It had a been a long day of travel in trying conditions thanks to a fierce Spring wind that was buffeting much of Wisconsin earlier this year. When I finally got into my hotel on the west side of Madison I was tired and hungry. Perusing through a local tourism magazine in my room, I saw a listing for the Vintage Brewing Company that was not far from my hotel. One of my local dealers in Madison told me last fall that he really enjoyed both the beer selection and the food at Vintage Brewing Company and I decided to head over there that evening.
Vintage Brewing Co. is located in a strip mall off Whitney Way in what was the former J.T. Whitney's brew pub that closed in March of 2009. (See map) (As an aside - at one point in time, a good friend of mine had a small stake in J.T. Whitney's, but he sold his share before they closed their doors.) After J.T. Whitney's closed, Brittany and Trent Kraemer - who along with Trent's brother Mark owned Vintage Spirits and Grill in Madison - decided to take over the space to do their own variation of a brew pub. With the help of friends, the trio remodeled the space and hired a culinary team headed by Andrew Hurst before opening in February 2010. The Kraemer's also opened a small bar - The Woodshed in nearby Sauk City - in 2013 that features regional microbrews as well as some of the namesake Woodshed beers that are brewed at the Vintage Brewing Co.
The Kraemer's fashioned the decor and furnishings at Vintage Brewing Co. as sort of a cross between a 50's-style Northwoods diner and a happenin' 60's urban hangout. There's a lounge area near the bar that features naugahyde chairs and sofas with 60's-style lamps. The bar area features a number of wood booths in subdued lighting.
I was greeted by a young man at the host stand who asked me if I wanted to get a table in the dining area. He guided me to the back area and when I noticed that the place was rather packed, I decided to look toward some seating at the bar. I found a space at the bar and told him that I'd rather sit there and watch some Milwaukee Brewers baseball that was on the flat screen televisions hung around the bar area. He dropped off a menu and I decided that I was ready for a beer.
One of the bartenders came over to greet me and I ordered up a Woodshed IPA, a house-brewed IPA from Vintage Brewing. As he brought me the beer, he asked if he could get my credit card from me so he could start a tab. I gave him my card and didn't think anything more about it.
The menu at Vintage Brewing features a number of entrees including a bacon-crusted meat loaf, beer-battered cod, and yellowfin tuna steak served on a bed of black beans, sweet corn, rice and cilantro, then topped with a house-made coconut banana sauce and pineapple salsa, then finished with crunchy fried bananas and scallions. That sounded like a lot of stuff going on with that dish.
Vintage Brewing Co. also features a number of sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and appetizers. The brewpub is big on sourcing foods locally and they get their blended beef for their burgers from the venerable Knoche's Butcher Shop in Madison, artisan cheese from Saxon Creamery and Cedar Grove Cheese, and produce and from farmer-supported Fifth Season Cooperative. A relative of the Kraemer's also raises most of the beef served in Vintage Brewing Co.
Enjoying my Woodshed IPA, I figured out that I wanted to go the comfort food route that evening. I decided upon Not Your Mama's Stroganoff - short beef ribs that are braised and pulled from the bone and placed in a stroganoff sauce with sliced mushrooms, onions, garlic, peas, Parmesan cheese and sour cream. The stroganoff is served over egg noodles and then topped with a truffle oil. I also got my choice of a side with it and I ordered up the spicy cole slaw. That all sounded so good and I was ready to order.
Except the guy who took my original beer order and placed my credit card at the cash register 20 minutes earlier had disappeared. There was a flurry of activity behind the oblong-shaped bar and the handful of bartenders that passed in front of me acted like I wasn't even there. I tried to make eye contact with some of them, but they were too busy doing other things or completely ignoring me. However, the bartenders weren't too busy to carry on conversations with a couple next to me - obviously they were regulars. But it was getting kind of ridiculous.
Finally, I had to get the attention of one of the other male bartenders and told him that I was ready to order. He seemed sort of surprised and said, "Yeah, sure! I can help you out!" He had no idea that my card was already at the cash register as he asked if he could get my card to hold. Once we got past the awkwardness, I ordered up my dinner and another Woodshed IPA.
They bartender who took my order never came back the rest of the night. My meal was brought out by another bartender who was having trouble figuring out who had ordered the stroganoff. Service was a little less than desirable sitting at the bar that evening.
But the food more than made up for the choppiness of the service that evening. The pulled beef was tender and very flavorful in the creamy rich stroganoff sauce. The sliced mushrooms were fresh and had a great earthy taste in the sauce. The quality of the flavor of the beef stroganoff was simply outstanding.
But what got me was how great the spicy cole slaw tasted. It was a creamy cole slaw that had a cool beginning followed by a fiery spiciness that just crept up and zapped my taste buds. The spicy cole slaw was equally outstanding. This was a meal that was an utter and complete spot-hitter.
When I was ready to cash out, I had to get the attention of another bartender - this time a female bartender who tried to get me to order another beer. I declined the offer and asked for my bill and credit card. It took four different people to wait on me at Vintage Brewing Company, but the service was indifferent and somewhat uneven.
Other than the rough service I encountered seated at the bar, the overall meal at Vintage Brewing Co. was very, very good. I thought the Woodshed IPA was also good and went well with the meal. The stroganoff was some of the best I've tasted and the spicy cole slaw was a very memorable side dish. While the service was a bit of a downside to the overall experience, I would have no problem recommending Vintage Brewing Company for a good meal and good beer.
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