Café Madrid

She said:

The Café Madrid sits on a corner off of Highland Drive in Holladay. From the outside, it resembles a charming Spanish stone and brick cottage with an ornate water fountain. The door is fashioned from heavy, scrolled wrought iron, and an outdoor patio made from stone pavers provides additional seating during warm weather. It all looks warm and inviting, rustic. It does feel as though someone has stepped into a Spanish villa.

Upon entering, one is greeted by everything that is ornate and a bit fussy: heavy drapery, upholstered chairs, floral tapestries, brocade chair pillows, wrought iron marble-topped display tables, artificial florals swags and wreaths everywhere, and cream-colored walls that boast bright paintings in reds, golds, and greens. And all of that was just in the front entrance!

We were seated in the front room of the restaurant, facing the busy street. I would have preferred sitting next to the large window if the drapes had been closed to lend an air of privacy and intimacy. It felt a bit uncomfortable and I couldn't relax the way I would have liked.

Although the round table looked lovely with its white tablecloth, white linen napkins, and burgundy plates, it was small, which made eating a bit of a juggling act. It’s a complaint I have about many restaurants, not just this one: too-small tables. (Please, restaurants everywhere, we want larger tables that can actually accommodate all of our entrees, drinks, dinnerware, etc., without having to shuffle everything around or retrieve fallen items from the floor).

Anyway, I chose one of the evening’s specials, the Chilean Sea Bass and Whipped Potatoes. Because, you know, I’m all about the seafood. I ordered a side of asparagus because a side of spuds was not enough vegetables. I need more than protein and simple carbs on my plate.

The sea bass was cooked just right, but it was drowning in an overly sweet saffron sauce that was too runny. Rich and thick would have been great. Also, the whipped potatoes were not thick and creamy as I would have liked. They were a bit watery and lacked flavor. As for the asparagus, it was pretty much what I expected, firm and crisp. Overall, I was disappointed in my meal. Maybe I was just being as fussy with the food as I was with the décor, but my dish would have been perfect if there had been less sauce and more vegetables, more tanginess and less sweetness. My expectations were pretty high, and I anticipated being served excellent food based on my surroundings and the restaurant's reputation.

He said:

Kathy may have thought the décor was a bit overdone. There certainly was a lot of it, but I liked it. It made the place feel special, and I felt special for being there. The entire restaurant also serves as an art gallery, with beautiful paintings of señoritas, toros, and other Spanish elements abounding. I believe many of the paintings are available for purchase.

While our table near the window gave us a view of the street, it also afforded us a view of the mountains. I could also see the wintered remains of a flower bed. Perhaps another season would provide an enhancement to the view.

The menu offered many enticing options. Even with a considerable selection of seafood, I found enough terrestrial choices to make my selection difficult. We considered several appetizers—er, tapas—before settling on the Albóndigas Caseras, homemade meatballs of veal, pork, and beef with a rich, velvety sauce. We enjoyed it, but the four meatballs didn’t last long.

For my appetizer, I got the Solomillo de Buey al Queso Picón de Tresviso, fillets of beef tenderloin under a Roquefort cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was tasty, a bit sweet, and drenched my plate, just like Kathy experienced. I also noticed other dishes, at other tables, swimming in sauce. I don’t know if this is typical of Spanish cuisine, but it seems common at Café Madrid. A pile of caramelized onions sat atop my fillets. These were no ordinary onions. The caramelization was incredible, with no hint of charring or overcooking, each onion ring a dark, translucent color. I asked the waitress about them. She said the chef cooks them slowly at a low temperature for as many as three hours. I guess patience has its rewards!

I enjoyed the vegetables on my plate, a mix of zucchini, summer squash, baby corn, and whole cherry tomatoes that were thankfully not so hot that I would get a scalding spray of tomato juice when I bit into them. A portion of au gratin potatoes completed my plate. They were cheesy, with the potatoes thickly sliced, as I like them.

Among the desserts, a single option caught my eye and piqued my curiosity: Fresas Maceradas a la Pimienta Verde con Helado de Vanilla. In other words, fresh strawberries in a green peppercorn marinade with vanilla ice cream. That’s right: peppercorn. I had to try that. It arrived as a bowl of ice cream topped with sliced strawberries. A closer examination revealed ground green peppercorns. I thought it might have meant fresh peppercorns instead of dried ones, so they might be soft. No, these appeared to be regular peppercorns, albeit green ones, dried and then coarsely ground. But they must be milder than a normal peppercorn, right? Nope, this dessert could bite back! Kathy bravely tried it but took a shock at the spice. To cool the effect, I suggested she dig into the ice cream, which was almost as soft and creamy as a frozen custard. Meanwhile, I liked the contrasting flavors. I especially liked how the pepper infused the juice, making it almost seem to effervesce. I happily finished the whole dessert by myself.

Conclusion:

Our experience had some hits and some misses. Café Madrid’s setting is sumptuous and lavish. The chef prepares food in interesting, ambitious ways. Some of those efforts worked well for us, but some did not. We also found the prices a bit inflated for the experience.