Mado: User Reviews

I recently read about Mado in bon apetit magazine as they named it 1 of the top 10 new restaurants in the country. I had friends in town the week of 11-2-09 so I made reservations for 4. Upon entering, the ambiance and the room were lacking in any theme, style or character. I don't know if there was a host or if servers act as hosts as the person who checked us in was also our server. They were all rather slovenly dressed. Our table was not quite ready and were asked to wait at the bar, we placed our bottles of wine on the bar and sat down. I expected that someone would have asked us if we wanted our wine opened and serve us as we waited; that never happened. I expected more than bare wood tables, there were no table clothes and the flatware was rolled in a cloth napkin and tossed on the table; I felt as if I were having lunch at Milk and Honey on W Division. Besides the bon apetit accolades, I appreciated the fact that the Chefs/owners use locally sourced products. One of my guest asked about the beef heart on the menu and the server said it was similar to a beef tenderloin; it was tough, grissley and barely palatable. Another had the porchetta which was flavorful but dry and overcooked. The trout and celery root was very good. We had ordered a side of rosemary potatoes for the table and had to ask for them after our entrees were served; they were a forgotten side. They did arrive, almost as we were finishing our dinners. Our server mostly forgot about us throughout the meal and never asked how we liked our entrees. We left without having desert. I am glad to have tried Mado, but will not return.

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I went to Mado for a very special second date. Allison was more than accommodating, knowing that this was a special night for us. The service, despite other reviews here, was outstanding. I brought a 17YO wine, a "special" bottle as it were -- the server took extra care of it, esp. as the cork was "dead" -- professionally decanted and not an iota of sediment! And, the food...what more can be said about the food. Robert is a master in the kitchen...and, he was very grateful that we shared our wine with him! But, back to the food...masterful. Very well done, seasoned nicely, good proportions, great value, great people the Levitts.

Don't go to Mado because I told you to. Go to Mado because you want to experience good food done great at a great value...and, you're curious about what it "good food" means. There is no pretention here, contrary to other reviews. Make a reservation because you want to, and bring and extra bottle of wine (just in case!). And, don't skimp on dessert. It will be worth it. Unfortunately, that date didn't go as well as I would've liked. However, we had a fantastic dinner. That much I can tell you.

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So after hearing about this place from my friend who is in the restaurant biz, I was excited to check it out. Upon arriving we were greeted by a haze of smoke through out the entire restaurant. It was actually hard to breath. Once we were seated the waiter came over and began to tell us a bit about the restaurant. After he hyped it up for about 5 min we were ready to order.

We had several apps to start with. The meat tray was awful! I could put together a better one myself at Jewel. The bread was stale and the quality and selection of cured meats was sub par. The white fish looked like it had been days old and was bloodied and veiny. The beet salad was the one thing that I will say was good.

For an entree we had hanger steak, Pork Leg, and a pasta dish. The hanger steak came out and was still moving on the plate. It was cooked like seared ahi would have been. We immediately sent it back. The pork leg was so dry that we were not able to eat it. Think worse than turkey on thanksgiving 2 days afterwards. The waiter said the chef agreed and brought us out another. This time the center was frozen! How could that be since our waiter said all entrees were prepared from scratch upon ordering? I don't think so.

We didn't even bother trying anything else even though they offered to provide us an entree on the house. This place is far from being a good restaurant. In my opinion they need to work on the quality of the food as well as how it is prepared. If you are looking for a new place to go avoid Mado. Publican, Bristol, or your own kitchen are better choices.

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I hate to write bad reviews, figuring that you make bad food and people will eventually stop coming, but now that it's advertised on pg. 1 of Metromix I have no choice. We ordered various meats to start. The chicken liver pate was to die for. Everything else was bland and one meat was too fatty to eat. Maybe some people like that. On recommendation from the server, I got the special - a cassoulet that had no flavor. None. I am shocked anyone tasting this would serve it, and anyone serving it would recommend it. To add insult, the restaurant has no ventilation and soon filled with smoke. An overall unpleasant experience. They are doing locally raised animals a disservice.

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This place was REALLY disappointing. The food was not good. We had the meat sampler appetizer and had to ask our waitress to take it away. The restaurant was also really smoky from the kitchen. Great location however terrible food.

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Having read the Mado review in Bon Appetit just before leaving Oregon to visit our son in Wicker Park, we were eager to try Mado, which we did this morning for Sunday brunch. The restaurant in no way lived up to its billing. Most of the ingredients in the meals we had were either over or under cooked. If the restaurant is run by man and wife as reported, I question whether they were on site at the time and, if so, whether they have any degree of kitchen quality control and/or professional cooking experience. Having brought my son and his wife to Mado for a special treat, we were all very disappointed.

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Unfortunately, Metromix does not provide a means of removing one's prior review once your opinion changes. We loved Mado when it first opened last spring and went here often. We even overlooked having to pay extra for four small slices of bread with the charcuterie plate. However, starting this past winter it has gone down hill. We have been back several times to try and give it the benefit of the doubt (i.e., off night perhaps?), but it continues to disappoint. Dish compositions are more muddled and less clean. Flavor now comes from (too much) richness and (over) saltiness, rather than the true freshness of the ingredients playing through. It's almost as if the kitchen never tastes its own dishes at any point from conception to execution. Service is still friendly, ambiance is still nice, and value is still good with BYO, but we're done. Sorry guys.

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just like the title says. Mado had great food, the sicilian seafood stew was amazing and big enough to share. We also shared a few of the small tastes: tuna, lentil flatbread, and rolled pigs head. All were great and I can't wait to try what the rest of the menu has to offer BUT...the ambiance in Mado left a lot to be desired. No music, tense or akward waitstaff, smokey dining room (no ventilation) all left us with a bad taste in our mouths. a dining experience is more than just the food, i think they could use a little work on this paspect of their business.

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I thought Mado was excellent! I went with a group of friends (6 of us). We brought several bottles of wine, since it's BYOB (a huge plus). The food was amazing. I got the roasted beets for appetizer and the hanger steak with gorgonzola polenta (everyone was so mad they didn't order this). The service was excellent! It was nice and cozy inside since they have the wood-burning stove. Highly recommended.

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I will definitely go back. I had Hanger steak with Gorgonzola Polenta. It was very delicious. Everything wash very fresh with really added to the taste. My old complaint that is was cold in there. I guess with the Wood oven they don't want it too hot. If you call for reservations ask to sit away from the door in the the winter too.

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