Gotham Bagels: Holy cream cheese, Batman! Raphael Kadushin on Friday 07/04/2008, (1) Comment We were heading to Mount Horeb for lunch when one of those oddly apocalyptic summer storms whipped up, the kind that seems to have become, suddenly, freakishly routine. The radio was making noises about running for cover, and we decided maybe it wasn't worth the broken bones and twisted neck, and that long, tempting tunnel of light, even for a really good lunch. So we turned back to Madison, and that's how we ended up, drenched, at Gotham Bagels for lunch instead. >MoreSucre brings continental flair to the Square Jerry Minnich on Friday 06/27/2008, (2) Comments, (4) Recommendations Where there once was McDonald's, there is now Sucre. There is no better metaphor for the evolution of downtown Madison -- from fast-food restaurant to Euro-chic patisserie, from Quarter Pounders and fries to cold poached shrimp and Sachertorte, from Coke to cosmos. >More
Behold the farm bill Alt farmers share in the bounty, but at what cost? Marc Eisen on Friday 07/04/2008 So often something mind-numbingly boring and horribly complicated can be really, really important. Forgive me, then, for subjecting you to a column about the 673-page farm bill of 2008. >MoreFlooded farm, part two Another year, another devastating storm Kenneth Burns on Friday 06/20/2008, (4) Recommendations After last year's $750,000 loss, Richard de Wilde was doubtless hoping for a not-too-wet wet season. He didn't get one. On de Wilde's Harmony Valley Farm, the organic operation near Viroqua, 20 acres' worth of plantings were destroyed by the recent storms. Among the losses were tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, salad greens, dill, cilantro and a cornfield — the same one ravaged in last year's rains. >More
TABLE TALK
Bob Crowe, Manager of The Seafood Center at Willy Street Co-op The Seafood Center at Willy Street Co-op, 1221 Williamson St. (the mother ship's at Heritage Square, 712 S. Whitney Way) Susan Kepecs on Friday 06/27/2008, (3) Recommendations Why you should go: Because you're picky about fish. >MoreAnna Zalner, Head bartender & Saturday server at The Continental Where: The Continental, 2784 Fish Hatchery Rd., Fitchburg Susan Kepecs on Friday 06/13/2008, (16) Recommendations Why you should go: Last year Jim and Nick Schiavo, who own Cafe Continental on King Street, took over the little castle that used to be La Paella. This summer they've put some of their old family recipes back on the table, and turned the patio into one of the best outdoor dining spots in town. >More
DINING
Dinner and a movie We pair terrific takeout with flick picks Kyle Nabilcy on Tuesday 04/22/2008, (15) Recommendations No one likes a chewer at the movies. It boggles the mind that theaters sell nachos. Of all the possible snack foods, why choose one of the loudest? >MoreTavern time Small burger-and-fry grills shall not perish from the earth Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 04/22/2008, (14) Recommendations To a certain segment of the population, there's nothing more alluring than a vintage sign for Pabst Blue Ribbon hanging outside a converted farmhouse or an old hotel. The house-turned-tavern is as old as the concept of the public house itself — Madison's first pioneer residents, Rosaline and Eben Peck, were tavern- and innkeepers. >More
On the hunt for root beer floats in Madison You got me floatin' on the ultimate summer ice cream soda Linda Falkenstein on Thursday 07/03/2008 12:21 pm, (1) Comment, (6) Recommendations The nation's hot weather palate has shifted from traditional ice cream sodas and hot fudge sundaes to Peppermint Java Chip Frappuccinos and Iced Matcha Lattes, although recent news reports have suggested that "pain at the pump" has prompted many working stiffs to cut back on their $4/day frozen coffee drink habit. While I have nothing against iced coffee, the super-sweet sensation of a proper root beer float is one of the rituals of summer that should be indulged in at least once between Memorial Day and Labor Day. >MoreBeer Here -- Old Glory American Pale Ale from the Great Dane Robin Shepard on Wednesday 07/02/2008 1:22 pm, (8) Recommendations Looking for a great beer to celebrate the birth of our country? How better than with a beer named "Old Glory"? This beer is a great choice for the holiday picnic table or backyard barbecue, and its assertive hoppiness offers a little fireworks in every pint. >MoreFringe Foods: A southern summer with chicory coffee, horchata, and chicha morada Drinking down the Western Hemisphere Kyle Nabilcy on Monday 06/30/2008 2:16 pm, (2) Comments, (19) Recommendations The United States, it's worth noting, doesn't always treat its neighbors to the north and south so well. Heck, you might even say that there was some careless treatment of our southern locales, New Orleans in particular, during the 2005 hurricane season. For my part, I love all points south on the American compass. And to show a little bit of that love, I'm going to take you on a liquid tour of some of those locales, with tastes of chicory coffee, horchata, and chicha morada. >MoreBeer Here -- Contorter Porter from Ale Asylum Robin Shepard on Wednesday 06/25/2008 1:00 pm, (1) Comment, (22) Recommendations Ale Asylum has been making a porter since it opened two years ago. Its original label, "Disporterly Conduct," was the result of a naming competition by patrons. However, this proved to be a marketing challenge when the brewery decided to move the beer into its bottled lineup. Contorter is a reference to how deep dark black beer looks big and heavy, but in reality is smooth, soft and well balanced on the palette. >MoreAzzalino's speakeasy offers hearty portions on near south side of Madison Erica Pelzek on Tuesday 06/24/2008 3:14 pm, (12) Recommendations Billed as "a joint for bootleggers and flappers," Azzalino's on South Park Street serves up standard American bar food in baskets and large plates in a strip of taverns on Park Street just south of Meriter Hospital. The menu is jam-packed with fried items named after famous -- or infamous -- characters of the 1920s and dangerously fruity cocktails that mask their large amounts of alcohol behind citrus and grenadine. >More
Five Guys Burgers and Fries debuts in Madison Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 04/15/2008 10:08 am, (25) Recommendations I kind of have to admire Five Guys Burgers and Fries for managing to include 80% of its menu right in the name of the restaurant. This East Coast-based chain doesn't serve much beyond its namesake burgers and fries. The menu also branches out to offer a hot dog and something named on the menu as "veggie or grilled cheese," which I at first took to mean a veggie burger. It's not. >MoreFringe Foods: Soft-shell crab from Gotham New York Bagels Getting comfortable with the menu of a really big country Kyle Nabilcy on Thursday 04/10/2008 11:05 am, (33) Recommendations I came across a prime example of this regionality completely unawares, when I wandered into Gotham New York Bagels and Eats on Mifflin recently. I was looking for lunch, and looked up to see a menu item that had been absent for months. Gotham's menu has undergone something of a remodeling since it debuted about a year ago. So, when I saw "Soft-Shell Crab" on the new chalkboard menu behind the counter, the foodie in me leapt for joy. >More
Beer Here -- Fatty Boombalatty from Furthermore Robin Shepard on Friday 04/11/2008 1:07 pm, (24) Recommendations Furthermore owner Aran Madden began with a white beer recipe and ramped up the amount of grain in this beer by 50 percent. He also dropped the amount of wheat malt used, so while the beer has the appearance of a big, bright hefeweizen, it doesn't strictly meet the style. That certainly doesn't bother Madden, who takes pleasure in deviating from brewery norms and beer classifications. The Boombalatty offers bitterness in the spirit of a pale ale, with spices like coriander in the background. >MoreA toast to the 75th anniversary of Prohibition's end! Vintage Madison ales and lagers are brewed once again Robin Shepard on Thursday 04/03/2008 12:18 pm, (27) Recommendations April 7 may be just another day on the calendar to many people, but to those who truly love beer it's Independence Day. On April 7, 1933, beer returned to the public following 13 years of Prohibition in the U.S. The Cullen-Harrison Act, a modification to the original Volstead Act which established Prohibition, took effect, and the result was the legalization of 3.2 beer. >More
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