My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary in Madison, and we ended the day at Fairchild. We both agreed it was the best meal of 2024 so far. The freshness of Fairchild's offerings and the seasonal flavors were truly delightful. To start, Fairchild welcomed us with two glasses of bubbles to celebrate. They recommended a dish from each category, but we decided to freestyle our choices. Here's what we ordered, in order of our favorites: Hudson Valley Foie Gras: I am still thinking about this dish--a taste of heaven. The foie gras ice cream was chef's kiss! Seven Seeds Pork Trotter: Please give me the recipe for the nuoc cham! Excellent balance of flavors and so savory. Hamachi: Refreshing and perfectly balanced. Peterman Craftsman Steak Tartare: A fun bite, though I think I prefer the traditional serving. Strawberry Rhubarb Panna Cotta: The perfect light yet flavorful ending. Grilled Pink Moon Oysters: One word--plump. Triangoli: I was yearning for more of that bone marrow flavor, but overall, a safe dish. We left this very memorable dinner feeling comfortable and happy. I can't wait to bring my girlfriends here for our next UW Madison reunion!

Incredible value, creative and delicious food, lovely experience. Champagne for 2 - 5/5. Lovely way to start the meal. Delicious champagne. Hamachi - 5/5. Perfect dish. Right amount of Jalapeno, coldness from blueberry, crunch from kohlrabi. Grilled Pink Moon Oyster - 4.5/5. Really fun combination to have gin and oysters. Chilled Carrot Soup - 4.5/5. Incredible soup, rich curry flavor. Great little bread. Risotto - 4.5/5. Homey. Could eat this over and over. Halibut - 4/5. Flakey perfect cook.

Went for anniversary dinner with my wife. Went to Fairchild tonight for our anniversary dinner. Didn't want to post prior to eliminate influence on what I thought looked good. 8.5/10 would be my rating. Food was absolutely delicious. That said, there are A LOT of places that have delicious food around Madison. But, and I preface this by saying I'm a huge Top Chef, Masterchef, Hell's Kitchen fan, I've never had food that was plated so beautifully. It changed the way I ate the dish. We both left feeling satisfied, but not "full" and feeling like we can't eat anymore. We probably would have opted for an appetizer instead of the two "snacks" next time....but I can see why the menu is built the way it is and how a couple could spend $300 EASY there. Also should note while making the reservation, they ask if there is an occasion being celebrated; birthday, anniversary, etc. of which I stated it was. We never got even a "Happy Anniversary" from the server, which was also the bus boy. Little disappointing in that sense. If you're going to have customers inform you it's a special day for them, at least verbalize a congratulations or something. Our selections: "Por Que No" and "pink matter" cocktails, oysters, beef tartare, Halibut, Sea Scallops

Returned here recently after a while away. Food and service were top notch. Creative fresh flavorful dishes.

This is a small expensive restaurant. I took out dinner from here on a Saturday evening. This place is not supposed to be a take out place. People generally dress up and come in to have a relaxed meal. So I was the exception. I went for a Cappelletti. It was a flavorful pasta. But the quantity was super small. May be it was enough as a snack.

Amazing. We held an annual two person "food event" going all out to explore, experiment, and experience a fine gastronomy.. Before continuing, I just wanted to say that Fairchild is an incredible value for the money compared to big city chefs. It's in a beautiful neighborhood and the city is worth at least a one night visit. As for the name Fairchild, it may refer to the Chimeric woman living with two distinct DNA. Some research might dispel or validate thought on their apt name. On to the service. Amazing. Nancy was delightfully uncouth at times, always professional and helpful. Most importantly, she became our teacher and trusted guide through the meal. After exploring the starters, we let her choose our mains. We like to deconstruct or reverse engineer recipes and failed with great fanfare several times. I'd be curious if anyone else pegged the halibut sauce to sherry.... Stars of the show: Oysters.... It was a completely new flavor / texture experience. Worth the trip alone. Cucumber Lemonade mocktail and wine by the glass parings were absolutely perfect. Finally, expect local farmers... Shout out to neighbor Kristen at Blue Moon for helping the chefs nourish us. Definitely will return. 8000 enthusiastic stars.

I finally made it to Fairchild. After the chefs won Best Chef Midwest region for James Beard awards in June 2023, it was tough to get a table. I ordered the Hamachi and Beef Tartare from the Snacks section, and the Bone Marrow and Pork Trotter from the Appetizers secrion. Every dish was beautifully plated. The Hamachi was a refreshing dish with nice flavors and texture. The Beef Tartare was served on top of potato pave, which was soft and thick making the dish a bit one dimensional. I also didn't get much flavor from the tartare, which should have been the star. Maybe too much shaved cheddar? Anyway the Beef Tartare makes this a 4.5 star review, even though that isn't an option. The Bone Marrow was fantastic! Topped with braised beef shortrib, goat cheese, chanterelles and a bit of blueberry. The star of the dinner was the Pork Trotter! Crispy pork belly, sunny side up egg, thai vinaigrette, and cilantro make up the ingredients, but the flavors and textures make it seem like there is much more to the dish, not to mention the stunning plating! This wasn't just the best dish I had here, it was one of the best dishes I've ever had anywhere! I ordered the Via Ferrate cocktail made with Whistlepig 6 yr rye, and it was refreshing and delicious. The other highlight was my server, Sophie. She was a total rockstar! I hope to get back here soon!

Another amazing meal here. Like, you assume that it's never going to match your first meal because you lose the novelty of it all. But Fairchild delivered again. Had: Fried Maitake Hamachi App Roasted Carrots NY Strip Pork and Chicken Ragú Two desserts There wasn't a weak dish in the bunch. The roasted carrot was SPECTACULAR. The walnut and cabbage added the most delicious crunch, and as you can see from the pic, the presentation was unreal. The pic doesn't do it justice. Please. If you go to Madison and love good food, GO.

One of the best meals I've had in Madison and overall. Many people told me to come here and I'm glad I listened! Each dish we ordered had unique flavors and worked so well together. We started with the gochujang cured hamachi - it was an interested combination of cured fish and a very pigmented black ponzu sauce. It was delicious but the sauce was a bit extra. For our entree, we got the NY strip, crab cake risotto, and a side of brussel sprouts. I like to order brussel sprouts at almost every restaurant I go to, and these were some of the better ones I've had. The kimchi aioli went really well with the Brussels and gave it a great flavor. The strip was my favorite dish out of all: it had chestnuts, pomegranate, and a bordelaise sauce on the dish. I was a little apprehensive of each ingredient but they went SO WELL with each other, we scraped the dish clean at the end. The crab cake risotto was great as well, just wish it was a little more seasoned. We ended the night with a sticky toffee pudding, it was tasty and nice ending to an amazing meal. Great for a date night or celebration. Will be back soon! Excited to try new additions to the menu as they are updated very often.

Finally made it to Fairchild on a cold Winter weeknight. It's a bummer that they don't have a dedicated parking lot, especially in the winter, but everyone seemed to do fine with Monroe Street parking. I was impressed with the menu and that they offered multiple non alcoholic drinks. I found the German non alcoholic sparkling wine very delicious. We began with the grilled Spanish octopus appetizer that also included a sampling of Pork belly. Both were charred to succulent perfection. Our server asked if we would like a complimentary sample of Beef Tartare. We declined, but all of nearby diners seemed to truly enjoy it. My main meal was the American Snapper and my husband had the Peterson New York strip. The steak seemed to be on the small side compared to other restaurants. But the food quality was stellar. The small sides included with our meals were also very special. We also ordered a side to share: roasted Brussels sprouts with crispy cheese--loved this dish.