Every year restaurants in the Madison area observe an occasion known as Restaurant Week. It’s a chance for places to show off and have fun by offering a few three course meals that ring up in the $25-35 range, and it’s a great week to check out places that you haven’t been to before.
My name is Roy and I’ve been a big fan of Christina’s blog since it started. Christina had to go on a business trip during almost all of Restaurant Week and she was a little sad that she was going to miss out on all the fun. I’ve gone with Christina to a few places that have made it into the blog and a lot of other places just because we both like good eats. I volunteered to do a guest post on a place in Fitchburg called The Thirsty Goat.
I was looking over the options for Restaurant Week and smoked duck breast caught my eye and got stuck in my head. There were a lot of tempting choices, but I just had to go to a place named after a goat to eat a duck. The place is half restaurant and half sports bar with over 30 beers on tap. I ordered a Warped Speed Scotch Ale, and picked out the beer cheese soup and turtle cheesecake to accompany my duck. I talked with the friendly staff a bit and although duck isn’t usually on the menu, they are mainly a smokehouse. The bartender said ribs, brisket, and pork shoulder come out of their walk in smoker daily. Everything is cooked with a basic rub and people can add the House-made sauces as they see fit.
I was having a late dinner and I was starving, so I was very happy that my soup came out right away. It was an excellent amount of cheesy and the right amount of salty and the pretzel croutons were a nice touch. The duck was up soon after and I was eager to try it. It was listed as seared and smoked with a mushroom and goat cheese cream sauce, and I was very curious about the sauce. I’ve had a decent amount of non-cow milk cheeses and because most of them can have a unique, rustic flavor I’m always surprised when they’re good. The sauce that came with the duck was a pleasant surprise. It was creamy and subtle allowing the duck to be the star of the show. The duck was cooked perfectly. Every juicy bite was delicious. Once the duck was all gone I was a little sad but the rice that was with it had soaked up some of the cream sauce and it brought back pleasant memories of how great the duck was.
The duck was so good I had forgotten I was going to get a piece of cheesecake at the end of the meal. I may have even looked a little surprised when it came out. It was the kind of cheesecake that has a minimal amount of sugar in the cake itself and then various chocolate and caramel type sauces and whipped creams are added around it to make sure that people who like tons of sugar don’t cry. The bartender described it as decadence on a plate and it did not disappoint. I made sure each bite had plenty of sugary stuff on it and ate the whole thing tear-free.
If I lived closer I’d probably go all the time, but the Thirsty Goat is definitely worth the trip. If they’re good enough to perfectly cook a duck breast they’re probably pretty good at everything. I’d like to go back sometime soon and try the brisket.
Roy Sutcliffe