Palette Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Madison

I went there with my parents and girlfriend for a combination of a late Father’s Day and late birthday celebrations for my mom and girlfriend.

We got there at 4 and it wasn’t too busy. The ambiance is artistic/industrial themed it feels very warm and unique. We felt a little under dressed but realized there was a wedding staying there.

The bartender sat us and he was very warm and passionate about the drink specials. He called on his signature drinks the best in the city which was something like “Espresso Expression”. It had ginger, orange, and cloves (I believe) along with an espresso alcohol of some kind. It was phenomenal. He was also very excited to share some of the unique aspects of his drinks. You can tell he is very passionate about his craft. I finally understand why the term “mixologist” exists.

My girlfriend and mom got the salmon and they both raved about it. Like “Ooooh my Goooood” pleasure when eating something unexpectedly delicious. My dad had the fully loaded burger and I had the palette burger. It was juicy and a little greasy, but absolutely amazing. The fries were battered and delicious and I’m hard to please with my fries. My dad took his time eating his burger and that was a significant sign of how much he enjoyed. There was also like a beer/pretzel cheese that was served with the fries. I usually don’t go in for that kind of thing, but it was melty and decadent.

I had no idea The Palette was a restaurant in the area. My girlfriend found it and I’m incredibly happy she did. If you like places like Alchemy in Atwood, you’ll love The Palette. Both are now my favorite...

We made a reservation for a Thursday evening. Not necessary as we were one of two tables between 5p-6p. The bar and dining areas had great atmospheres. Decorated to the theme of the building and hotel. We took a hike to the restrooms and came back to a great explanation of the cocktail menu. If you're looking for custom cocktails, I would highly recommend. Many were able to edited to NA also which our party appreciated.

We ordered the fish tacos, roasted cauliflower, grilled salmon and the Thai chicken lettuce wraps. Overall, I wish the dishes had a bit more seasoning however, everything was very clean and you could tell the quality of the food items being used. Generous portions. I personally ordered the fish tacos. Large fried pieces of cod however I would have liked more slaw. Most intriguing was the cauliflower. Not overly seasoned but due to the perfect roast on it was still flavorful. The poblano cream was the show stopper though! Everyone was satisfied with their meals. We ordered one of the two desserts available and it was more than enough for the four of us to share.

Service was great; from the hotel concierge, bar staff, wait staff, to the chef/owner/menu cultivator. We ordered dessert and lingered for a while as our show didn't begin until 7:30p. No rush to turn the table and we will happily be back! I'll remember to get parking verified for their ramp next time too.

A great location for us to hit when headed downtown from the east side without having the full capacity locations...

We had an unfortunate experience at Pallete and doubt we will be returning. We arrived for a 6 pm reservation 15 min early and were brought to our table immediately. From there, things went downhill. We weren’t acknowledged for 20+ min. We had to flag down a waitress to see if our table had been assigned to someone. At that point we hadn’t even received water or place settings. As soon as our waitress came over we ordered our entire meal. We waited yet another 30 min before our appetizer came out. We were so hungry we didn’t bother asking for plates, forks, or napkins (which still hadn’t been given to us) until we had already finished most of our appetizer. After that, we waited, and waited, and waited for our main courses (which were simple menu items), which never arrived. The waitstaff seemed to have no idea if we would receive our food soon. We decided to leave at 7:15, after we had been in the dining room for 1.5 hours without getting to eat our dinners. We watched as tables around us arrived, ordered, and ate their food. Everyone in my party has worked in the service industry, particularly in restaurants, and I fully recognize the difficulty of finding people to work in these roles. Yes, it was a busy night. But the lack of attentiveness and disorganization was really frustrating. Equally, the failure of staff to show empathy and customer service was...