Cheers in the New Year!
All Things Old With Something New at Madden’s
Story By ANGELIQUE GAMMON | Photos by MONIKA LAIRD
FROM LEFT: CHRISTINA CHO, PETER AND TARA MADDEN, TAI LEE
J
ust as it has for 11 years, Madden’s Casual Gourmet will close for
New Year’s Day, a well-deserved break after the graduation and
holiday rush. When it reopens at the usual time for the first lunch
service of 2016, all the favorites will be the same: Southern fried
chicken breast with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and gravy; seared
crab cakes with fried polenta, cilantro aioli, and greens tossed with
smoked tomato vinaigrette; and don’t forget the grilled meatloaf with
sautéed cabbage, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and tomato sauce.
The staff, the menu, and the gracious, personal service that
has made Madden’s a niche of inspired dining since Peter and Tara
Madden opened the restaurant in 2004 – all just the same.
What will be new in the New Year are the primary owners: Chef
Tai Lee and his wife Christina. It’s a pairing as perfect as a glass of
Reynolds Family Pinot Noir with Madden’s seared smoked duck,
6
INSITE January 2016
cornbread-apple-pecan bread pudding, and spinach tossed in brown
butter and apricot jam.
After all, outside his own ventures – Veritas Wine & Bistro, Paolo’s
Italian Kitchen, and Chef Tai’s Mobile Bistro – Madden’s is Chef Tai’s
favorite place to eat.
Neither regulars nor newcomers will notice the change in
ownership; both chefs want it that way.
Theirs is an inspiring friendship and a unique foodie buddy
tale. Sitting together at a sunny table inside Madden’s, Peter and Tai
laugh, talk, finish each other’s sentences, trade good-natured digs
about Peter being the “older” mentor, and smile as they talk about
their shared vision for Madden’s bright future.
Most of all, they smile.
In their words, this is the story.