Place to stay in Madison

Thor's PA and my 2d wedding anniversary is this October. We have decided to go to L'Etoile in Madison for dinner and were wondering if anyone had a hotel recommendation.

I have stayed at the Concourse hotel and enjoyed it (but was mostly there for a convention, not the hotel).

That said, my number one suggest for Madison, especially if traveling for a special occasion would be to look into the Canterbury Inn which is a small bed and breakfast with a large (and very good) bookstore on the first level - supposed to be extremely nice.

Website is: http://www.madisoncanterbury.com/

"Canterbury is a "literary" bed and breakfast, situated atop an independent used and scholarly bookstore and cafe in the heart of downtown Madison, Wisconsin. A stay at the Inn affords a peaceful refuge from the sometimes dissonant rhythms of the 21st Century.

It may not be cheapest hotel room in Madison, but take a look - for a special occasion might be perfect.

Shannon[/quote]

on a similar note, the one time i stayed over in madison, it was for a presentation at the university & they booked us at the Collins House B&B, http://www.collinshouse.com/.

i can't really vouch for price, as it was paid for by the real estate program, but it's located right on the lake & was very nice - great breakfast, too!

We have stayed at Arbor Househttp://www.arbor-house.com/ and at another B&B I can't recall the name of...

I don't know if they've changed it, but every item on the menu at L'Etoile will be described to you in excruciating detail "..in an elderberry sauce made from berries picked this morning and squeezed between the knees of nuns, then gently cooked with honey tickled from bees sustainingly kept by..." etc. You will be reminded 7 times that Odessa Piper is the Alice Waters of the midwest...

The Collins House is a winner, but you'd best make reservations today--it fills up fast. The Canterbury looks nice, too, but it's right off the main State St. strip, so it might be a little loud. I recently stayed at the Edgewater Hotel, which is right on Lake Mendota. It is a little cheaper than the better rooms at the Collins House, and quiet and comfortable. Don't forget to try Harvest, a couple doors down from L'Etoile, if you have time. I have had two great meals there in the past year. They do wonderful things with local meats and produce, especially heirloom tomatoes. The Saturday morning farmer's market is, of course, massive, although I don't think it offers the unbelievable variety of produce that the Evanston Market does. Madison's market, though, beats Evanston when it comes to meats and cheeses.

Having been to Madison recently, I think the stretch of State St. that the Canterbury is off of is not one of the louder stretches (and it is set a half-block or so off

re the Farmer's market - look for one of the many cheese vendors that sell 10 year old chedder - amazing, if not cheap, cheese.

Also there is a Thai restaurant a block off of State Street (in what looks like an old autobody shop) which is extremely good.

For one, they will make any dish on the menu very spicy if you ask.

But more interestingly (which I have to test on a future visit), the owner offered the last time I was there to cook nearly anything if I asked him ahead of time - i.e. Madison too may have a Thai restaurant willing to make "authentic" dishes.

Anyway one of my favorites of Madison.
Shannon

Melissa,

I second the recommendation of Arbor House. We stayed there a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Even though you give up the downtown location, the neighborhood surrounding Arbor House is very nice and peaceful. Great area for biking and walking and very close to the arboretum.

Al