Madhouse a disappointment 4th time around
I'm positive I'm not the only resident of downtown Pawtucket who was ecstatic to hear that an edgy, creative, moderately priced restaurant would be moving in last Fall. As the new child of the Crazy Burger family, Madhouse had so much promise at succeeding-with little to no competition in the downtown area, an inexpensive and eclectic -but not too eclectic- menu, and a hugely popular namesake (Crazy Burger Cafe in Narragansett).

Tonight was my 4th visit to Madhouse for dinner (and a Wednesday night at that), and this was by far the worst experience I've had yet...and this says a lot since my 1st three experiences were also less than enjoyable. The real disappointment here is that I'm the type of person who loves to promote local business and keep things positive and in perspective-even if they need to iron out some service or food issues. I'm always the one at the table saying "give them a break, they're probably still finalizing the menu," or "my dish wasn't so bad, the green beans were really delicious," or finally, "don't be rude, she has 3 other tables she's taking care of, plus it looks like she's having a really deep heart-to-heart with that other server." Even after my 1st experience with Madhouse, which left some doubt in my mind, I still encouraged people to go and try it out.

Sadly, the one thing that has remained consistent during all my visits to Madhouse, as well as those acquaintances of mine who have also frequented the joint, is how unorganized the service is. It takes about 15 minutes to get your drink order taken, another 10 to get the actual drink, and then another 5 to 10 minutes to get your dinner order in. Then the actual wait for a burger to be brought to your table could take 45 minutes, as it did tonight. But as I said, I like to give the benefit of the doubt because you always want the new kid in class to succeed (at least I did!). I mean, the ambiance is great, the big picture windows are beautiful, the booths are both spacious and cozy, and the menu sounds creative, diverse and very vegetarian friendly, which is right up my alley.

Since the food and service were not up to par for me during my 1st 3 visits (and believe me, I don’t have incredibly high or unrealistic standards…given I think Taco Bell makes the best Bean & Cheese Burrito in the land), I thought I'd take a couple months off and let them hammer things out and get things in order so that my next visit would be a blissful culinary affair. Unfortunately, I just can't pretend to be the Madhouse cheerleader anymore. And then there's the food! The concepts and creativity sound great when you read the menu, but the final result is confusing and not incredibly tasty. My suggestion...as tempted as you may be to get an actual entree instead of a burger… DON’T DO IT!!! I’ve made this mistake 3 times and each time my entree was a concoction of flavors that just didn't make sense. My dish tonight was a Yellowfin Tuna with a raspberry salsa -concept interesting and worth trying since Yellowfin is one of my favorites -reality is that it was really awful. First, the tuna was cooked medium-well, and any tuna lover knows that medium-well is the equivalent to well-done because if it's not rare in the middle, then you might as well just open a can of Chicken of the Sea and put it on the plate. Secondly, the raspberry salsa idea just didn't pair well at all. It was overly onion-y and the raspberries didn't give the correct level of sweetness that say a mango would. It just didn't compliment the tuna at all. And just so you know, I am a lifetime member of the "clean plate club" when I eat out, and to not even eat a third of my meal PLUS not leave with a doggy bag was pretty devastating.
Bottom line: if you really need to experience Madhouse Cafe for yourself, I encourage you to go because to each his own, right? JUST MAKE SURE TO ORDER A BURGER and not make any plans within the 3 hours following the time you are seated.    [17 May 2006 23:21:07]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Burgers ONLY...and even they aren't that great

     ­KitKat   

This reviewer is off his rocker
Well... somewhat... I will agree that at times the service was a bit slow. However, we were there on a Saturday night, and the house was packed!

I can't disagree more about the comments KitKat made about the food (who admittedly prefers Taco Bell to authentic Mexican). When my husband and I dine out, we like to make it an event. We don't view dinner as a preamble to other plans that evening, but as the main event itself. For this reason we try to sample as many dishes as possible. On our trip to The Madhouse Cafe, we started with the "Crazy Calamari" and stuffed spinach crepes. The calamari was fantastic. It was basically a calamari stir-fry, with pepperoncini peppers, black olives, green olives, snow peas, and grape tomatoes. The stir-fry sauce was tangy and a little spicy. It was an interesting combination of Mediterranean and Asian. Very delicious. The crepes also were very delicious (though I preferred the calamari). The paper-thin spinach crepes were stuffed with what seemed to be cheese (maybe a combination of feta and some other cheese), sun-dried tomatoes, definitely garlic, pine nuts, and herbs (I definitely tasted fresh basil). The crepes were finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction. The sweetness in the vinegar reduction was a great match to the savory flavors of the stuffed crepes.

For the main course, I had one of the specials that was offered that evening, Alaskan sole with pickled ginger buerre blanc, and my husband had the braised short rib, a regular menu item. The sole was prepared simply - sauteed in butter, but the pickled ginger sauce was terrific. It was so sweet and buttery... mmmmm. The sole was paired with Madhouse's "Bangkok Slaw", an interesting Asian take on the cook-out staple, and stir-fried rice. My husband's short rib was impressive just to see. The "Frenched" rib stood high off the plate, and was smothered in a sauce of veal stock, Merlot, shallots, cremini mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. I couldn't let my husband finish it without sharing with me, of course. The meat was so incredibly tender, it nearly melted in my mouth. I could have cut it with a spoon. The short rib was accompanied by Madhouse Cafe's "Poundies" (an Irish-style mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and spinach), and sauteed vegetables.

At this point we had about reached our limit, but we stuck in for the last round, and requested a dessert menu. I wasn't too impressed with the offerings on the dessert menu, but found some consolation in discovering that all the desserts are made in-house. I decided on the vegan carrot cake (though I'm not vegan), and my husband had the Belgian waffle Napoleon. The carrot cake was plated simply with a strawberry and powdered sugar. What the plate lacked in presentation, the cake made up for in taste. I was a bit leery of a vegan cake, however, I was happily surprised. The cake was moist and light, and the frosting, made from soy cream cheese, was sweet, smooth, and delicious. My husband's towering dessert came out with much more presentation. The waffle Napoleon consisted of a piece of waffle topped with a blueberry filling, topped by another piece of waffle, topped with a strawberry filling, topped by a scoop of ice cream, topped with a dollop of whipped cream, and all of this was topped with a raspberry puree. Whew! I can't believe it made it to the table without falling over. Aside from the difficulty in eating this towering dessert, it was very pleasing. The waffles were crispy and still warm, and offered a nice contrast to the ice cream and cold fruit fillings.

So, although I do somewhat agree with KitKat's comments on the service, I can't disagree more with the comments on the food. I found everything to be quite delicious, and will definitely be visiting again (and often).    [05 Jun 2006 12:45:30]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­DeDe