Strawberry Cafe worth the trip to Madison

Life has been really hectic that last several weeks between the holidays, work, etc. I haven't had much time to eat out anywhere new. So, on a recent Friday night, John and I had a much overdue date night. We cut out of work early and headed to Madison for dinner and a movie.

It is generally my goal when eating out to try a restaurant we haven't been to before. The Strawberry Cafe has been on my list, so we decided to check it out. It's located in the old depot in downtown Madison. We got there at 5:30 so we would have time to go to the early movie. We were a little concerned when we drove up and there were no cars in the parking lot. We wondered if that were a sign of how well the food is, but decided that it was early and somebody had to be first. Not long after we were seated, the restaurant began to fill. I guess we were the icebreakers.

Our waiter was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable of the menu. He told us about several specials, which sounded delicious, but didn't tell us the price of them. We've learned the hard way that if they don't volunteer the price, it's way too expensive. So, we opted for something from the regular menu.

We were starving because we were too busy at work to stop for lunch, so we started the evening off with an order of Craw Puppies. They were basically hushpuppies with crawfish in them and were served with homemade remoulade sauce. They were quite tasty and we devoured those puppies (pardon the pun).

Craw Puppies

For the entree, I chose Pork Tenderloin and John chose Yellowfin Tuna. My pork tenderloin was cooked with a dijon sauce (Creole sauce was an option, but it cost extra) and served with cafe potatoes and sauteed vegetables. There were six medallions of pork and the vegetables were seasoned perfectly and to the degree of tenderness of my liking. Needless to say, I made a happy plate. John cleaned his plate as well. The tuna was marinated in a pineapple ginger soy sauce and grilled. It came atop a bed of wild rice with sunflower seeds and was topped with pineapple chutney, alongside sauteed vegetables.

Yellowfin Tuna

As always, we made room for dessert. We chose the Caramel Pie. It was the same as the recipe I use, and was equally as delicious.

Caramel Pie

We had a great meal and will definitely return.

http://strawberrycafemadison.com/index.php

Caramel Pie
2 - graham cracker crusts
3 - cans sweetened condensed milk
Whipped Cream or Cool Whip
Optional Toppings: Toasted Pecans or Toffee Bits

Remove labels from cans of condensed milk. Place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 3 hours, turning cans occasionally. Remove cans from water and cool. Divide caramel between graham cracker crusts. Refrigerate.

Top with whipped cream, which I prefer, or Cool Whip when serving. Sprinkle with toasted pecans, toffee bits, or both.