Eating Out Is A Responsibility

Linda Burton posting from Madison, Wisconsin – “Madison folks are big on Sunday brunch,” I read. Since that’s my idea of a good Sunday too, I searched out the possibilities, settling on the Marigold Kitchen, the #1 Best, according to several reviewers. I liked its location too, right off Capitol Square; I could get my outdoor capitol photos while parked in the same spot. The weather had cooled, at last, to a civilized 73 degrees. The drive was easy, a straight shot towards the capitol down Washington Avenue, onto the isthmus that is Central Madison. This city of lakes, you see, really is; Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are two of the smaller lakes left by those famous glaciers of long ago, separated by a strip that’s just wide enough to build a city on. The capitol sits in the middle with a few blocks in either direction towards the water; possibly the most pleasant spot nature and humankind could have put together for a Sunday morning outing. I parked in a meterless spot right beside the capitol under a shade tree; Marigold Kitchen was just a block down Pinckney Street. Somebody else had read the reviews; the outdoor tables were full and the line to get inside hung outside; someone passed out menus to study while we stood. The routine was set up for efficiency; order at the counter, pay and get your number; get seated when the next table came open. I’d never thought of adding fresh sweet corn and yellow squash to my scrambled eggs, but that’s what the Scrambler offered and that’s what I chose, along with Marigold Potatoes and Rosemary French Toast. “A table there, near the door,” was offered with a frantic point; I scooted fast and grabbed my spot. Did I mention the noise? » read more