Very Continental,
New Downtown Kitchen is Chic and Imaginative.

Jerry Minnich
Isthmus

The first time I walked into Cafe Continental, I was taken back to many restaurants I have visited in New York City. The grouping of tables by the front window, then the long row of small tables lining the wall to the right, artfully separated from the bar and kitchen area to the left. Of course, this is the most logical way to arrange a restaurant in a long and narrow space--as is often the case for eateries in Manhattan as well as on King Street in Madison. Large, gilt-framed mirrors help to expand visual space as they aid in watching for one's friends (or enemies) as they enter the restaurant.

The comparison does not stop with the table arrangement. Everything about Cafe Continental is elegant and chic, intimate and comfortable, from the custom-made china to the burgundy velvet curtains. Even the noise level, at times irritating, recalls those lunches on 52nd Street.

Nick Schiavo, with his parents Tony and Rosemary, has created a perfect downtown restaurant for this time and this place. The family's other restaurant, the venerable Antonio's, on South Park Street, is an expression of the old Madison Italian community, and will continue to reward its loyal clientele with well-prepared food. But Antonio's is as different from Cafe Continental as tortellini is from farfalle finocchio.

Yes, the menu at Cafe Continental leans heavily on Italian fare, but it travels intrepidly through the Continent, visiting French escargot, Irish stew, British fish and chips, Dusseldorf grilled pork and Spanish paella. And if each of these dishes is not prepared exactly as it might be, say, in a French or Irish or German or Spanish restaurant (one companion noted the comparative lack of garlic in a braised lamb shank, another a paucity of red pepper in the paella), then know that the Schiavo touch is on everything here, and you will soon find your favorites.

Among appetizers, fried calamari was tender and lightly breaded. Steamed mussels were large, plump and lightly touched with garlic. And the savory grilled eggplant with mozzarella was freshly prepared. A mixed green salad was fresh and crisp, anointed with a rich balsamic vinaigrette. Goat cheese studded with sun-dried tomatoes and wrapped in paper-thin prosciutto, served on fresh baby spinach, is heaven on earth. And there are four Caesar salads, one with grilled calamari.

Over three visits, I found the entrees to be conceived with imagination and prepared with skill. Grilled yellowfin tuna steak, encrusted in parsley and mint, was tender and flaky. Crab cakes were well stocked with the real stuff, the flavor of the crab holding up well even to a jalapeño-pimento sauce. Paella Continental featured mussels, shrimp, clams, chicken and spicy sausage, with roasted peppers and roma tomatoes. For a light dinner, I can recommend pastina risotto with grilled shrimp, in a moderately spicy pepper puree.

There are daily specials at both dinner (couscous Continental, grilled veal chops, herb-roasted chicken, osso bucco, e.g.) and lunch (chicken and eggplant curry, barbecued shrimp on rice, Irish beef stew, fish and chips), and the dessert selections include mini-cannolis, creme brulée and a signature ice cream created by Nick and made by Babcock Hall featuring chocolate truffle cakes suspended in espresso ice cream.

The wine list is extensive, and the selection of beers on tap includes Pilsner Urquell, claimed by two companions (who had visited Czechoslovakia) to be the world's best. I cannot argue. Cafe Continental has won my heart in only a few short visits. If it is to win yours, be sure to call for reservations. The word is out.