Monroe Street Bistro is no copycat Formidable! Kyle Nabilcy on Friday 10/03/2008, (3) Comments, (5) Recommendations It's a little daring -- you might even say brash -- to open up a little bistro just down the street from a very similar restaurant, and name your endeavor the Monroe Street Bistro. After all, Brasserie V was there first. The temerity! But sit down at one of Monroe Street Bistro's little tables, and you'll find hardly a shadow of arrogance. >MorePapa Bear's brings barbecue that's just right to the east side Jerry Minnich on Friday 09/26/2008, (4) Recommendations Madison is not barbecue country. Kansas City is barbecue country. With a population only double that of Madison, KC hosts more than 90 barbecue joints. You can count Madison's on the fingers of one hand. And two of them don't serve beer. It's a crying shame. >More
La Brioche's David Yankovitch, co-owner Susan Kepecs on Friday 10/03/2008, (3) Recommendations Remember Bakers' Rooms and Ovens of Brittany? Those vanished culinary institutions were the brainchildren of Joanna Guthrie, holistic foods practitioner and the mother of Madison's morning bun tradition. Yankovitch, an original member of Guthrie's flock, went on to own two previous incarnations of La Brioche. The second, in Midvale Plaza, was done in by development. In its brand-new, much more ambitious life, La Brioche brings back all the flavor and ambience of that original Bakers' Rooms and then some. >MorePlaka Taverna's Telly Fatsis, owner Susan Kepecs on Friday 09/19/2008, (7) Recommendations A legendary old diner is reincarnated in August as Mad City boho chic — a gentle model of urban renewal that calls for celebration. Do it with dolmades, and a shot of ouzo. >More
LOCAL FLAVOR
Beets that can't be beat Prizewinning latkes — with no potatoes Terese Allen on Friday 09/26/2008, (3) Recommendations Deny it all you want, but it's official: Summer's over. Autumn is here. Say goodbye to tomatoes and basil; say hello to potatoes and cabbage. >MoreHoe improvement Cambridge gardener teaches an old tool new tricks Marc Eisen on Friday 09/12/2008, (11) Recommendations Not that it means much for the jungle that is my garden, but I have a fine collection of hoes and weeders in my tool shed: short-handled ones, long-handled ones, Korean style, swope style, hula style and more. But my absolute favorite is the long-handle CobraHead hoe. >More
BEER
The Malt House keeps the focus on the brews Robin Shepard on Friday 09/12/2008, (14) Recommendations The recently opened Malt House at the corner of East Washington Avenue and Milwaukee Street is receiving high praise from those seeking the perfect pint. There are two big reasons: It serves an ever-changing beer list with more than 170 bottle and tap selections. And those beers are served over what may be the oldest wooden bar in the city. >More
DINING
Dinner and a movie We pair terrific takeout with flick picks Kyle Nabilcy on Tuesday 04/22/2008, (1) Comment, (42) 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, (40) 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
Beer Here -- Octoberfest from Central Waters Robin Shepard on Wednesday 10/01/2008 2:20 pm, (12) Recommendations The 175th celebration of Oktoberfest in Munich is well under way. The annual 16-day event opened this year on September 20 and runs through October 5, this being the traditional closing date of the first Sunday of October. The festival began as a wedding party for Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on October 17, 1810. Today, it just might be the world's most renowned beer festival -- particularly when one considers the brew made for the occasion has emerged into a distinctive and industry-accepted style. >MoreDobra Tea and Fu Gu move onto State and Gilman Comings and goings in the Madison restaurant world Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 09/30/2008 1:00 pm, (1) Comment, (8) Recommendations Dobra Tea, 449 State St., is downtown's first spot devoted specifically to tea. It's a quiet oasis and borrows its atmosphere and decor from the regions of the world where tea is grown and relished -- India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Turkey. You won’t find many traces of the Real Chili outlet that previously occupied the space -- Dobra is a real getaway from the West. There is another Dobra Tea located in Burlington, Vermont; the State Street branch opened in August. >MoreSchlitz beer returns to Madison Robin Shepard on Thursday 09/25/2008 3:00 pm, (2) Comments, (20) Recommendations The beer that made Milwaukee famous is returning around Wisconsin for another shot at glory. The original version of Schlitz beer hasn't been around since the 1960s, but the once familiar maroon and gold six-pack carton of brown bottles will soon be back in Madison, complete with that slogan and the exhortation to "Go For the Gusto." >MoreLa Baguette bakery arrives in Madison from Minocqua Pleasing patisseries for 500, Alex? Linda Falkenstein on Wednesday 09/24/2008 2:21 pm, (2) Comments, (12) Recommendations The popular -- even famed -- La Baguette bakery of Minocqua pulled up stakes from that northern Wisconsin resort community last August and this past Saturday opened a new site in the Cambridge Court shopping center on Madison's west side. >MoreHallelujah, Flavor of India and its buffet comes to the Square So long, Fit City Madison -- hello chicken tikka masala Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 09/23/2008 3:00 pm, (12) Recommendations The long-awaited Flavor of India on Mifflin Street has opened its doors. Never mind that Maharani, which also features a buffet, is down West Wash just three blocks from the Square at Broom Street -- and if you're doing an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet, you can probably use the walk. On the other hand... when you have only an hour for lunch, every minute at the buffet table counts. And let's not forget those below-zero, icy days of I-Don’t-Want-To-Go-Outside. >More
Gotham Bagels: Holy cream cheese, Batman! Raphael Kadushin on Friday 07/04/2008, (1) Comment, (18) Recommendations 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. >MoreWelcoming the gastropub The concept is taking hold here -- maybe Kyle Nabilcy on Friday 07/18/2008, (10) Recommendations Those who dine on the isthmus and in parts adjacent have become aware of certain trends at neighborhood restaurants. Some might notice an upgrade in beer offerings. Others might recognize a more sophisticated -- but not pretentious -- feel to the menu or the atmosphere. >More
BEER
New Glarus Brewing: The brewhaus the Careys built With a new facility, New Glarus looks to the future Robin Shepard on Thursday 07/10/2008, (23) Recommendations When we're enjoying a cold pint of beer, we may not think much about the next one. But lately Deb and Dan Carey, owners of the New Glarus Brewing Company, have indeed been contemplating the beer coming down the line. >More
FRINGE FOODS
Fringe Foods: A Summer Olympics meal at Hong Kong Wok Celebrating the Beijing Games with traditional Chinese fare -- chicken feet, congee, and century egg Kyle Nabilcy on Monday 08/18/2008 3:34 pm, (7) Comments, (37) Recommendations It's fair to say that the Beijing Olympics are the water cooler topic of the week. Even cynics can't help themselves. Go ahead. Hum the anthem. Anyone with a TV knows either the "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" by John Williams or "Bugler's Dream" by Leo Arnaud. So hum away, because it's been in my head now since the Games started on August 8. >MoreFringe Foods: The Madison Mallards version of the Luther Burger Go whole doughnut with the Glazer Bacon Cheeseburger at the Duck Pond Kyle Nabilcy on Tuesday 07/15/2008 1:27 pm, (4) Comments, (63) Recommendations Men of prodigious appetites often become known for their favorite foodstuffs. Elvis Presley had his fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. John Madden enjoys a good turducken when the season is right. "Joliet" Jake Blues famously ordered "four fried chickens and a Coke." And now, Luther Vandross has, as part of his legacy, the Luther Burger. >More
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