A $25 taste of the good life: Restaurant Week tradeoffs

The semi-annual food festivity Restaurant Week (returning Jan. 24-29) tempts modest earners and the near-broke with a chance to dine at any of 31 fine local restaurants for $25 per person (15 participants also offer a $15 lunch option). The roster always includes several of Madison's most coveted and pricey joints (L'Etoile, Harvest), and some on a more reasonable tier (Brocach Irish Pub, Cabana Room). Enticing as they are, not all Restaurant Week experiences are created equal: A $25 bargain changes the rules, sometimes making for a rarified experience a restaurant's regular menu doesn't offer, and sometimes offering less reward than just saving up to splurge on the real deal. The A.V. Club surveyed the Restaurant Week offerings at eight participating restaurants to find out where the tradeoff is a steal and where it falls short.

The Cabana Room (240 W. Gilman St., 608-257-3300)
Regular highlights: Daily lunch specials for under $6, including the Brazilian national dish feijoada (black bean stew) on Thursdays, and the meltingly tender pulled pork sandwich topped with chimichurri for $8.50.
Restaurant Week highlights: Dinner options include jerk-seasoned pork chops and grilled mahi-mahi topped with a pineapple-plantain relish.
The tradeoff: The Cabana Room (Samba Brazilian Steakhouse's little sister) isn’t a big splurge on a regular day—most dishes sit under $10 and the most expensive item, the grilled ribeye, comes in at $14.50. Restaurant Week specials will likely save you a few bucks on a three-course meal, but the quality of the regular menu and already low prices are hard to top. Save $10 and go at lunch, which features the same appetizers and desserts as dinner.

Harvest, (21 N. Pinckney St., 608-255-6075)
Regular highlights: Braised short ribs with white corn polenta and an apple and celeriac remoulade, and two housemade pastas topped with seasonal ingredients.
Restaurant Week highlights: A riff on the short ribs with carrots and polenta and a roasted chicken breast with potato puree and mushroom vinaigrette.
The tradeoff: On a regular night, the beef short ribs cost $27, so the Restaurant Week special has a clear advantage. Plus, it comes with an appetizer and dessert to boot. The downside? Count on smaller portions, elbow-to-elbow crowds, and hectic, distracted service as many people take the opportunity to snag a taste (and it is often just a taste) of the good life.

Capitol Chophouse, (9 E. Wilson St. 608-255-0165)
Regular highlights: Impeccably friendly service, a wide selection of Wisconsin cheeses that actually come with the proper amount of bread and crackers, and locally raised meats, including, unsurprisingly, a wide selection of steaks.
Restaurant Week highlights: A New York strip steak or mustard-crusted salmon for far less than the regular price, plus the Chophouse’s innovative take on the steakhouse classic, wedge salad.
The tradeoff: Unlike many other Restaurant Week menus, Capitol Chophouse's mirrors its regular one, providing a real sample of the Chophouse experience. The portions are slightly smaller and the dining room often busier than on a regular night, but the servers maintain their friendliness, managing the chaos without appearing harried.

L'Etoile (25 N. Pinckney St., 608-251-0500)
Regular highlights: This season chef Tory Miller continues a streak of out-of-his-mind genius menus, venturing into such plates as grilled baby octopus with olive and tomato relish ($32) and roasted pheasant with Hooks 12-year cheddar Johnny cakes, maple-glazed bacon, brussels sprouts, and bourbon jus ($35).
Restaurant Week highlights: Coq au vin with cippolini onions, parsley potatoes, and red wine sauce and the cheese gnocchi with Black Earth valley mushrooms and winter root vegetables in spinach-cream sauce are more straightforward than some items on the regular menu. The meyer lemon sorbet with ground graham crackers and bruléed Italian meringue seems positively down-to-earth for this place.
The tradeoff: Those with non-Bill Gates budgets can sample fare from one of the finest restaurants in the nation on the cheap, and while diners may not get the full L'Etoile experience, they won't be paying for it either.

Sardine (617 Williamson St., 608-441-1600)
Regular highlights: Cheese boards from Fromagination and lamb chops with white beans, confit tomato, sautéed escarole and red wine-veal demi sauce ($24); duck confit salad with a pillowy poached egg ($22).
Restaurant Week highlights: Apple salad with black currants, endive, cipollini onions, spiced pumpkin seeds, crispy butternut squash and coarse mustard-cider vinaigrette; grilled salmon with French lentils, sautéed spinach, and portobello, and beurre blanc; and Gateau Victoire (a dark chocolate mousse cake) assure victory in a quest for consonant taste sensations.
The tradeoff: A Restaurant Week stop to sample Sardine for the first time is a fine thing; just make sure it isn't also the last. The full menu rewards exploration over multiple visits.

Osteria Papavero (128 E. Wilson St., 608-255-8376)
Regular highlights: Egg tagliatelle served with a Wisconsin pheasant ragout ($14); spaghetti Cozze e Vongole ($14); and Gragnano’s spaghetti pasta tossed with sautéed mussels, clams, chili, garlic, and olive oil ($15) all exemplify a rustic Italian menu with few weak areas.
Restaurant Week highlights: Fried calzone stuffed with pork sausage, sautéed escarole and fresh cow's mozzarella; braised elk with yellow corn polenta; the city's most complex tiramisu.
The tradeoff: On an ordinary Tuesday night, $25 per person will fetch a very nice meal at Osteria Papavero, and one that will no doubt be less hectic.

Eldorado Grill (744 Williamson St., 608-280-9378)
Regular highlights: “Fusion” is often an overused go-to in the restaurant biz, but Eldorado turns it into an advantage: Thai vegetable enchiladas ($13.49) and tortilla wrapped catfish ($18.99) are right at home next to smoked brisket ($15.99) and bison meatloaf ($15.99).
Restaurant Week highlights: Work both sides of the Texas border with fish picatta with chipotle, pulled pork, almond flan with agave syrup, and other Tex-Mex goodness.
The tradeoff: All of the Restaurant Week entrees are featured on Eldorado’s daily menu, but that’s OK—one of the biggest challenges of any visit here is choosing Tex or Mex, veggie or carnivore. The opportunity to mix and match between the entrees, apps, and desserts would normally run well over $25. Plus, diners can get some homonym practice deciding between the Texas chili and stuffed ancho chile.

Bluephies Restaurant and Vodkatorium (2701 Monroe St., 608-231-3663)
Regular highlights: Bluephies’ vibe is all about modern upscale bistro-ness, but it actually excels at comfort foods (often with a twist, of course): sweet potato quesadilla ($12.99), chicken pot pie ($15.49), and Creole crab cakes ($17.99).
Restaurant Week highlights: With winter in its dreary full bloom, this is a good place to go to pack on a few pounds for warmth. Try a Monte Cristo sandwich, eggplant parmesan, or winter squash and risotto.
The tradeoff: On a typical day at Bluephies, it's possible to put together an app-entrée-dessert combo that doesn't exceed $25. Still, Bluephies does what it does quite well, so taking the opportunity to try items that aren’t usually on the menu is probably worth it.