Dishes Made From Scratch and Sourced Locally: 8 Seasons Grille {#ReviewCrew}

While my family makes an effort to take advantage of many of the incredible sights, locations and events that our city (and surrounding areas) has to offer, there are times when I feel as though there is so much more that we have yet to see.

Case in point, 8 Seasons Grille!

Conveniently located in downtown Madison only blocks from the capitol, 8 Seasons Grille prides itself on purchasing as many locally sourced ingredients as possible and turning them into handmade, deliciously satisfying dishes.

This neighborhood restaurant not only caters to individuals and families, however, and is also known for hosting all sorts of special events — birthdays, engagements, weddings, theme parties and more — in their comfortable, casual atmosphere (they offer indoor as well as outdoor seating).

With our bellies hungry for lunch, we were excited to hop in the car and see what 8 Seasons Grille had to offer.

We had no problem locating 8 Seasons Grille (they even have free parking in case you have trouble finding a spot on the street) and, after a peek inside the smallish dining room, we took a table out on the patio so as to enjoy the beautiful weather with our meal.

I'm always a fan of restaurants that not only have a large menu, but one that is unique and different from the norm. As for 8 Seasons Grille, they definitely fit that description!

Their menu changes eight times a year to take advantage of what is in season locally and offers everything from pastries to sandwiches to entrees to plenty of wine, cocktails, beer and teas.

So many choices!

Unfortunately there is no designated children's menu, so Big Sister E and Little Sister B were somewhat dismayed to find that they had to pick from the "regular" offerings and that there were no crayons and coloring to entertain them while we waited for our food.

Also, as we arrived partway through a large post-wedding group event, the 8 Seasons Grille staff were mostly tied up taking care of the 40 people that were a part of that crowd. So, although it didn't take a huge excess of time to put in our order or receive our food, it was a bit hard for the girls to hold their patience (it was also difficult to get any extra service from any of the servers, e.g. having ketchup brought to the table, having my water glass refilled or cringing watching a nearby table practically beg a server to take their order because their server had all but abandoned them).

All that aside, the food itself was quite tasty!

With our collection of brunch and lunch options, we found that each of our plates were filled with fresh deliciousness and that it was tasty all the way until the last bite. I would definitely have my Ultimate Grilled Cheese Panini (mmm, pesto!) again!

Overall, I'm happy that we had a chance to visit 8 Seasons Grille and can see my husband and I stopping in again if we happen to be downtown without the kids.

Although both of the girls ended up happy with their meals...

...I think the two of them are better suited for more of a traditional restaurant setting and food offerings. I, on the other hand, would be interested in seeing what new items appear on their menu as the seasons continue to change!

We found that the prices at 8 Seasons Grille were reasonable to begin with, but of course the fact that we used a Restaurant.com gift certificate made the whole meal even more of a bargain! Who doesn't love to save a little extra money when they go out to eat?

For more information about 8 Seasons Grille or to plan a visit if you're in the Madison area, head to 8SeasonsGrille.com. To find out about all of the money-saving options that Restaurant.com has to offer in your area (or in an area that you are planning to visit), head over to Restaurant.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

As a member of the Restaurant.com Review Crew, I have been provided gift cards and compensation in order to facilitate my reviews. However, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.