Mad City Eats

• Restaurant: Liliana’s
• Location:  2951 Triverton Pike Fitchburg, WI  53711

Hello again, all.  I apologize for the time between reviews, but cash has been thin, and times have been a little tough (as they have for most people).  It seems that the slump will be ending, as I will begin working again beginning Monday.  So hopefully, reviews will become more abundant, as the cash-flow increases.  Anyhow, enough of the personal stuff, and on to the review!

So my wife turned 29 (again, and I am not at liberty to disclose how many times now) on Tuesday, so I really wanted to take her out for her birthday.  I had a hankerin’ for Cajun food, and my wife really enjoys it as well.  I was thinking that good Cajun is hard to find in Madison, then I realized that Liliana’s is on the way to my folk’s house.  Done deal…signed, sealed, and delivered.

I think we probably chose a great day to go.  Badger Football Saturday, and close enough to Christmas to keep a lot of people busy at the malls and food courts attached to them.  We arrived shortly after 12:00 noon, and the place was surprisingly quiet… pleasant surprise #1.  We were able to be seated immediately by a very nice, and well-dressed host.  Within a minute of our being seated, our waitress stopped by with water, menus, and a very sweet disposition…pleasant surprise number 2.

We placed our drink and appetizer orders very quickly.  Liliana’s features a streamlined menu for lunch time, which limits choices slightly, but still offers a bountiful array of Cajun goodness to choose from.  I ordered a Capitol Amber, my wife ordered a Hurricane (I will refrain from the Katrina jokes), and we agreed on Cornmeal Crusted Calamari for an appetizer.  While we waited, we were served hot, sweet cornbread with  chive butter.  Man, that was a fantastic starter and did NOT last long.  As we waited for out appetizer, we were able to watch the Badgers begin the solid trouncing of the Indiana Hoosiers (83-20 final), on the TV located just above our table.

The Calamari arrived, and I was overjoyed.  This Calamari is not typical.  It is dusted with cornmeal, then deep fried.  It was served with their “Fire Lily” sauce.  Lemon and lime wedges were included, but not needed.  Now if you have had Calamari before then you are fully aware of what it is.  If you have never had it before, you may be taken aback slightly.  If you look carefully at the picture, you will see whole (almost…they were at least headless) baby octopi.  I will tell you, I am VERY picky about Calamari, and this was the second best I think I have had.  First belonging to Johnny Delmonico’s, which was absolutely to die for.

Once we finished that fantastic opener to our meal, we received our Entrées.  My wife had the Wild Mushroom Pasta: Crimini and shitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, and linguini tossed with cream
and topped with grape tomatoes and sautéed sugar snaps…lest we forget the shaved parm on top.  The mushrooms had a deep, smoky flavor…they were delectable.  The pasta was perfectly cooked, with the sautéed sugar snaps, and the grilled grape tomatoes, this was a real winner.  One comment my wife made about the dish, is that the sauce was semi-bland.  She said that a little salt and pepper jazzed it up, and really topped it off.  The presentation (as you will see bleow) is also very nice, making this a very good all-around winner.

Now, I believe that the only way you can really judge Cajun/Creole cooking is to have their Jambalaya.  To me there are a few things that absolutely scream Cajun, and Jambalaya is one of those.  As you may have guessed by now, I had the Crawfish Po’Boy.  Just kidding, I had the Jambalaya:  Andouille, Tasso ham, lardon, and blackened shrimp with a spicy tomato sauce and rice.  I was immediately surprised when I received the dish…my mouth watering in anticipation.  It was gorgeous…a virtual work of art.  It was difficult (not really) to dig in to this dish with as beautiful as it was.   The Andouille was sliced in to thin, but huge pieces.  The Tasso and lardon were very plentiful, and the shrimp was PER-FECT-LY cooked.  The portion size was awesome…remember I love food, and it filled me up.

Believe it or not, we were still in the mood for more.  In all fairness, I ate all of my jambalaya, my wife took some pasta home (lunch for me tomorrow I think ).  So, given that there was no real birthday cake for my wife this year, we split a dessert.  Bananas Foster was her choice.  I, honestly had never had it until today.  What a pleasant surprise.  It was fantastic…I never thought of bananas as decadent before, this certainly was.  I had a few bites before I decided that we needed to go get me new pants after all of the Jambalaya.  My wife finished it…smiling more and more with every delicious bite.

Given that this was a birthday meal for my wife, we decided that the price was not going to be a deciding factor…good thing.  I can’t remember the last time I dropped $70 on lunch…ever.  Remember though, we did have an app, 2 entrées, and a dessert.  The bill came to $58, and given the exemplary service we received, I felt just over 20% was an appropriate tip.  In a nutshell, would I recommend Liliana’s?  Without question, YES!  The service, and food are well worth the price.

Comments are closed.