L'Etoile

Nation's Restaurant News, May 20, 2002 by Carolyn Walkup

Piper devotes some of her time each day to discussing the menu and its ingredients with her staff. "Staff education is critical to our vision," she says. However, she cautions them to read the guests to determine how much information they want to hear.

"I get many customers who thank us for letting them become part of the solution," Piper says. "They know more of their money is going back to the local farmers, and it adds another dimension to their experience."

Other customers come to L'Etoile focused on events in their own lives that take place over dinner there, from marriage proposals to University of Wisconsin faculty recruiting. The restaurant benefits from Madison's status as a center of higher education, state government, business and technology.

One longtime customer, Karl Schmidt, says he has followed Piper since her early days at Ovens of Brittany. He admires her advocacy of organic farming and area farmers as well as her menus.

"L'Etoile is, in spite of increasing competition in town, absolutely the best," Schmidt says. "We have a favorite dish, the Crawford Farm lamb, which is in short supply. When lamb's not available, the chicken is wonderful.

"The service is discreet, knowledgeable and not overbearing," notes Schmidt, who has two grandchildren who have worked at L'Etoile while they attended college. "We have formed pretty close friendships with many of the people."

Enjoying being an integral part of her community, Piper is content that L'Etoile is one of a handful of nationally recognized restaurants in Wisconsin. "We don't have the same ambitions as in New York where you are surrounded by ambition and striving and professional one-upmanship," she says.

Now that the restaurant is mature enough to hum along smoothly even when Piper can't be there, she is devoting more time to additional, non-day-to-day responsibilities. She maintains a part-time home office in Maryland with her husband, wine importer Terry Theise, where she is writing a cookbook. She also is further developing the L'Etoile Bakery & Market Cafe on the first floor of the restaurant building, where Eric Rupert, one of her associates, also teaches cooking classes.

Meanwhile, in order not to rest on her laurels, Piper continues to work to "take the restaurant to the next level," she says. "We're on the verge of a whole new chapter of growth to teach and share what we know."

RELATED ARTICLE: Menu Sampler

Appetizers

Wild leek vichyssoise with creme fraiche $9.00

Grilled asparagus with farmer's cheese "dunk" and pumpkin seed oil drizzle $9.00

Carpaccio of warmed Maine scallop with shaved pear, mache salad and vinaigrette $13

Entrees

Rainbow trout baked in parchment with fennel, crosnes, mint oil, lemon and verbena shoots $26

Lightly smoked custom-cut pork chop with sauteed strawberries and caramelized ramps $28

Beef tenderloin with spring radish butter, watercress salad, horseradish-whipped potatoes and Worcestershire sauce $36

Desserts

Schaum torte with elderberry flower sorbet and candied violets $8.50