The Old Fashioned is Old News

Why does everyone seem to love this place?  When people come to town they always seem to have heard of The Old Fashioned and suggest going there.  I have personally experienced this with friends and family, and I know others who have as well.  This boggles my mind.  The food is mediocre, and I say that only because I do enjoy their breakfast.  Their menu is scant in my opinion and the service is terrible.  I have just never been impressed by the place.

Exhibit A: The first time I ever visited the Old Fashioned I was not impressed by the menu.  There are not many healthy options on the menu and when I found what I thought sounded amazing and healthy (No. 35 grilled eggplant and portabella sandwich) turned out to have a highly unpleasant texture and zero flavor.

Exhibit B: I arrived at The Old Fashioned for lunch when my sister and mom were in town and we were meeting a friend.  The server got us water and took our drink order which seemed to take a while even though the restaurant was quiet at the time.  After getting our beers my sister asked for some lemons for our beers.  They never came, and we had to ask for them a second time, but by then we had almost finished our first beers.

I ordered their summer sausage sandwich which sounded delicious, and it was okay.  Very greasy, but okay.  However, I left the restaurant feeling sick and crampy - not how I want to end a meal.

Exhibit C:  Now, my husband and I always forget that the Sunprint Cafe is closed on Sundays (which is incredibly silly and feels like a bad business decision to me, but anyways) and we end up walking up to the cafe and realizing this after we arrive.  Therefore, we always end up having to choose another brunch option.  Automatically we think Bradbury's, but then we usually get there and the line is out the door, which means waiting probably another hour before eating.  At this point we probably have considered going to Gotham or heading somewhere down State St., but a couple of times we have made the decision to go to The Old Fashioned.  The first time we made this decision I was very hesitant, but thought I would give them another chance on breakfast.  It went well, the food was good, but again, not very healthy as half of our plate was covered in potatoes.

So, after trying to go to Sunprint again on a Sunday morning we ended up at The Old Fashioned for brunch a second time.  We ordered coffee when we first sat down and our coffee did not arrive before our waiter came to take our food order.  We reminded him and again, our coffee did not arrive until just before our food came out.  We waited probably 15-20 minutes for our coffee....

Exhibit D:  After having an okay experience for breakfast I decided to go to The Old Fashioned with my mom the next time she was in town.  Again we were meeting up with a friend and thought it would be convenient since it was the same place we met the last time we got together.  So, we get our coffee, etc. and are waiting for our food and when it comes out my mom's is cold.  They take the plate from her and apologize, but bring it back a minute later.  She's pretty sure they just threw it in the microwave or something.   NOT IMPRESSED.

I'm done with this place.   I applaud them for using fresh and local products, but their representation of Wisconsin eating is sad.  Some people say, "But what about the cheese curds?" and to that I say, "I prefer the curds at Graze."

Unless I'm going because someone else really wants to or am just going for a drink, forget it.  I'd rather spend my money at Bradbury, Lazy Jane's, or Sunprint Cafe (if they ever decide to  open for Sunday morning brunch)

Horrible service, mediocre food, have left feeling sick more than once.

What’s With all the Sushi??

Madison seems to be turning into quite the sushi hotspot.  Off the top of my head I can name four sushi restaurants within a mile of my house and more are coming!! 
I have not tried them all, I have to admit, but can you blame me?  Restaurant Muramoto has stolen my sushi heart!  And I thought Takara was good…

Here’s the scoop:
The two times we have been here we have gotten the maki combo.  It’s a great deal, and you get a good variety.  It’s especially nice when you go with a lot of people because you can all share.  The thing about the maki combo…you don’t get to pick your rolls, the chef does!  I think that’s awesome, but others might be pickier so keep that in mind.
The maki combo gives you three sushi rolls, one regular, one inside out, and one special for $20.

This was my plate. 
Regular: Tekka Roll (tuna)
Inside out: Spicy Shrimp Roll (shrimp, masago mayo, scallion, seven spice, chili oil)  -  Umm…delicious.
Special: Rainbow Roll (tuna, hamachi, salmon, crab, avocado, cuke)  -  A lot of fish, very filling, but good.  I would try to eat/share most of this first so it doesn’t get too warm.

This was AJ’s plate.
Regular: Salmon Roll
Inside out: Spicy Tuna Roll
Special: Dante Roll (hamachi, cuke, greens, habanero tobikko)  -This one is VERY spicy…just a warning.  I love spicy, but this was ridiculously spicy because of the black roe.  But nonetheless, it was fun to eat.

Everything was great and the atmosphere is awesome too.  We usually sit at the bar so that we can watch the chefs cook.  Sometimes it gets a little intense, but you can thank them directly when its great!
On this trip we splurged and got dessert : ).  We were not sure what to pick since everything sounded great, but here is what our waitress suggested…

The top plate is the black sesame ice cream and below are the chocolate satsuma beignets with miso caramel. 
All of this was amazing.  The beignets were great both with the caramel and with the ice cream. 
The ice cream itself was surprisingly tasty, and the miso caramel I seriously could have eaten by itself it was that good.
A little pricey, but worth it once in a while for a great date night!

Insider tip: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights its $25 for all you can eat sushi.  Just FYI. : ).
Read what others have to say here.

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.

Lazy Jane's Cafe

Located on well-known Williamson St. in a very eclectic neighborhood, Lazy Jane's Cafe offers up the homiest eating experience in Madison that I know of.  The cafe is basically a house that was simply converted into a communal eating space by eliminating some walls, adding some more furniture, and creating an ordering/serving area in the entryway.  The kitchen doesn't even seem to be very accommodating for the business they bring in; and I'm always amazed at how they can pump so much good food out of it.  This neighborhood favorite compiles homey furniture, cozy seating, and a mish-mosh of dinnerware to give guests a lovely home-away-from-home experience.

Let's not forget about the food here.  They have a great cafe menu with plenty of options and its a great place to grab lunch during the week, but my favorite time to go to Lazy Jane's Cafe is on Saturday mornings.  On Saturdays the cafe only serves breakfast which at any other restaurant would turn me off (due to my issues with eggs, and recent vegetarianism).  Fortunately, this place has some great surprises on their menu.  The last time I went, here's what I had.

Seitan Hash and Tomato Bisque

Tanya had the Biscuits and Gravy and Melon Soup.

It was all delicious as always, but I was really impressed by how good they made the seitan taste.  It was my first time every having it and it tasted just like any other breakfast sausage or meat (maybe a little spicier, but I didn't mind).

The tomato soup was incredible as well.  There were huge chunks of tomato in it and it was really creamy and seasoned well.

The melon soup was almost like a juice, and was surprisingly refreshing and palate cleansing.

Tanya said the biscuits and gravy were great and I trust her opinion :).  They looked amazing.

Lazy Jane's is one of those neighborhood places where you can tell they put so much love into the cafe and into the food.  It is incredibly inviting, cozy, and delicious; and the staff is fun and friendly.  I recommend Lazy Jane's all the time for visitors looking for a good local place for breakfast or lunch, and I'm recommending it to you now.  Check it out.  You won't be disappointed.

Check out their Yelp page here for more info.

Insider Tip:  The cafe is cash only, but they have an ATM inside.  Get there early on Saturdays to beat the rush for breakfast or go for a late brunch.  If you go later though, you may miss out.  They run out of some dishes quickly.

I scream, You scream, We all scream for Gelato??

It’s that time of year again.  When its just too hot and you need an icy treat to cool your blood.  Head to Paciugo if you’re looking to feed your ice cream cravings.

Everyone will yell at me for saying that though.


It’s Gelato, not ice cream!

But really, who cares because it’s just darn delicious. 

This place boasts an enormous selection of gelato flavors including milk based, water based, soy based, and no-sugar-added options.  Every time I have been there, they have a new flavor(sometimes several new ones).

Not sure what to get?  No problem!  Taste as many flavors as you want before you make a decision. 

Still can’t decide?  That’s ok too.  In their small dish you can get a mix of up to 3 flavors.  Today, I had Cinnamon Coconut, Black Cherry Swirl, and Crème Caramel.  In a medium dish you can get up to 4 flavors, and up to 5 in a large.

To make it even better it’s served to you with a sample spoon, which is very small, and makes you take smaller bites and enjoy the gelato that much longer and that much more.

Located right on the corner of State St. and Gorham this is the perfect place to grab dessert after a dinner downtown.

Picture from here

Insider Tip: you think you can eat more than you really can ;)

Saturday Mornings In Madtown

Check out our treasures from a normal Saturday at the Farmer’s Market. 

Since it is still early in the season there isn’t much produce, and it has been a little slow traffic wise, but I will keep you updated as to what comes in.  I get so excited and love supporting our local farmers. 

Here we have small sweet potatoes (which have made delicious fries), portabella and white button mushrooms, salad greens, a tomato, some beef jerky for AJ, cheese curds, banana bread and a cinnamon roll for breakfast!

Produce wise, this is all that is really at the market right now, so I’ve really been taking advantage of the awesome mushrooms!  They are so delicious!  I made an awesome portabella burger with them.

Also, there are a lot of flowers, plants, honey, syrup, organic and grass-fed meats, and bakery items right now, but soon I will be able to get most of my produce here instead of going to the grocery store.

Kabul Restaurant on State

Hey everyone!  I’m really excited to tell you about an awesome taco joint I ate at today for lunch, but I feel like I need to keep to some sort of order.  I’ve been holding out on you for too long and have a long list of foods and restaurants to talk about.  So, without further ado, I will get cracking on this list.
I may have mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been wanting to try a restaurant on State St. called the Mediterranean Café.  I have seen a line out the door to that place and have been curious about it since.
I confessed this curiosity to my loving husband who then proceeded to take me there.  Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and they were closed.  So, while we were there (on State St. I mean) we decided to work on broadening our palates by having lunch at a place called Kabul Restaurant.
Kabul serves Afghan cuisine and from what I had heard through the grapevine was that it was pretty good.  Neither of us had tasted Afghan food before which made the experience really fun and interesting. 
Let me start with the atmosphere of the place.  It’s pretty small on the inside, maybe 10 tables total.  I’m almost positive that the tables used to be really basic fast-food-type booth tables, but they have nicely covered them in a cushiony material and then put a very decorative textile over the top.  The rest of the place was decorated well with a middle eastern theme to it.  It was quiet, but not too quiet, an atmosphere suited to small groups for lunch or dinner.
Onto the food! 
Ok, I just have to say, this place made me fall in love with chutney!  I had never had chutney before, but it is a simple dip/topping for bread or even to have on your food.  At each table sits 2 bowls of chutney.  One red (pimento) and one green (cilantro).  They were completely different in taste, but both were equally delicious.  The flavors are very strong, so if you don’t like cilantro don’t eat the green one.  I happen to love cilantro though, so I found it amazing.  We ate the chutney with the Afghan bread we were given, which was pretty good too.  Really soft, flat, and moist, had a good chew to it (you can see it in the pics below). 
Each entrée comes with a side of their Mashawa (Soup) or their salad with curry cucumber dressing.  We ordered one of each and then shared.  The soup was great.  it contained:

Chick Peas
Kidney Beans
Split Peas
Rice
and I can’t remember what meat was in it. (Sorry we ate here quite a while ago)

It also had a yogurt mint sauce on top of it.  It reminded me a lot of chili with sour cream, but the yogurt mint sauce really gave it the flavor of the middle east and the chick peas gave it some crunch.  I usually don’t like chick peas, and I hate hummus, but I could handle them in this dish.  The salad wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing.  There isn’t much to expect from a side salad, but the dressing was a little overpowering and there was a lot of it.  That’s not to say it wasn’t good, but I think they used too much.
Ok, onto the Entrees.  I ordered the Beef Korma Chalow which consisted of medallions of beef cooked with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, and spices.  It was served over white rice.  It came to me on a plate looking like this..(On the left)     
It was very brown.  It didn’t look as good as it tasted, which is great.  The beef was deliciously tender and everything was seasoned pretty well, but I soon found out that the flavor shot out the roof when you used a little of that chutney on the dish.  Wow!  Both worked well with the dish.  I just put a spoonful on the side of my plate and took a little with each bite.  That added so much more depth to the dish.  I wish someone would have told me sooner because I only realized it once I was almost full. 
The hubby ordered the Lamb Kabobs (On the right).  I only tasted them near the end of our meal, so I can’t say much about them, but I do think that the chunks of lamb were too big, and I’m pretty sure it was a little overcooked.  The sauce that came with it was again, a yogurt/mint sauce, and the kabobs were also served over saffron rice, which I remember him saying was pretty yummy.
We had a great time at Kabul and had a lot of fun experiencing a new cuisine.  That really was the best thing about Kabul.  It opened my mind and my taste buds to something new and provided a chance for me to understand a different culture and their food.  I love to try new things, and Kabul offered a delightful and delicious opportunity.


P.S.  Hopefully soon AJ will be here to guest blog about some of his eating experiences.  He recently ate at a place I’ve been wanting to try called Jamerica!

Saved by The Market Basket

Living five blocks from my state's capital sure has its perks.  The capital square is event central and I love being in the thick of things.  The downside however, is the lack of affordable groceries close by.  So, my grocery shopping didn't go as planned today and has been hereby postponed until tomorrow.

That however doesn't solve the issue of having no food for tonight.

Solution:  I found a lone pork chop in the freezer that I grilled up with a little salt, pepper, and coriander.  I ate it with BBQ sauce.....

It was food.  For me anyways, but when the hubby got home from work it was a different story and like many nights before we found ourselves being saved by The Market Basket.   

Located on East Mifflin St. near the capital The Market Basket is a small grocery store that has all the necessities for the off campus college crowd.  It is similar to a convenience store or an open pantry, but has much more of a neighborhood feel.  So, after a walk to the capital to check out the mobs of protesters we headed down to get Mr. Low some dinner.  We ended up getting soup for his dinner. We also got butter so I can make popcorn, donuts for breakfast in the morning and a Diet Pepsi.

For any college students east of the capital that don't know about this place make sure you check it out.  It's a bit pricey, but super convenient and will save you in a bind.  They're open until 11pm which  is of course awesome and the people that work there are always friendly.  $5 minimum to use a credit card though, so keep that in mind. 

Some necessities they carry:

Milk

Eggs

Fresh fruit and veggies

Tampons

Toilet Paper

Snacks

and the most important necessity .. Wine :)

Happy Shopping!