Farm to Table

Local. Fresh. Sustainable. Delicious. That pretty much sums up Prasino in Wicker Park. I have been very anxious to try out the restaurant (opened last summer) and I will definitely, hands down, go back. Designed by Chicago's Simeone Deary Design Group, I had the amazing opportunity to work on the restaurant when I lived back in Madison. As a designer for Eco-Friendly Flooring, we worked with project designers at Simeone Deary to specify the Mesquite and Ipe (pronounced e-pay) wood for the interior and exterior. Little known fact: Mesquite is a great eco-friendly choice for flooring, walls, etc. As a plant that abundantly grows in the south, mostly Texas, Mesquite is actually considered a nuisance to the locals because of how regenerative it is. It's mains use: campfire brush and BBQ smokin! When compressed and manufactured into wood planks, the resulting product is very dense and dimensionally stable. You've probably seen it a lot in furniture. Ipe is like the distant cousin of Mesquite and almost identical in coloration. Not typically grown in the US, mainly Brazil, Ipe is a very large budding tree that is ideal for timber and can commonly be seen in exterior decking or for use in wet areas. While it is not a locally sourced material, Ipe is a very durable wood and also insect repellent. At Prasino, the Mesquite is used on the interior ceiling, walls, and flooring and the Ipe is used in the exterior entryway. And a bonus, the food is delicious. Prasino in Greek means "green" and they have truly delivered a restaurant that embodies their name from the food, to the drinks to the design. I went for lunch and had their Chicken Salad Sandwhich with wedge potatoes with a Pomegranate Mimosa. Hungry yet?

                                                          Front Entry with the Ipe, love their logo!

                                                    Simple menus and clipboard drink specials

                                              Lunch and bar area, you can't tell but the light fixtures are
                                                      made from corrugated fiberboard (aka cardboard)

                                                Close-up of bar with Mesquite and bubble light fixtures

                                             Banquette/lounge seating with etched mirror design

                                            Mesquite on the walls and floor, etched mirrored wall decor

                                                        Main dining area with Mesquite on ceiling.

                               Unique private dining with black and white photographs of farm/table concept


 

Ode to the Kitchen.

I was waiting on doing a post about Madison's Underground Kitchen until I had eaten there once more, but now seems like a good time as any. I was extremely sad to find out Thursday morning that the Kitchen and the apartments in it's building were up in fire for about five hours. Police were still closings roads as I left work yesterday. Such a tragic thing to have happened and I only hope that everyone is okay and the restaurant can still be saved once the smoke is cleared. On a brighter note, Underground Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in Madison. Maybe I'm biased because the Underground Food Collective has a space in my work building and I see them catering and food prepping almost every day, but the restaurant itself had excellent food and a fun vibe. When I first walked in, it was like Green & Indie had made a restaurant. They completely remodeled the space after Cafe Montmartre closed and it looked fantastic. When they do reopen the restaurant, or relocate, please go check them out. Their food/meat/bread etc is from local Wisconsin farms, bakeries or produced at the Food Collective. They craft their own (very delicious) cocktails and their menu changes with the seasons. I recommend the cheese platter. Can you tell I'm from WI?

[pictures courtesy of the Underground Kitchen or WI State Journal]

Madison places I love: Anthology

There are so many great, local places in Madison that I need to start spreading the word. My latest favorite: Anthology located near the Orpheum Theatre on State Street. The whole store is indie eye-candy, from hand-made necklaces, frames to printed t-shirts, books, and vintage finds. They play host to craft parties where you can make your own Christmas card, bracelet, and of course the "make a button for a buck." I wandered in last weekend with a purpose: get inspired for Christmas presents and pick up fun paper to rehab my IKEA coffee tables. The owners are so warm and friendly and offered great advice for my future refurbishing adventure (soon to come!).

[a peek at the beautiful paper I purchased - some for the coffee tables, some for artwork]




[pictures courtesy of the anthology website, check it out!]