For many years my husband and I lived in San Francisco where a favorite restaurant quickly became a faithful friend or a country one likes to visit again and again. Once we resettled in Madison, we regularly frequented the Caf\u00e9 Continental on King Street because it reminded us of the great restaurants we had formerly enjoyed and also because of its unique style. Besides its first-rate menu, the theatrical decor, with its Renaissance colors, and the engaging drama of the place, with its subtle lighting and joyful sounds, kept us, and many others, coming back. Now relocated to Fitchburg, the Veranda carries on the tradition of the Caf\u00e9 Continental and the high culinary values of the Schiavo family.\n\nBrunch on the weekend is when we typically have chosen to come. The Veranda benedict, boasting the best ingredients, features asparagus and prosciutto or beef tenderloin and Bavaria smoked bacon with an addictive Hollandaise sauce. Included with the order is Rose Marie's recipe for a warm, creamy potato side dish. The Benedicts alone are worth the trek to the suburbs.\n\nAlternate selections include a similar array of omelettes, French toast or pancakes. Also on the menu is a rich array of fresh oysters as well as mussels and clams--devilishly good in a Chablis and garlic butter sauce. Specialty items include Rose Marie's original spiedini, besides other selections we have yet to try. \n\nThen there are the many freshly made pasta dishes (the pappardelle pasta with shrimp and wild-caught scallops bathed in a buttery cream sauce is splendid), sandwiches-my favorite is the grilled chili-ginger marinated tilapia and my husband's the curry chicken with dried cranberries and romaine lettuce served on a toasted ciabatta) and then the salads (an old reliable for me is the Veranda Caesar salad with grilled chicken, shaved cheese and croutons. Irresistible on a cold day (a hot one as well!) is the mushroom soup which is velvety and delicious, the slices of bread accompanying it, and other dishes, are marvelously fresh and warm. \n\nThe deserts are original and appealing. Famed Babcock Hall espresso ice cream with little chunks of truffle based on a Veranda-inspired formula anyone?. A taste of the afterlife, to be sure!\n\nThe outdoor \" verandah,\" with its bower of shadowing trees, hanging baskets bursting with red flowers and fluttering canopy umbrellas, seems ideal for a home-made lemonade or any one of a number of stronger spirits from behind the fully-stocked (nifty zinc counter) bar. Savor a glass of fine cabernet or pinot grigio from the luxury of options on the bar's wine list. On a late afternoon, add to this an appetizer of caponata bruschetta or fried calamari with a lemon garlic aioli. \n\nMany of the loved recipes which were appreciated by the hundreds of patrons who made the Caf\u00e9 Continental their restaurant of choice have returned. Abundant portions of the best in quality of pasta, steak, seafood and greens are proudly served. \n\nThe interior of the restaurant is warm, embracing and truly \"continental\", a honeycomb arrangement of rooms perfect for special events. One feels special, a part of the family, greeted the moment one arrives by the hostess, who brightens the experience, then offers a comfortable booth or table. Staff are friendly and engaging. The premises are immaculately clean. \n\nOnce you begin going out to the Veranda, the distance seems not so far and this fine ultimate destination actually seems very near. Carole M.
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