Bistro One - Madison

While on a boating vacation up the Ohio River, we stopped in the charming town of Madison, Indiana. We were very surprised to find such an upscale establishment opens on a Monday night in late September. We were greeted immediately by the owner, Nick. The service was friendly and efficient. The front dining room had a warm cafe atmosphere with white linen tables. Outdoor dining was also available in the back. We sampled the Hummus Platter and enjoyed every bit. After a wonderful fresh salad and an excellent assortment of artisan bread, my husband and I both enjoyed our entree s with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir. I had the coconut shrimp and my husband had steak Diane. We were much too full for dessert, although the choices were very tempting. We've been coming to Madison for many years to enjoy its river views and historical charm. Now that Madison has Bistro One, we will be returning more often.

This was my second time back to Bistro One. My first meal was good, this one was bad. The chef was sweaty and looked very disagreeable. Stay away from this place.

True story: This is about my LAST visit to Bistro One in Madison, IN. This true story would have been brought to you sooner had I known about this site. I had been there many times before, but this time I found a curly black hair in my salad. I did not make a big deal of this, but neither my girlfriend nor myself had long curly black hair. I brought it to the waitress ' attention and let her know that I had lost my appetite (at these prices, you expect no mistake! and I asked to opt out of the main dish. My main dish was brought to me anyhow and I was instructed to eat if I could and I complied. I did not get halfway through the main course due to pulling hair out of my mouth earlier that evening. The bill came... full price! I could not believe it. I asked the waitress about it and she did not understand the problem. I explained that if this had happened at a restaurant half as nice as this one, the one meal (mine would be taken off the bill. It was not and the waitress insisted I pay in full. I declined and offered to pay for the salad and my partner 's meal. By this time, I was upset. She came back after consulting with Nick, the owner/chef and offered a free meal for one the next time I came back. I explained, politely, that I was not happy now, so I wanted it off the bill now. She retorted, Nick has the flu and will not want to put up with this.... I quickly answered, You mean to tell me that I cannot get this off my tab even after discovering a hair in my salad, and now that he is back there preparing food while being sick? Why don 't you take both of our meals off the check. She said she would be getting Nick. I said that I would be glad to talk to Nick about this. He came out, I asked him What is going on back there? Before I could speak further (my actions totally calm, mind you , Nick grabbed my arm, pulled me out of my chair, and exclaimed, This is what we do to people like you! and forcebly escorted me through the door. Needless to say, not going back, this was the most embarrassing dining experience of my life.

This was our third visit to Bistro One, and once again, it did not let us down. My husband and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary, so we called ahead for reservations and asked Chef Nick to surprise us with our dinner. The food, from beginning to end, was exceptional, and the service was equally impressive. I personally love having the chance to meet and chat with the person who prepares our meals, even if they happen to be a bit sweaty from working in a hot kitchen! We will definitely continue to enjoy Bistro One, as it remains our favorite restaurant in Madison.

We celebrated my birthday at this restaurant, and it was fantastic. The food, wine, and service were all outstanding. The Chef personally greeted us before our meal and came back to check on us afterward. We eat out often, and I can confidently say that this restaurant is exceptional.