From indulgent french toast dotted with mascarpone cheese and sprinkled with fresh berries, to a sophisticated black squid ink pasta, the food at Madam is a work of art. Their giant floor-to-ceiling windows naturally light up the table, putting your food front and center. That was the intention, according to Madam’s Executive Chef Garrison Price.
Their seasonally driven menu features dishes inspired by cuisine all around the world, and while the food may be the masterpieces on the table, Madam is surrounded by works of art.
It is located right inside the new Daxton Hotel in Birmingham. The hotel, itself, is home to over 400 pieces of artwork. Right when you walk in the door, you almost have the feeling of walking into a lounge at an art gallery with a giant mechanical metal horse and a couture gown on display. Art is something the owners are passionate about, and it shows clearly in the décor.
Perhaps that is why the name of the restaurant, Madam, was inspired by the two giant art pieces featuring feminine silhouettes.
“Madam being maybe a well-traveled, sophisticated woman, that’s ready for anything and a little spontaneous, much like our menu,” explains Chef Price.
Speaking of, let’s turn our attention back to the picture-perfect food, which Chef Garrison Price curates.
“I’m coming from a background where I have been very lucky to work in a lot of different places,” says Chef Price. “Being able to kind of take the culmination of all my different experiences and feature them here at Madam... hopefully, shows some people something new, and maybe some new flavor combinations.”
A great example of this is their forbidden rice small plate. It features black forbidden rice, a spicy pork sausage, fresh shrimp, and an egg yolk on top you’re meant to mix in. The dish is a combination of several different cuisines, but it all beautifully blends together into a really interesting dish. Other favorites at the restaurant are the Chips and Dip. It’s a simple name, but a very elevated dish. The chips are made from root vegetables, rice, and nori while the dip is made from whipped crème fraiche and trout roe.
The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and serves brunch on the weekends. It is best to make a reservation, which you can do at their website.
Madam and the Daxton Hotel are located at 298 South Old Woodward in Birmingham.