Caught off guard and regretting my response.

Today while spending some “me time” around the square doing crossword puzzles, drinking iced tea, etc.  Two women approached me asking me what restaurants are good in the area.  I reply with, “What kind of food do you want to eat?”  and they respond, “Healthy, vegetarian.”  I say, “Oh, ok, I’m a vegetarian too,” and I start to name a couple of my favorite restaurants around the capital square, I eventually send them off to The Capital Taphaus on State St.  They have a pretty good vegetarian sandwich.  They thank me and head on their way.

I was really caught off guard with this inquiry and as I walked home I knew there was a place I had forgotten about.  I thought and thought and halfway home it hit me.  The Great Dane Pub and Brewery.  AHHHH.  I wanted to run all the way back and find those ladies and send them to The Great Dane!  I have a food blog for crying out loud!  How could I not blurt this out immediately??  I blame downtown Madison for having so many restaurants.

So I think it’s time I let you all in on some amazing food and beer.

The Great Dane Pub and Brewery is one of our go-to places around here.  They have a diverse menu with a good amount of vegetarian options including pizzas, amazing mac and cheese, falafel, a veggie burrito, and more.  They also have great burgers, fish and chips, and lots of Sconnie favorites.

But the best Sconnie favorite that they have there is their beer! The Great Dane is a brewery and their beer is very very good.  Being a light-beer drinker I usually stick to the Landmark Light and the Crop Circle Wheat, but no matter what kind of beer you like they have a delicious option for you.

My only gripe about this place is their selection of side items.  I only get the fries there because all the other sides I have tried including their coleslaw and cous cous have been majorly disappointing. 
Other than that though, the rest of the food, the atmosphere, and the service are great.

I apologize to the women that I sent to the Taphaus, hopefully they still have a good lunch and a nice time there.  It is a great place, but The Great Dane would have definitely been a better choice for them.  I will not make this mistake again! : )

Insider Tip:  Sometimes this place gets crowded, so if you’re just going there for drinks, there is a Rathskellar with its own bar downstairs that a lot of people don’t know about.  I always seem to find seating down there.

Hello Wisconsin!

As this is my first post I would love to give you some insight to my vision for this blog. My favorite thing about food is its variety, and I would love to share my experiences with this variety with all of you. Also, as a Wisconsin native, I would like to introduce those who are not, into some of our all time Sconnie favorites.

I am amazed by the way a single food can be prepared. Grilled chicken, roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, chicken salad, chicken pie....... and on and on and on. On top of that each way of cooking can be changed, transformed, and tweeked by adding more of this, less of that, pair it with pasta, potatoes, rice, veggies, top it with gravy, glaze, salsa etc. Every single combination has a completely different taste, smell, and texture, and leaves me with a different feeling inside. This is why I'm always up for trying new foods, even if they scare me at first.

Growing up in Wisconsin gave my family its set of traditional foods. Some delicious like cottage cheese pancakes, and tater tot casserole, and some not so yummy like sauerkraut noodles, and pickled herring. Ulgh...

Every family has their own traditions passed down from their parents' parents' parents' and I'm sure many have been tweeked as I mentioned before. My intention is to share some of my favorite meals, new inventions, and my opinion of the best and not so great places to dine out.

Enjoy!