The year in Madison food: The A.V. Club's 2009 tasting tour

Madison chefs and diners endured a lot of ups and downs this year, but local dining still found ways to express its indulgent, sometimes-adventurous spirit. Fries got fancy, but old-fashioned comfort foods tightened their hold. Asian food took a lowbrow turn, and a community-run restaurant became a foodie standby. Since these are all trends you can taste, The A.V. Club assembled this menu for re-living the year in Madison food.

The recession sent more people into the kitchen—or at least into the prepared-food section of the grocery store—hoping to save money. Everywhere from L'Etoile (25 N. Pinckney St., 608-251-0500) to Copps (multiple local locations) and Hy-Vee (3801 E. Washington Ave., 608-244-4696) now offers cooking classes and food demonstrations, most of which have filled up quickly. Many other people traded in a meal out for hot food and a salad in a Styrofoam container or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
Main dish: Rotisserie chicken from Metcalfe’s Sentry (726 N. Midvale Blvd., 608-238-7612)
Drink: A glass of Franzia Chablis

Ginger, ginger everywhere. From ginger beers and ginger infusions in cocktails, ginger starred in many Madison bar drinks this year. Ginger also made a pronounced appearance in soups and sides, most notably in the ginger beets at The Haze (106 King St., 608-260-2680) and the ginger-pear waffles at Sophia’s (831 E. Johnson St., 608-259-1506).
Main dish: Carrot-ginger soup from Brasserie V (1923 Monroe St., 608-255-8500), and/or an apple-ginger torte from Restaurant Muramoto (225 King St., 608-259-1040).
Drink: A Dark And Stormy, the national drink of Bermuda, a potent mix of ginger beer and rum, at Restaurant Magnus (120 E. Wilson St., 608-258-8787).

Urban homesteading makes local local-er. Will Allen, Milwaukee’s urban farmer, packed two separate Madison events, while Troy Gardens farmer Claire Strader was elected White House farmer and lauded for her efforts to grow food in the city. Madison FarmWorks began installing and maintaining vegetable gardens in city backyards alongside the family flock of chickens. Michael Pollan's speech in support of sensible agriculture reform drew 7,000 people, and the media is filled with reports on the importance of eating locally.
Main dish: Creekside Field Greens Salad at L’Etoile.
Drink: Heirloom tomato Bloody Mary at Marigold Kitchen (118 Pinckney St., 608-661-5559).

Customization beyond Burger King. Have it your way at the two new Mongolian grills, BD's (4722 East Towne Blvd., 608-249-6565) and HuHot (610 Junction Rd., 608-827-7110). Not to mention the older Flat Top Grill (538 N. Midvale Blvd., 608-236-0500), the pick-your-meat emporium The Haze, Oysy Sushi & Seafood Buffet (4126 E. Washington Ave., 608-237-7587), or the short-lived Old Market Bistro. Or combine world cuisines (lasagna and egg rolls anyone?) at the new Hy-Vee grocery store buffet. Hy-Vee also has a dietician on hand if you need some guidance.
Main dish: HuHot’s coconut shrimp, hold the shrimp.
Drink: Diet Coke and Jack.

Here's the beef. Barbecue enjoyed a surge in popularity this year, turning up in fire pits cooked by well-known chefs; as the centerpiece of the local Muramoto chain's latest endeavor, The Haze; and at Porky Pine Pete’s Smokehouse BBQ (7475 Mineral Point Rd., 608-381-0256), which plans to open sometime this month.
Main dish: Pork back ribs at Fat Jack’s Barbecue (6207 Monona Dr., 608-221-4220).
Drink: New Glarus Brewery Edel-Pils.

Sliders! Sliders, thin-cut slices of meat or burger on small buns (Scrappy-Doo to a big hamburger, proportionally) turned up all over town this year: lamb sliders with beets at Fresco (227 State St., 608-663-7374), marinated goat cheese and caprese versions from Brasserie, and even barbecue pulled pork sliders from Applebee's (4710 East Towne Blvd., 608-244-1470).
Main dish: Slider cheeseburger at Lucky’s (1421 Regent St., 608 250-8989)
Drink: Budweiser, perhaps?

Going back to fatty. The recession sent elegant small plates packing (Kushi Bar Muramoto closed, for example) and lower-priced comfort foods surged in popularity. Madison restaurants catering to fiscally unsettled consumers became even more prominent as a result—Monty's Blue Plate Diner (2089 Atwood Ave., 608-244-8505) seemed more packed than ever this year.
Main dish: Mac and cheese side at Doug’s Soul Food Café (1325 Greenway Cross, 608-819-8900).
Drink: One of Monty's giant milkshakes.

Wishful naming. The meaning of the words "gastropub" and "bistro" got increasingly stretched this year. As chains like TGI Friday's diversify their menus with "Tuscan Spinach Dip" and bar food attempts to go upscale it all starts to look like the same thing: big plates of potatoes and gooey cheese dips and cheese curds wherever you look.
Main dish: French fries (sorry, "Perfect Frites") at Kickshaw (5957 McKee Rd., 608-442-9800).
Drink: Kim Crawford Pinot Noir from Marlborough, NZ, on Kickshaw's wine list.

Local foods shake hands with youth training. Teens learned how to work in the food-service industry at the Goodman Community Center's Ironworks Café (149 Waubesa St., 608-241-1574) in a surprisingly honest assessment of how to help kids gain survival skills if they aren't doing well in school. Making lattes with precision under duress while taking orders and delivering food is not that easy to do.
Main dish: Ironworks' "Eggs Your Way" with mushrooms, bacon, and toast.
Drink: Ironworks' fresh espresso.