text: After three tries of trying to eat here unsuccessfully without a reservation I decided to try Nostrano for my birthday and made a reservation for my sister and I I was excited to try it as I would heard many good things nnAlthough a little thin on variety the starter selections were flavorful and satisfying as were our meals Though not the very best I have had in Madison they did not disappoint The truly disappointing part of the dinner came when we tried to order dessert For two very personal reasons I am a gestational diabetic and have to space out my food intake especially carbsand my husband was recovering from surgery in the hospital and we planned to include him in birthday festivities by bringing dessert to him we asked to order three desserts to go We were told no nnIm going to repeat that just to let it sink in we were told that the restaurant would not sell us dessert to carry out by both a server and the manager Here were the reasons nThe kitchen was too busynAllowing food to be taken out of the restaurant violates the chefs personal philosophy and deviating from that philosophy would be grounds for firing someone nThey did not have proper togo containersnIf they bent the rules for one person they would have to do it for everyonenand my personal favorite that the gelato would melt if we left the restaurant which would make one think that Culvers and Michaels should maybe have a dinein only policy during hot summer months too nnWe were prepared to spend an extra on dessert but instead left empty handed after explaining to both the server and manager that eating in was not an option in our situation And we will not be back nnPlenty of other local chefs within a handful of blocks of Nostrano serve up food that rivals that of Nostrano and in some cases is better Osteria Papavero Muramoto Graze Harvest and LEtoile just to name a fewand understand what Nostranos chef does not seem to dining out is as much about the experience and service as the food nnIf you want to try the food you will probably enjoy a decent meal If you want to experience true fine dining instead of a place that takes itself so seriously without any real grounds for doing so I would go elsewhereand will