L'Etoile Restaurant — Restaurant in Madison

Overview: Rating: 5/5 L'Etoile Restaurant is a true gem in the culinary scene, offering an upscale farm-to-table dining experience that beautifully combines French-inspired American cuisine with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. With its impeccable service, elegant ambiance, and exceptional flavors, L'Etoile sets the standard for fine dining in the area. For a truly remarkable and memorable dining experience, this is the place to be.

Atmosphere: The ambiance at L'Etoile is nothing short of enchanting. The airy and sophisticated venue creates a refined yet welcoming atmosphere. The attention to detail in the decor, combined with soft lighting and tasteful furnishings, enhances the overall dining experience. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or seeking an intimate evening, L'Etoile Restaurant delivers a setting that exudes elegance.

Service: The service at L'Etoile Restaurant is truly exemplary. The staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and dedicated to providing an exceptional dining experience. From the moment you step through the door, you'll be greeted with warmth and professionalism. The servers are well-versed in the menu, offering insightful recommendations and ensuring that every aspect of your meal is flawlessly executed. Their attention to detail and genuine care for their guests elevates the dining experience to extraordinary heights. The addition of an expert sommelier is a wonderful enhancement to elevate your evening.

Menu, Food, and Beverages: L'Etoile’s menu showcases the finest farm-to-table cuisine with a French-inspired American twist. The dishes are masterpieces of flavors, skillfully crafted with locally sourced, high-quality ingredients. Each bite is a celebration of the season's bounty, with a perfect balance of textures and tastes. From appetizers to main courses and desserts, every dish at L'Etoile Restaurant tells a story. The menu evolves with the seasons, ensuring that you experience the freshest ingredients and innovative combinations. The wine and cocktail selection is extensive, offering the perfect accompaniment to complement your meal.

Price: As an upscale restaurant, L'Etoile's pricing reflects the extraordinary dining experience it provides. While it may be on the higher end of the spectrum, the impeccable quality of the ingredients, the mastery of flavors, and the attention to detail make it well worth the investment for a special occasion or a memorable culinary adventure.

Location and Accessibility: L'Etoile is located on the Square, which can make parking more difficult, though I have found there are usually spaces relatively close by, depending on your dining time.

Special Features/Highlights: The inclusion of a tasting menu or à la carte options is a wonderful addition. While you can pick and choose your favorite courses from the à la carte menu, the tasting menu offers a tantalizing journey for your taste buds. They also will cater to almost any eating needs and work with you to avoid any allergens and sensitivities when you are making your reservation.

Improvements: It is challenging to find any areas for improvement at L'Etoile. The dedication to excellence and the meticulous execution of every aspect of the dining experience make it an outstanding establishment.

Final Thoughts: L'Etoile is the epitome of refined dining, combining French-inspired American cuisine with farm-to-table principles. From the exquisite flavors to the impeccable service and elegant ambiance, every aspect of the experience is nothing short of exceptional. If you're seeking a remarkable culinary journey that celebrates the best of local ingredients, L'Etoile is an absolute must-visit. It sets the bar high for upscale dining and delivers an experience that will leave you with...

27 Sep 2019 - Former Chef de Cuisine Itaru Nagano has moved on, but L'Etoile delivered another spectacular dinner tonight, with the octopus a special standout! Monkfish also was great, and I was very pleased to see a cheese tray that let me select which I wanted after my meal. Keep up the great work! 17 July 2019 -

L'Etoile NEVER fails to deliver magnificence in dining.

Spurred on by the online menu, which featured veal sweetbreads and other delicacies I found too irresistible to put off enjoying, I determined to have another splendid meal at L'Etoile. I wasn't disappointed!

Dinner began with a special treat from the kitchen when Chef Itaru sent me a gift of a delicious course featuring goat cheese, something which I delight in. The photo is among those I'm posting to show the delights of tonight's meal. I had hoped for, and wanted, a bottle of Arneis di Roero, an unusual white Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine from the Piemonte in the northwest of Italy. Alas, L'Etoile could not offer me that, and after some discussion with my waiter, I agreed to try an unfamiliar grape, in a "Vermentino" varietal from the region of Liguria, in the northwest of Italy, where the city of Genoa is found. It proved to be an amazing wine, and I'm thankful to Frank for his recommendation! I was well-cared for by Frank and his assistant, Thomas, along with other waitstaff who lent a hand to ensure my dinner was up to the standards of the typical marvelous L'Etoile dinner.

My special meal began with the above-mentioned and unexpected treat from the chef, and thereafter, continued with my plans, with the exception of the dessert, which I had intended should be recommended from the "normal" desserts on the menu, but was instead an item from the tasting menu which had QUITE got me attention as an entrée item.

SWEETBREADS Chicharrón, gorgeous green fava beans, queso fresco These nuggets of delicious veal thymus were so amazing I felt compelled to ask for a special wine to accompany them, and ended up with a glass of Bual Madeira, most of which I enjoyed with the sweetbreads, but a small portion of which I saved for further on in the menu . . .

SCALLOPS Eggplant purée was amazingly delicious!, duck confit demanded a bit of the Madeira, blueberry - this was marvelous! It reminded me of the perfection of toasted/toasted marshmallows I used to strive to make for a neighbor lady who I quite liked as a boy, for the spectacular lasagna she made and shared with us as children.

AU BON CANARD FOIE GRAS Burnt Strawberry While there was not a lot of duck liver here, and I knew that in advance, it was chosen to be my dessert instead of the conventional options from the menu. It was a marvelous choice! While the custom selected wine for this course was a lesser version of the first grown Sauternes, the remnants of my Madeira, and the Italian white wine also went nicely with it, and I ended my meal in heaven.

THANK YOU EVERYONE AT L'ETOILE FOR CONTINUING TO LIVE UP TO THE EXPECTATIONS DINERS LIKE ME HAVE COME TO HAVE FOR DROPPING IN UNEXPECTEDLY FOR A...

A Birthday at L’Etoile – Madison’s Star Still Shines Bright

For my birthday this year, my family and I returned to L’Etoile, Madison’s temple of seasonal Midwestern fine dining, and once again it delivered an evening as precise and memorable as any I’ve experienced. From the moment we were greeted with a warm “Happy Birthday, Edward” printed at the top of the tasting menu, it was clear that the team’s attention to detail would extend far beyond the plate.

The service was exemplary—timed to the rhythm of the meal, neither rushed nor lingering. Each course arrived as a perfectly staged moment, the presentation so artful that pausing to admire it felt almost obligatory. I had chosen the grand tasting menu, enhanced by the sommelier’s wine pairings—an indulgence that proved more than worth the additional charge. His selections didn’t just complement the dishes; they deepened them, drawing out flavors I might otherwise have missed.

The Hamachi Crudo en Adobo set the tone—delicate slices of fish accented with sweet corn, creamy avocado, blue corn tostadas for crunch, and a blueberry pico de gallo that provided a surprising pop of tart sweetness.

Next came Ricotta Agnolotti, a dish that balanced rustic warmth with garden freshness. Nestled among ratatouille, capers, and a tender squash blossom, the agnolotti’s creamy filling was lifted by basil’s perfume.

The Boquerones-Crusted Alaskan Halibut was a study in finesse—its golden crust giving way to tender, flaky fish. It was anchored by dashi-braised leeks and potatoes à la Robuchon (silken, butter-rich, and dangerously addictive), with chanterelles and haricots verts adding earth and green snap.

Then, the Pinn-Oak Ridge Lamb Spare Rib Shawarma—aromatic, tender, and served with fava bean falafel, cucumber yogurt, and a sumac-scented onion salad that cut through the lamb’s richness beautifully.

The New York Strip Ribeye course was a carnivore’s finale—perfectly seared, accompanied by smoky Spanish octopus, crispy patatas bravas, and the brightness of sungold tomatoes.

Dessert was a playful yet refined Door County Sweet Cherry Fool—a summer tableau of sweet corn budino, brown sugar corn cake, Thai basil shortbread, and a lace of caramel.

As we left, my family and I agreed: L’Etoile remains unmatched in its ability to make a meal feel like an occasion. It’s not simply about the food, but the way every element—service, pacing, wine, and presentation—converges into an experience greater than the sum of its parts. Next year’s birthday already has a...