My how time flies! Look how the chickens have grown!

April 2011- a few days old

May 2012- a year old

We have a bunch of lovely little hens laying fresh eggs everyday. We have found plenty of delicious uses for the eggs at home, and love when we have a whole bunch to bring to Liliana's for the Chefs to use. There really is nothing quite like fresh eggs from happy hens!

Tuesday Tasting Menu April 17th

Tuesday 3-course - April 17 - Bay of Pigs

The infamously failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was on April 17, 1961, with the intent of overthrowing the Castro communist regime. It was originally proposed by Richard Nixon, planned by Dwight Eisenhower, and approved by John F. Kennedy. It was a disaster.

Kennedy ordered a full investigation of the failed operation. The controversial Inspector General's report concluded that ignorance, incompetence, and arrogance on the part of the CIA were responsible for the fiasco. It criticized nearly every aspect of the CIA's handling of the invasion: misinforming Kennedy administration officials, planning poorly, using faulty intelligence and conducting an overt military operation beyond "agency responsibility as well as agency capability."

Aside from being a major victory for the Cuban Revolution and a major embarrassment for Kennedy and the CIA, the attack at the Bay of Pigs set the stage for the nearly catastrophic confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union: the missile crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

The only good news is that we used the Bay of Pigs invation as our excuse to feature the incredible Fox Valley Bershire Pork in our menu this evening.

Last September the Heide family visited the farm - see the details in the restaurant blog here.

Tuesday 3-course menu - April 17

Fox Valley Berkshire Pork

3-course dinner $25, wine flight $10 additional

First Course

Braised Fox Valley pork shoulder and feta ravioli
with wilted spinach in a citrus brown butter

Second Course

Grilled Fox Valley pork chop with smoked potato purée and charred asparagus. Topped with lemon herb compound butter.

Dessert

Fox Valley bacon apple crumble
with vanilla ice cream and brown sugar bacon caramel

Tuesday Tasting Menu 4/3/12

Tuesday 3-course Preview - April 3 - Apples

Apple Computer keeps reinventing itself, over and over and over again.

Who would have thought that the small niche computer maker would evolve into the company it is today, with some of the most sought-after commercial products in the world?

They reinvented the intelligent cell phone, created a whole new way of selling and playing music, and made tablet computing popular. They launched the first generation iPad on this date back in 2010, and since then by December last year had sold over 55 million iPads. Their newest generation was released earlier this month.

Our menu next week is our tribute to Apple!

Tuesday 3-course menu - April 3

Apples!!!!

First Course

Gala apples, candied pecans, montrachet cheese with an apricot vinaigrette and field greens

Second Course

Fox Valley Berkshire Pork Chop with gingered apples, bacon braised collared greens and crispy sweet potato pancake

Dessert

Warm apple crumble with cinnamon semifreddo

John Vitale, Marilyn Fisher, and Ken Kuehl will be playing in the bar.

Tuesday Tasting Menu 3-27-12 Aphrodisiacs!

Tuesday 3-course Preview - March 27 - Aphrodisiacs

On this date in 1998, the FDA approved the drug Viagra. We thought it would be fun to look at foods that over the years have been considered afrodisiacs.

We've colored all of the foods that have been considered aphrodisiacs in the menu red.

Tuesday 3-course menu - March 27

Aphrodisiacs!!!!

First Course

Fresh shucked oyster with basil mignionette

Second Course

Pan seared salmon with avocado-honey tomato salsa
and fresh grilled asparagus over shitake risotto

Dessert

Almond rum cake with chocolate ganache,

strawberry with a vanilla bean creme anglaise

John Vitale, Marilyn Fisher, and Ken Kuehl will be playing in the bar.

Tuesday Tasting Menu 3-20-12

Tuesday 3-course Preview - March 20 - 1st Day of Spring!

Next week marks the first official day of spring, and it's a great time to think about the upcoming new spring menu. Be looking for our announcements - we're going to be spending most of a week introducing you to our new spring menu, launching a new item or two each night for you to get a preview.

Tuesday 3-course menu - March 20

1st day of Spring!!!!

First Course

Braised lamb ravioli with brown butter sauce

Second Course

Pan seared salmon with grilled asparagus and cilantro couscous

Dessert

Key Lime Tartlet with bruleed meringue

John Vitale, Marilyn Fisher, and Ken Kuehl will be playing in the bar.

St Patricks Day Specials

St. Patrick's Day -

We're celebrating it all weekend (Thursday through Sunday)

The Irish are a big part of New Orleans history. An early wave of Irish immigrants, fleeing British persecution at the end of the 1700s, landed in New Orleans and became well integrated into the economy and social life of the city. The first St. Patrick's Day celebration was held in 1809.

Immigrants from Ireland started arriving in significant numbers as famine began to drive them out of their homeland in the 1820s, a famine which peaked in the 1840s. Living conditions for the thousands of Irish immigrants once they arrived in New Orleans were also far from ideal.The Irish laborers found hard work digging the canals, where thousands died because of the poor living conditions and disease.

The Irish founded many well known churches, and of course a number of terrific Irish Pubs.

Pat O'Brien's (with the flaming fountain in the courtyard) invented the Hurricane cocktail, a New Orleans classic. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated with enthusiasm in New Orleans!

Irish heritage figures prominently in Fitchburg's history and settlement as well. Many descendants of those first families can still be found in Fitchburg...the Kinneys, Gormans, Lacys, O'Briens, Foxs, Purcells, and Barrys.

We can't get enough of St. Patrick's Day! We've just got to get started on Thursday night, and we'll keep things really moving all weekend, including our Saturday Late Night and beyond.

Here's what we've got planned:

Lunch

We'll be serving Liliana's take on a Reuben Sandwich - House-made corned beef, house-made sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on toasted marble rye with thousand island dressing and horseradish on the side. Served with our sweet potato chips and white bean salad - 9.

Dinner

Irish 3-course Dinner
(Thursday through Sunday)

3 courses for $25

Paired beer / Irish coffee flight $8 additional

1st course

Mussels in Guinness

(Abita Turbodog)

2nd course

Corned beef and cabbage with roasted garlic mash

(Abita Jockimo IPA)

3rd course

Guinness Brownies with Baileys Ice Cream

(Irish Coffee)

St. Patrick's Day Saturday

$3 taps all night

$3 Green Cows all night

And don't forget the Saturday Night Raw Bar, starting at 8pm.

Tuesday 3-course Preview - March 13 - California!

March 13 is the anniversary of the founding of San Diego State University, and since Chef Dave's wife Tiffany is from the San Diego area, we thought we were overdue in recognizing the cuisine of California. Here's our tribute to the food of California:

Tuesday 3-course menu - March 13

California!

First Course

Shrimp cevice on avocado with chili lime tortillas

Second Course

Pan seared mahimahi with grilled orange salsa

on a bed of kalamata and feta couscous with baby arugula

Dessert

Citrus cheesecake with orange caramel and creme anglaise

John Vitale, Marilyn Fisher, and Ken Kuehl will be playing in the bar.

3-6-12

Tuesday 3-course- March 6 - Alamo Day

March 6 is Alamo Day, marking the fall of the Alamo back in 1836. We're recognizing the day by serving a meal of Texas favorites.

Here's what we've got planned:

Tuesday 3-course menu - March 6

A salute to Texas

First Course

Texas style chili with avocado salsa

Second Course

Texas style dry rub pork spare ribs

with homemade baked beans and cumin / cilantro slaw

Dessert

Bourbon pecan flan

Cliff Frederiksen and Ken Kuehl will be playing in the bar.
Reservations are recommended.

Tuesday Tasting Menu 2-28-12

Tuesday 3-course preview February 28 - Celebrating Florence Parry Heide

Chef Dave's grandmother would have been celebrating her 93rd birthday on February 27. We thought a great way of celebrating the date would be to center this week's 3-course chef's menu around her.

Several times throughout the course of the evening we'll play an animated short movie of her book Sound of Sunshine, Sound of Rain which received an Academy Award nomination in 1984.

In addition to her passion for writing and connecting with children, she loved to host parties with new and old friends, and she celebrated everything with friends and family. She would have been the first to tell you that she was never at home in the kitchen, and always was anxious to get out of the kitchen and back to the party and friends.

There were a few dishes she mastered, and Chef Dave will be putting his own Liliana's spin on them to really bring them to life.

1st course

Cheese fondue

2nd course

Chicken "casserole"

Dessert

Rice Pudding with almond

Courses available separately

At almost every party she would have her copper chafing dish set out with cheese fondue and endless amounts of torn French bread to dip into it. Her recipe may have been mostly Velveeta, milk, and sherry, but it was the perfect thing to snack on when you were busy meeting new friends. (Don't worry - Chef Dave won't be using Velveeta in his version of her dish!).

Her chicken casserole (which originally started out as a veal casserole until her children objected) was one of her real successes in the kitchen, and the kids loved it. Chef Dave's sister Anne was a vegan for many years, and always said if she ever stopped being a vegan that would be the very first dish she'd have. Chef Dave is making it vegetarian with the chicken added at the end so that our vegetarian friends can enjoy it with tofu instead.

For dessert, we couldn't resist picking rice pudding, which she had tried to make every Christmas Eve. The Danish tradition was to have one almond hidden in one of the bowls of rice pudding, and whoever found the almond in their bowl won a special extra Christmas present. She was often disorganized in the kitchen, and one Christmas had completely forgotten to shop for the things to make it. So she made Jello brand butterscotch pudding instead. She had no almonds or nuts in the house, so she used a chocolate chip, which promptly melted in the still-warm pudding. The winner (Chef Dave's dad that year) had to show the darker brown streak in the pudding to claim the prize.

We'll make it the way it should be, and a few of the servings that night will have an almond hidden in them. The winners will be able to take home an autographed copy of her book Princess Hyacinth, which she had signed last October as she was getting ready to come to our Princess Brunch.

Fat Tuesday!

February 21st

Fat Tuesday

Cajun Favorites

3 courses- $25, wine flight $10 additional

1st course

Crab Cakes

2nd Course

Creole Trio: Jambalaya, Etouffee and Gumbo

Dessert: King Cake

Courses are available separately

John Vitale, Marilyn Fisher and Ken Kuehl will be playing and singing in the bar to make the evening perfect.

Reservations are recommended and please let us know if you're planning on having the three course dinner so we're sure we have one for you.

www.lilianasrestaurant.com

Vilas Zoo Benefit

We are so excited to announce our 4th annual Mad City Mardi Gras to benefit Henry Vilas Zoo!

Its THIS sunday, February 19th! Family Friendly portion is from 10am-2pm and the Evening Event is from 4-11pm. Please see information below for details on live music, entertainers and food info!

See a sneak peek at some of our most exciting silent auction items by clicking here


Kid Friendly Event


Evening Event


We are so thrilled to be able to support Madisons amazing Henry Vilas Zoo with this fun event!

See a sneak peek at some of our most exciting silent auction items by clicking here

Silent Auction Items--SNEAK PEEK!!

Sneak Peek!!!

I wanted to let everyone in on some of the incredibly generous donations that will be available on Sunday in our silent auction. 100% of the money from the Silent Auction is going directly to the zoo. Lets break our own record and meet our $5000 donation goal!

Henry Vilas Zoo is happy to offer several opportunities to enjoy the zoo in a whole new way!
A giraffe feeding (which received one of the highest winning bids at our auction last year!)
A Lion Package birthday party (one of the last ever, as they are discontinuing birthday packages at the zoo soon)

and a Rhino meet & greet!

All of our good friends at Madison Originals have really come together to offer a huge variety of dining choices and unique dining experiences. Gift certificates will be available from Dobhan, Nitty Gritty, Edgewater, Brasserie V, Roman Candle, Hotel Red & Hawks.
Extra special experiences will be available from:
-Bunky's, who is offering "Spaghetti on the board" for four guests. It includes wine, salad, pasta, garlic bread and cannoli.
-Imperial garden who is offering a Imperial Banquet for four
-Quivey's is donating a Wine and Cheese party in their new Agostin Haraszthy wine cellar. It includes wine (four bottles!), bread, crackers and cheese for 8 people.
- We will also have the new Madison Originals Cookbook, and Madison Originals gift certificates which you can use at any of the Madison Originals!


We will have Magnum (huge!) bottles of three lovely wines from our favorite wine distributors:
-Graffigna Malbec
-Trapiche Broquel
-Prima Voce Toscano

We have an Epiphone electric guitar and a Mitchell Ukelele from guitar center

Gift baskets from Edgewater, Travis Hasse Pie Liqueur, Yahara Bay Liquor & Abita Beer

Vom Fass put is offering a private tasting party for you and up to 10 guests! Have the whole store to yourself to taste whatever you want with their knowledgeable staff! Also includes a boxed set of their lovely extra virgin olive oils and vinegars.

A spa package from Kneaded Relief worth over $200

Overnight stays from Hotel Red, Edgewater and Quality Inn

For the kiddos!
-Kittleson swim is donating a 10 week session of swimming lessons. Swim like the cute seals and penguins at Vilas Zoo! (Liliana and Charlie have been going to Kittleson for over a year and LOVE it there!)
-Playthings has donated two separate sets of Plan Toys Planimals. Beautiful, quality wooden toys, and they include animals that you can go visit at our own Zoo!

-Nicki's diapers put together a gift set including a zrbra skip hop backpack, giraffe print best bottom diaper and planet wise reusable snack bags.
-David Landau (IS PERFORMING AT THE EVENT ON SUNDAY!!!YAY) has provided a "Music for Kids" CD and "Kids and Kitties" CD
-Orange Tree Imports put together an adorable stuffed monkey and an animal themed puzzle
-Barefoot Books Ambassador, Katherine Schuknecht has provided a great animal themed book group. "How big is a pig?" "The Animal Boogie" (With a cd!) "The Parrot Tico Tango" and "Emily's Tiger"
-Whoops donated zoo animal learning chopsticks and an animal planet puzzle
-Funny Faces for Kids has generously donated a custom balloon delivery. These are an amazing unique gifts!
-Madison Childrens Museum has donated a set of day passes
-Circus world has provided a package with admission for 8 people, and snacks including cotton candy, popcorn and soda


And lots and lots more gift certificates and special donations from amazing businesses!

a huge thank you to all of our great friends in the Madison community who love Henry Vilas Zoo!