentive. It wasnt too crowded that day, so the place seemed appropriately staffed, especially since the guest brewer was helping with pours. Still, it took far too long to pay for beers, order food, start the flights, etc. Brasserie V sells itself as an upscale tavern, but I get better bar service everywhere I go. The beer list is unique and one of the best in Madison. The food, although pricey, is surely worth it. But until Brasserie V figures out how to properly manage a room full of patrons, it will always be second-tier. And I wont be back.
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A Private User
I had three amazing beers while I was there. All three were on tap. One was Belgian and the other two were New Zealand. We started with the Frites, which were perfectly seasoned, fresh cut and served with two aiolis that were so good. I had the Duck Confit. The duck was a leg and thigh. It was a heathy portion. It was crisp and dry on the outside and so tender and juicy on the inside. I have had a lot of duck at some really swank places and none can compare to this duck. The other great thing was the garlic polenta. This was probably the best polenta Ive ever had. It was creamy and flavorful. For dessert, I had the chocolate pot de creme, which was very tasty. Sardine has better texture in their pot de creme, but the flavors were just as good on this dessert.
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A Private User
After going thru the trouble to get a babysitter to have a nice meal with my hubby, I have never felt more disappointed for wasting an evening here. I was so excited to go there and have a Kwak beer and the Steak with Frites. Well, they were out of the Kwak, and on Sundays they only serve the lunch menu for dinner, so the Steak with Frites was not available. I happily ordered a different beer, as they have a wonderful variety, and ordered the burger...medium. The burger came to me raw in the middle. Im not one to send a meal back, but this burger was bloody! The waitress apologized, and they made another burger only to have that one be, in my opinion, a generous medium rare.....needless to say I left hungry.
JO
John Primm
By far my favorite restaurant in Madison, and the reason why Im currently quite poor. They have great food and even better beer. I have only been here for dinner twice, where they really excel is their lunch menu. The sandwiches are all amazingly good, and for a pretty respectable price, between $8-13 for a fantastic sandwich. Theyre also less busy and have a more friendly staff around lunch as well. The beer is expensive imports mostly, but always worth it. You can find beers here that youve probably never heard of before, unless youre a really serious beerhead. No liquor/whiskey/mixed drinks though! Not that youd need it. Plenty of beer and wine to keep 95% of people happy.
