Even though Miller Family Meat & Three serves brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, collard greens and yams, Chef Tory Miller doesn’t consider it a barbecue restaurant because he’s not smoking any meat.
Miller calls it Southern comfort food.
Cafés and diners serving “meat and three” — a selected meat with a choice of three side dishes — can be found across the country, but has its roots in Nashville, Tennessee.

The semi-spicy blackened catfish with remoulade is moist inside. It's pictured here with collard greens and corn casserole.
Put this humble, casual model in the hands of Miller, and he does big things.
Miller, the city’s best-known chef, who in 2018 won a nationally televised Food Network “Iron Chef Showdown” against Iron Chef Bobby Flay, created Miller Family Meat & Three out of the bar side of his upscale, Spanish-influenced restaurant Estrellón. He opened it Dec. 10.
The “family” in the name doesn’t just refer to Miller and his wife, Kristine Miller, who’s responsible for the biscuits and desserts at the new place. Kristine is also head baker and pastry chef for Estrellón, as well as Miller’s two Capitol Square restaurants, L’Etoile and Graze.

The super-cheesy baked mac and cheese is made with high-end cheeses.
The name is also a nod to the family of restaurants Miller co-owns. Miller Family Meat & Three, which offers takeout and delivery only for now, was a way to survive in a restaurant environment, which under COVID-19 has been most devastating for fine dining.
Unsurprisingly, the mains and sides at Miller Family Meat & Three each have a sophisticated twist.

The mojo pulled pork sandwich is piled high with lean, juicy meat and hot and sour pickles.
The mojo pulled pork sandwich ($10) came with a fantastic mojo sauce on the side made with sour orange, garlic, cilantro and mint. The sandwich was piled high with lean, juicy meat, its oil quickly and decadently saturating the soft Hawaiian sweet roll. Hot and sour pickles were also part of the mix.
Slow-roasted, flavorful brisket ($22 with three sides), sliced thin, was served on Texas toast with a small container of delicious horseradish cream sauce. Parts of the meat were fatty, but that’s my issue with almost all restaurant brisket.

Slow-roasted brisket is sliced thin and served on Texas toast. It's shown here with kohlrabi and cabbage coleslaw and a 7-Up biscuit.
Neither the pulled pork nor brisket came with BBQ sauce — again, this isn’t a barbecue joint — but Miller said the spare ribs and chicken have a sweet Korean barbecue sauce: Like if “Sweet Baby Ray’s and gochujang had a baby.”
The semi-spicy blackened catfish with remoulade ($22 with three sides) was masterful in that the outside was blackened, while the interior remained moist.
The diverse selection of sides ($5 each if ordered a la carte) were mostly successful, starting with the super-cheesy baked mac and cheese, with Hook’s one-year cheddar, Emmi Roth Grand Cru, American and SarVecchio cheeses. The salt level could’ve been dialed down a level or two.

The smooth, creamy mashed potatoes are covered in a rich, brown gravy.
That wasn’t an issue with the smooth, creamy mashed potatoes without a lump in sight. The rich, brown gravy, applied generously, was equal to the buttery potatoes.
Also exceptional was a 7-Up biscuit, made lighter and sweeter by the addition of its namesake soda. It had the texture and density of cornbread and came with a little cup of honey butter. Miller said Kristine makes the batter and he bakes them.
The corn casserole was another highlight, made with a hint of jalapeno and a layer of Hook’s on top. It also had red peppers, onions, cornmeal, sour cream, eggs, cheese and milk.

Candied yams are sliced into geometric shapes with crushed peanuts on top.
Three other vegetable dishes were less exciting. Well-seasoned collard greens were studded with organic smoked ham hocks from Seven Seeds Farm in Spring Green. Miller uses oyster sauce in the broth, but otherwise they tasted traditional.
Candied yams were sliced into geometric shapes with crushed peanuts on top. Evenly cooked and not falling apart, they didn’t have a goopy, heavy glaze, which was appreciated.
The kohlrabi and cabbage coleslaw had the two vegetables finely grated and swimming in a thin, dressing with horseradish, whole grain mustard and celery seed. Miller said it’s close to the coleslaw he grew up with at his grandparents’ diner. It was too potent for my 15-year-old daughter and too soupy for me.

The cobbler has lots of sweet cherry pie filling relative to its excellent biscuit crust.
Kristine Miller also does Miller Family’s cherry cobbler ($5), which was priced the same as the sides and portioned accordingly. It had a lot of sweet cherry pie filling relative to its excellent biscuit crust. Sweet whipped cream in a cup on the side was a nice bonus.
It helps to order from Miller Family Meat & Three right around 4 p.m., before some menu items sell out. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 4-7 p.m., and only takes online orders. Miller said most orders come in the first 30 minutes, with customers scheduling their pickup time then.
Our meal included so many small containers — sauces, butter, whipped cream — that we were impressed they all made it in. That level of attention to detail has been a rarity during my year of takeout.

Miller Family Meat & Three opened Dec. 10 on the bar side of Tory Miller's upscale, Spanish-influenced restaurant Estrellón.
The food was also ready at the prescribed time, a half-hour after I’d ordered. It was easy to pull into a front slot on the busy section of Johnson Street early on a Saturday evening, and an employee put the order in my backseat.
With the country nearing its goal of vaccinating 1.5 million people a day — and Wisconsin now 10th in the nation for the percentage of the population that’s received at least one dose — we aren’t going to be eating like this forever.
But until life returns to normal, it’s nice to have options like Miller Family Meat & Three, where curbside carryout has been perfected.
Tokyo Sushi

Tokyo Sushi opened Dec. 10, 2019 on Williamson Street, and is surviving on carryout, co-owner Wenxin Chen said. "Not so many people dining in," he said. "I hope that coronavirus is over very soon."
Lorraine's

Ken Kopp IV renovated his former New Orleans Take-Out location on Monroe Street in one month and turned it into Lorraine's Cafe, which opened in late January. "It’s going OK around here," said Kopp, who isn't offering dine-in now. He's not doing delivery, either. "The online orders off my website for curbside have been great," he said.
Everyday Kitchen

Everyday Kitchen is part of a coworking space called Lodgic Everyday Community. The restaurant, bar and cafe opened in June 2020 on Marshall Court, and is visible from University Avenue. General manager Bobby Frizzell said the restaurant is open for delivery and curbside carryout only. "We have not yet determined a hard date for reopening the dining room, but we can’t wait to welcome everyone back!" he said in a text.
Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant

Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant opened June 1 on Butler Street, close to the Capitol Square. Erik Francisco Doroteo, whose father, Felipe Francisco Juan, owns the restaurant, said business has been OK. "We have more new customers coming in, some coming in once a week," he said. "We have some slow days, but more people are getting to know us." Erik said the restaurant is seating inside at 25% capacity with tables spaced six feet apart. Garibaldi also offers delivery.
Kosharie

Kosharie, which opened in late 2019 on Regent Street, is owned by Fawzy Mohamed, whose impressive restaurant resume includes 13 years as executive chef at Smoky’s Club and three years as a sous chef at the Madison Club. Kosharie's namesake Egyptian national dish, above, combines spaghetti, elbow macaroni, rice, lentils and chickpeas. Mohamed said the restaurant is "doing very well for corona time." He's offering takeout and delivery and is able to seat customers at two tables under dine-in restrictions. He plans to open a restaurant next door on Jan. 15 called Mafia for Pizza.
Skal Public House

Brian and Kim LaDow opened Skal Public House in May 2018 on Mount Horeb's Main Street in what was best known as Sole Sapori for 11 years. Brian LaDow said that business is going as well as possible. "Not great, but could be worse," he said. The restaurant is doing carryout, including curbside, dine-in and local delivery.
FEAST Artisan Dumpling and Tea House

Williamson Street's new upscale dumpling restaurant, FEAST Artisan Dumpling and Tea House, serves dumplings so good, they don't need dipping sauce. Mike Wang, who opened the restaurant this summer with his wife, Judy Zhu, said business is going OK and that the restaurant is open for dine-in, carry out and delivery.
Ragin Cajun Seafood

Ragin Cajun Seafood, in the works for about a year, was delayed by the pandemic, and opened July 10 in the former Ginza of Tokyo on the Far East Side. The restaurant’s basic seafood boil is one of the best splurges a person can make after months of quarantine. Jordan Zhou, the nephew of owner Ting Cai Zhou, said "everything is going well." The restaurant is doing dine-in, carryout and delivery.
Ahan

Jamie Hoang opened Ahan -- “food” in Lao -- inside The Bur Oak this summer after other kitchens didn't work out at the East Side music venue. Hoang said business has been "staying steady and busy with delivery and carryout." Deliveries make up about one-third of Ahan's business, Hoang said. She's not offering dine-in.
Finca Coffee

Todd Allbaugh and Marleni Valle opened Finca Coffee in August 2019 in a modern building on Rimrock Road owned by the Alexander Company, which Allbaugh said has been great to them during the pandemic. Finca's tacos are among the best tacos you'll find in Madison. The coffee's hard to beat, too. The shop offers limited indoor seating and curbside carryout.
Royal Indian Cuisine

Royal Indian Cuisine opened in September 2019 on the Far West Side in the days when lunch buffets could be found in every Indian restaurant in town. Now they're prohibited. At Royal Indian, co-owner Inderjit Kaur is offering carryout and delivery. No dine-in.
Settle Down Tavern

Sam Parker, Ryan Huber and Brian Bartels opened The Settle Down Tavern in the middle of a pandemic and serve a mean burger. Parker said the bar is doing takeout and delivery, and can seat customers in the tavern and in the attached atrium under its glass ceiling. "It’s the next best thing to being outside without being outside," Parker said. The tavern is also expanding into the space next door that used to be the men's clothing store Context.
Ru Yi Hand Pulled Noodle

Ru Yi Hand Pulled Noodle opened in mid-January on the 300 block of State Street to eager, high-energy crowds. Within two months, everything changed due to COVID-19. The noodle shop carried on with carryout and delivery. Dine-in is offered at a limited capacity, usually one or two tables, said Melody Lin, whose parents own the restaurant.
Sunny Pho

Sunny Pho owner Kim Khouch cooks a wide variety of Asian dishes and does them all well. The restaurant isn't offering dine-in for now and is concentrating on carryout and delivery.
Read restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurantnews