We recently crossed town and found ourselves at a new restaurant on Monroe Street. Located at 1923 Monroe, in what was formally Brasserie V, comes what is sure to be a new Madison staple. One and Only comes from some familiar faces in the Madison restaurant scene. Sharing an ownership group with Northside favorite The Bear and Bottle, and Middleton’s The Free House Pub among other favorites, this team knows what they’re doing. Chef William Tracy has made the journey over from The Bear and Bottle and is putting out flavors you don’t want to miss.
One and Only is a perfect spot, whether it’s for date night, business dinners, or grabbing a drink with a friend. When the weather is nice they have a giant window that opens to Monroe to let some air in. One and Only is decorated well with everything working together toward a warm and inviting atmosphere. A mix of modern and vintage art with mid-century modern light fixtures might have you thinking about redoing your space. We noticed and loved that the volume was really low for being a busy night in the restaurant. We can admittedly get a little overstimulated when we’re on a date so it was nice to be able to focus and connect. This leads us to our next point, the food.
Starter
One and Only is serving upscale dishes. Featuring entrees like their New York Strip sourced from Jenny Street to a blackened trout we will tell you more about in a bit. We started off our night with the Blistered Shishitos pictured above. These were incredible. Served with Scallion, Sartori Parmesan, and a Tamari and Cilantro Aioli they were a masterclass in the delicate balance of citrus, salt, and creaminess. These were a nice light app for the two of us to start with and led us to be very excited for what was to come.
Main Dish
The Trout seems like it could be the only thing that could outdo the Shishito Peppers. They set it down and our table was immediately enveloped with the delicious smell of fresh fish. This dish looked as beautiful as it was tasty. Served on aji verde rice alongside roasted pepper and sweet corn, this dish brings together so many fresh flavors. The blackened crust had a snap to it with a saltiness that paired perfectly with the moist trout on the inside. There are no overwhelming fishy flavors here so I encourage all to fall in love with seafood here. The Trout at One and Only had us walking out feeling better than when we came in. This is truly a nourishing dish that on its own is worth making the trip to try.
Drinks
Similar to The Bear and Bottle, the beer list here is extensive and has a great variety. With 22 taps from Europe as well as America, there’s something for everyone. If beer isn’t your thing they’ve got a craft cocktail or wine just for that. If you’re sober for October or sober for good, they’ve got mocktails and multiple Athletic Brewing options for our N.A. friends.
Dessert
When we were there the Peach Cobbler was out, so we can’t comment on that. I’m assuming it’s good if it’s out and praying it’s there when I go back next. One and Only offers multiple dessert drinks as well as a Key Lime Pie or S’more Pudding. We went with the S’more Pudding and to be honest, I thought this could be the first slip up. Pudding can be so overly rich and when you throw a marshmallow on top, how can’t it be? As we dove in, we were again met with everything we could want in this dessert. Meeting our post campfire sweet tooth was a light, rich, pudding with a smoky marshmallow. The marshmallow was toasted to perfection and the pudding was so delightfully creamy. We both anticipated an extremely rich dessert and were met with a sweet end to a wonderful dinner.
The Wrap Up
One and Only opened in the early days of the summer and we are so thankful to have finally made it over. We can’t wait to head back for the Bar Steak and Pork Chop next time. All of the dishes leaving this kitchen looked beautiful and all that we were lucky enough to enjoy, we deeply enjoyed. Welcome to Madison, One and Only and thank you for the love you’re putting into our city through food.