CAMBRIDGE My husband Bob and I recently traveled to Cambridge, home of Rowe Pottery Works, the Midwest FireFest, and Matt Kenseth. We joined sister-in-law Tammy and her husband, Gene, at Plow Restaurant, a mid-way point between Janesville and Madison.
Plow is located on Main Street in a building originally built in 1847 as a grist mill, an economic magnet for the area farmers. A large fire destroyed it in 1901 but it was quickly rebuilt. When the mill closed in 1930, a succession of restaurants occupied the space.
In 2015, Charles and Treena Fiesel became the owners and envisioned Plow as a way of providing farm to table fare to the community. Their success was evident when we dined there. Many of the offerings come from their Sun Prairie area farm including seasonal vegetables, pork, lamb and beef. The rest is as locally sourced as possible. Needless to say, everything that we tasted was fresh!
The front of the restaurant is surrounded by a large patio and open fire pit, which was burning upon our late afternoon arrival. Stacked cords of wood were not only used for the fire pit, but also the wood fired pizza oven and an interior in-wall fireplace.
We stepped in from the chill to a very cozy atmosphere of limestone walls and wooden beams. There is a long bar with plenty of seating and several booths next to large windows looking out upon Main Street and the patio. The dining area, in a separate room, was aglow with bohemian style glass chandeliers that emanated warmth in the open space and lent a casual but elegant ambiance.
The full bar offers specialty craft cocktails and many wines. The rotating draft beer selection features seven from Wisconsin, with an emphasis on local/regional brews. There are a few exceptions that have connections to the owners, such as Sierra Nevada, from northern CA, near Charles hometown.
I started with a rye manhattan ($10) featuring Dancing Goat Distillery rye made in Cambridge. Smooth and satisfying. Tammy had a glass of Josh Cellars chardonnay ($9), Gino enjoyed a neat Korbel brandy ($6) and Bob, a Magic Dragon IPA from Verona ($7).
The bread, which is proofed and baked in-house, had a wonderful softness in the center and a tender crunch to the crust. Salt and herbs were sprinkled on top and it was superb.
As an appetizer we ordered the catfish bites ($14). The fish was cooked excellently and so flavorful it didnt need any tartar sauce to enhance it. The buttermilk and cornbread breading was light and flaky covering deliciously moist and meaty catfish pieces.
Bob ordered the grilled salmon ($32) topped with dill beurre blanc. The salmon was fork tender and cooked to perfection. The lemon and capers sauce blended the tastes beautifully and paired nicely with the rice pilaf. Fresh, tender spears of asparagus and roasted baby carrots were delicious. He complimented the meal with a glass of Duckhorn Merlot ($17)
Gino chose the fettuccine alfredo ($17) with grilled chicken ($7). This dish arrived in a beautiful presentation with two perfectly grilled chicken breasts with a crispy outer layer, while the inside was juicy. The pasta was cooked al dente with a rich alfredo sauce garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Two crostinis were a nice compliment to the dish and the serving size was ample enough to satisfy the heartiest appetite.
Tammy opted for the 12 oz hickory smoked prime rib ($32). Cooked exactly to order, the slice of meat was thick and flavorful, served with au jus and a dollop of horseradish on the side. A dense pressed rosette of mashed potatoes was attractive but lukewarm -- we should have just asked for them to be heated up. The glazed carrots made up for the potato disappointment, with their savory glaze, earthy flavor, and vibrant color.
My choice was the beef-and-blue pizza ($24), a special that night. Plow has perfected their pizza dough recipe over two years and it is delicious. There is something about a wood fire crust, slightly charred on the edges, that seems so authentically Italian. The beef was tender and plentiful. A light tomato sauce was topped with mozzarella, blue cheese crumbles, and sauteed onions. What I took home and heated in the air fryer just seemed to get better and better!
For dessert, Plow offers cheesecake and cake and when fruit is in season, youll also find crisps, from mulberry to apple or whatever is ripe at the time.
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