When a new restaurant opens, it typically only has marginal differences to its competitors. But Justin Gibson of VOM FASS did a commendable job of bringing a unique concept to Madison with delecTable.
It’s almost like a secret club. If you were shopping at VOM FASS on University Avenue and didn’t know better, you wouldn’t realize a full kitchen, restaurant and bar are just behind the double doors in the back. That’s where you can participate in cooking classes, cocktail tastings and culinary dinner theaters, which was I was invited to try.
It is indeed an experience. There’s room for 28 guests, and you can sit right in front of the cooking/plating area, or you can watch the action on three TVs. I sat at the bar, which gave me the chance to see the drinks being made.
The four-course meal ($49, plus tax and tip), served on Saturdays, began with a tomato confit tartare. The tomatoes are super fresh and honestly resemble tuna tartare in both texture and yes, taste. They’re topped with calamansi balsam pearls that look like salmon roe but are actually made of vinegar and are slightly sweet. A crunchy cornet that holds a hint of garlic flavor keeps it all together. The wine pairing was a dry “Super Nat” Sauvignon blanc.
The latkes mulligatawny is full of tastes and textures. You have a sweetness from the cranberry and apple balsamic reduction, a crispiness from the sweet potato latke and a richness from dilly crème fraiche. Above it all was the best smoked trout I’ve ever had, and I was sad that it was only a bite-sized portion. The accompanying Ten Acre Chardonnay was quite oaky.
The only disappointment of the night was the prime rib, which was tender but cooked well done instead of a preferred medium rare. It was served with onions that are cooked for three hours and are perfectly caramelized. All the dishes so far followed a theme of something sitting on top of something else, and in this case, the prime rib rested on mashed lentils amid a savory bed of mushrooms and au jus. I am not a fan of blends, and “the Ambassador” paired wine was no exception, as the merlot was too prevalent.
Dessert was comprised of a shortbread crumble–tiny crumbs that held a surprising amount of ginger–along with a lemon mascarpone that was deliciously creamy and lemony. It came with homemade raspberry orange sorbet, which I found to be refreshing. The “chai latte for grown-ups,” containing chai vodka, was a perfect way to cap the night.
delecTable hosts various events throughout the week. Reservations can be made online.
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See more photos in our delecTable Flickr Album.
