I have not eaten at Harvest. I have heard comments of a wide range about it, from "great" to "not worth the hype". I wish I had more info for you. The Yelp.com reviews look like that too.

Going up for a campus tour yesterday, Thing2 and I had lunch at Husnu's. Good, but not a threat to the middle eastern diversity in Chicago. Everything was a bit on the salty side. I haven't seen manti elsewhere, and wanted to compare to those I've made. They were very heavy in their wrapper, but with a very tasty pair of sauces (curry and yoghurt). Mmmm garlic. Thing2 had lamb couscous, which he enjoyed but didn't love. Hummos was somewhat differently spiced than I've had else where, and managed to be both coarse and smooth at the same time. Serving it over shredded lettuce, with bits of feta on top is an interesting choice -- we liked that.

I am currently dividing my life between Chicago and Madison. Since Madison is my home town, I wanted to give people a suggestion for really excellent street food. Madison does have a number of fine dining restaurants, although, obviously, not nearly as many as Chicago. (Chicagoland has more population than the entire state of Wisconsin, I believe, so what can you expect?) My current favorite is the Restaurant Magnus, which also has good tapas in their bar for those who want to spend a bit less or have a lighter meal with wine. However, the quintessential Madison experience is small, interesting, homey restaurants. For anyone who is going to be on the University of Wisconsin campus, I would like to suggest the Mediterranean Cafe, on State street, just up the block from the University Library. It is a tiny hole in the wall restaurant run by an interesting and creative Algerian owner. The food is always clean, always tasty and always inexpensive. I recommend ordering the specials, although the shawarma is also recommended-- infinitely better than the greasy and usually badly seasoned gyros it looks like. It is open only at noon. Seating is limited and locals in the know are lined up out the door, so if you do not find a seat, ask for your food to go, and sit at one of the tables along the lake at the Memorial Union (2 blocks away) in summer, or at the Espresso Royale Cafe directly across the street in cold or rainy weather. They do not mind if you eat at their tables as long as you order a coffee or tea.

Dory

dory wrote:I would like to suggest the Mediterranean Cafe, on State street, just up the block from the University Library. It is a tiny hole in the wall restaurant run by an interesting and creative Algerian owner. The food is always clean, always tasty and always inexpensive. I recommend ordering the specials, although the shawarma is also recommended-- infinitely better than the greasy and usually badly seasoned gyros it looks like.

Yep. true story. I loved this place and often went on binges for that sandwich. I loved the sauce it was served with and what a great deal they are to. Great quick lunch option.

Thanks all. We ended up at Harvest for dinner and had a lovely experience. (though, my sweetbreads frito misto was a bit lacking). Great fresh food. Great cocktails.

And, Med Cafe opened up my senior year at Madison (1996-97) and I was lucky enough to live next door. I used to crave their spanakopita, something he would only have every so often. I would call down there to see if it was there and if he could put a portion aside for me so I wouldn't have to venture out in the cold unnecessarily! I LOVED that place.

For a slightly different perspective on Madison eats, when one of my twins visited his brother in Madison (a current student), his favorite eating experience was a cart that comes out around midnight and serves fried fish and chicken sandwiches. You just have to know the corner they always show up on. I think they take your blood alcohol level and turn you away if it's below the legal limit.

Jonah

Jonah wrote:For a slightly different perspective on Madison eats, when one of my twins visited his brother in Madison (a current student), his favorite eating experience was a cart that comes out around midnight and serves fried fish and chicken sandwiches. You just have to know the corner they always show up on. I think they take your blood alcohol level and turn you away if it's below the legal limit.

Jonah

Da Beef wrote:I was about to ask if Jin's chicken and fish was still around until I realized I could find out myself if I googled it, little did I expect they had theyre own website. I totally forgot to mention this late-nite food cart that serves up amazing fresh fried chicken and fish sandwich's that are piled high, best drenched in hot sauce. Jin's belong's on the Madison sandwich list above. I always had the catfish. Odd hours, they are only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday and open at midnight and close at 4am. Youll never see a food cart like this in Chicago, its a Madison classic.

Something tells me he makes a killing off that VIP line, with all the drunk college kids who spend more on a couple Jager bombs than $10 and the line can be 25 deep on a nice weekend so what a deal at $10/per when your stumbling back from the bar and need food now.

http://jinschickenandfish.com/

True story.

That's gotta bit it!

For a cuisine that you can't get in Chicago, I recommend the rijsttafel at Bandung. Americanized to be sure, but tasty and reasonably priced, and as I said, not available locally.

Sardine: We had our second dinner at this French bistro this weekend, and another excellent meal. For appetizers, we shared a frito misto, which was battered and fried vegetables, including brocoli rape. It was huge and quite tasty. We also had a chacuterie plate, which was similarly large (maybe not by Wisconsin standards) and excellent. For mains, my kid enjoyed a lamb dish, and my wife and I had each had salads. Nothing here was groundbreaking, but it was all very well executed. My son had a superb apricot tarte for dessert, and my wife a very boring (to me, not to her) chocolate pot du creme. The atmosphere is relaxed, perhaps a touch noisy, and there were quite a few families with children (that's a good thing for this kind of place). All in all, a fine meal.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Madison. This chain will be in Chicago by the end of December and I have to say they lived up to their reputation (won best burger in Washington DC 7 years straight). No salads here. Just burgers and fries (and a hot dog that scares me).

Just finished lunch at Tuttos. The fare was ok but it took several iterations to get the order right as the chef had swordfish on the menu as a special and forgot to order or did not receive it. My lunch companions who ordered the swordfish were then forced to choose either salmon or tuna. Except, yeah, they were also out of tuna so red snapper was the replacement. Both were happy with the substitutions and the bed of sauteed vegetables they come on.

I had the calzone della casa. It was good sized, cooked nicely with crispy crust, a little chewy and the contents were mozzarella, chicken breast, tomates, tomato sauce and peperoni. It was good and flavorful but te accompanying red sauce was a little runny and weak.

All told I would return but was not knocked out for the first visit.

To Da Beef and others:
Was in Madison this past September and was crushed to discover that PEL MENI was gone. (Or did I miss it?) That little place had a great vibe and dumplings were awesome. Wish they'd re-open somewhere in Chicago.

lnasreen wrote:To Da Beef and others:
Was in Madison this past September and was crushed to discover that PEL MENI was gone. (Or did I miss it?) That little place had a great vibe and dumplings were awesome. Wish they'd re-open somewhere in Chicago.

I heard they were no more, bad news indeed. Here is a link to the exact same recipe they used if you ever want to make them at home. These are the exact same thing and I eat them a few times a year at home. They never disappoint.

Also, if you find yourself in Madison with a craving for Pelmini now, I would recommend going to Arbat Russian Restaurant in the nearby town of Fitchburg (a 15-minute drive from the city center) Their Siberian Pelmini are quite good, and they also offer a large selection of fun Russian beers.

Arbat
3000 Cahill Main
Fitchburg, WI
608-277-0661

Got back up to Madison for the first time in a while this past weekend for a bachelor party and although I didnt have my camera on me half the time (cameras aren't allowed in all places we were headed too) I was reminded of a few things.

I said it before on here and I'll say it again...there is nothing close as good to New Orleans Takeout as far as Cajun goes here in Chicago and the real deal overall.


"Eat Mo Bettah" NOTO has two locations one next to the popular Mickie's dairy bar near the football stadium and one on Fordem ave just off Johnson (about 10 mins from downtown) and I always liked the original more for the feel and food. But cant really say there's much of a difference. As far as menu items I like it all including the daily specials. Click here for menu.


red beans and rice with sausage


crabcake with remoulade


an open faced shot of my fried oyster po' boy (with cheese)


Mardi Gras Combo (red beans & rice, shrimp creole and jambalaya)


crawfish etouffee


Deb's barbecued shrimp

Everything pictured was amazing as were the sides of French or corn bread that come with each order. Each order seen is actually a small order with two sizes being available. The price is right and the food is great. I'm glad to say that spot that I ate at most during my college days didnt turn out to be some crap that I just liked b/c it was cheap, they delivered and tasted good when stoned. My only regret was upon walking out I saw a couple young guys chowing down some fried wings. They are masters of the golden frying process and these smelled and looked so, so good that I was pissed I never tried them before. Next time.

I was also reminded of how it seems like everyplace I have lived had a good corner store/deli market type place where you can get a nice freshly made sandwich with good meats and fresh toppings...except Chicago.

McTaggert's store/deli has been around there forever and they still do it right. Upon entering the convenience store your greeted by a deli with a bunch or papers on the counter to hand to the deli guy and have him build a sandwich for you. They got extra thin sliced board head meats and condiments like several mustards and mayo, fresh veggies, Wisconsin cheeses and choice of fresh baked bread and the option of hot or cold. I would eat this a few times a week for lunch if we had one near me in Chicago. McTaggerts is right near the lake (on Lakelawn just off Langdon) and about a 10 minute walk from the union so its a great spot to pick up a sandwich and take over to the union and sit on the lake and drink a brew or do what you do.


My go to sammy...thinly boars head roast beef with buffalo chicken and my toppings of choice. A great lunch and even better when enjoyed at the union.

Some other things I was reminded of were how much better the farmers markets are there and how many different dining options there are with such a varied choice of cuisine. I mean they have 2 very good Nepalese restaurants not 5 doors from each other. If you stay at the concourse, which is the best hotel in town and very reasonable, you can walk to the market downtown in 2 minutes on Saturdays should you be there for one.

Jin's is still going strong and is now in the library square where the rest of the food carts are during the day at nighttime. The catfish and chicken sandwiches are as good as they ever where and would be good any time of the day...there hours vary (mostly wed.-sat. during summer and thurs-sat during winter) and they open around 10 or 11p

I also was reminded of how often food spots come and go from there esp. the downtown area. When I was there it was no different and upon returning I saw how many new places there were along State St. and the surrounding area. Nonetheless its still one of the best little cities/towns, whatever you wanna call it in America and a great spot during summer.

This will be the first of a few installments of Madison cuisine, as my daughter just attended freshman orientation at this (disturbingly so) liberally-bent university. But, maybe because of those leanings, there's no doubt that State Street & its environs contain the most interesting food in the state.

Had a first night late dinner at Chautara, one of two Himalayan restaurants, the other being Himal Chuli which is owned by the same folks. The momocha veggie dumpling appetizer was just OK, but my Kashmiri-style rogan josh, cut lamb shoulder prepared with yogurt, ground coriander & red chilies, was pretty close to transcendant--just a great sauce. Daughter added spinach to her bandipuri, and the mild spices on the chicken breast offset the vegetables nicely. Lentil soup as an opener was very nice, almost chowder-like in its consistency. Washed down with a couple ice-cold Kingfisher beers, everything was AOK. This is college?

Next morning I ventured to one of the only true breakfast joints on State Street, the Sunroom Cafe. Up a flight, Sunroom is more about atmosphere & hippiedom than anything else. Eating an organic breakfast burrito and sipping Fair Trade coffee next to the window watching the world go by, I could have very easily have been transported to 1968. Decent fare.

Later that day, daughter & I tried the ultra-cheap Mediterranean Cafe on State for a bowl of (again) lentil soup & to split a veggie sandwich--a toasted whole-wheat pita filled with hummos & tabouleh. This soup was 180 degrees different than Chautara's but still very solid, prompting daughter to discuss embarking on a State Street 'soup crawl' come autumn chill, which sounded good to me.

Chautara
334 State St.
(608) 251-3626


Sunroom Cafe
638 State St.
(608) 255-1555
http://www.sunroomcafe.com


Mediterranean Cafe
625 State St.
(608) 251-8510

jnm123 wrote:This will be the first of a few installments of Madison cuisine, as my daughter just attended freshman orientation at this (disturbingly so) liberally-bent university. But, maybe because of those leanings, there's no doubt that State Street & its environs contain the most interesting food in the state.

I attended a graduation ceremony late last month, and was disturbed all the way to a plate of Indonesian food at Bandung, no doubt prepared by Muslims attracted to the area by the University. It was delicious.

Ooh, Bandung looks mighty tasty. Might have to compromise my political ethics once again in the name of good eats.

As the intrepid traveler continues his journey through Madison cuisine…

Many years ago one of my wife’s physical therapy patients noticed her Italian name & recommended a friend’s recently-published cookbook of recipes & stories from the Madison’s Greenbush area, an enclave of Italian immigrants (and other ethnicities) from the early 1900’s. Sadly, that area eventually was razed to make way for urban renewal & the UW-Madison expansion, curiously similar to the trials of Florence Scala, Taylor Street & the University of Illinois/Chicago growth in the 1960’s.

At any rate, the cookbooks are wonderful (http://www.greenbushcookbooks.com), the stories are better, and recently I got in touch via EMail with the author, Catherine Murray. I wondered, as I brought my daughter up to UW-Madison to embark on her college career, are any of those old restaurants described in her cookbooks still there, and if not, is that traditional, non-designer, southern Italian/Sicilian cuisine still served up there?

Ms. Murray graciously turned me on to a few places, only one of which I was able to try this weekend. Café La Bellitalia is on Madison’s east side and was deliciously solid in every way. A low-slung building opened up to a beehive of activity as we were seated and promptly ordered mostaccioli with marinara sauce and sausage ($6.75!) and Ms. Murray’s recommendation, the ricotta-stuffed eggplant ($9.95). The Sicilian-based marinara gravy was decidedly sweet, with roasted garlic overtones. And the eggplant truly was fantastic, with the light, feathery ricotta draped over the skin-on eggplant slices that were rolled & folded, almost like a braciole, and topped with thinly sliced mozzarella & that great sauce. Crunchy, light garlic bread and an olive-laden, mixed green Italian salad rounded out this great experience.

The Pipitone family has run Café La Bellitalia for over 20 years, a little off the beaten path from the University, but well worth the trip for a very affordable meal of an almost-forgotten but vibrant slice of Italian cuisine.

Café La Bellitalia
1026 N Sherman Ave
Madison, WI 53704-4233
(608) 243-1200

http://cafelabellitalia.com/

Decided upon on a non-Badger football weekend to visit daughter at Madison & sample more of its varied cuisine.

After snagging some pristine fingerling potatoes & crispy arugula for Sunday night dinner at the Dane County Farmer’s Market, we stopped at the upthread Husnu’s for some formidable lentil soup & tabouleh salad. Dinner with 3 of daughter’s friends in tow was at Gino’s, a State St. stalwart from the 1960’s. Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes with breadcrumbs & garlic were tasty, and the other fare in the penne & lasagna realm were just fine, nothing special though. The place, however, did have the right smell, that old-style cracker-thin pizza, college hangout aroma. Good place to chill out.

After running around the next morning with daughter for provisions at her fave hippie/organic/herbal grocery haunt, the Willy Street Co-op (GREAT local produce), we walked down to the end of the block for lunch & to rest our bones at another blast from Madison’s storied past, an old storefront cafe named The Weary Traveler. Their small but all-over-the-place menu included a ‘West of the Andes’ sandwich, which included avocado, pico de gallo & chipotle mayo under tuna steak on a fresh bun & was fabulous. My Hungarian goulash was more like a thin beef stew, with tenderloin tips, Yukon gold potatoes, celery, carrots & caraway seed, and hit the spot on this chilly autumn day. Along with sipping some organic lemongrass-tinged tea, I was able to determine that the Williamson St. area, an always funky, Bohemian enclave of Madison, is the alternative to the boisterous, in-your-face State Street crowd & I think I like this better.

Gino’s
540 State St.
Madison, WI
(608) 257-9022

Willy St. Co-op
1221 Williamson St
Madison, WI
(608) 251-0884

The Weary Traveler
1201 Williamson St
Madison, WI
(608) 442-6207

I've gotta throw in my recommendation for the greasy spoon bar type place......west side of Madison....Alt n Bach's. Go in, order everything on the menu that's fried, and it's all pretty good. They also serve their burgers on rye buns, which are quite tasty as well....and they won't mind if you quaff a frosty draft beer or two along the way.

Willy Street is a great area. The pizza at Roman Candle is good, Mickey's Bar has the best chili cheese fries ever (decent beer selection too), Lazy Jane's has good breakfast and my favorite scones in the city, and on the far east side of Willy street you can get a great meal at Sardine. A nice little road.

Next time you are up if you want to do more shopping for local stuff check out the Jennifer Street Market. Not a co-op but a neighborhood store with a lot of good product on the shelves and brats made in house including beer brats made with Lake Louie Scotch Ale. The beer cooler has a huge selection of local microbrews and non-local ones too. I work part time in the meat and deli department when I'm not in school. If anyone ever stops in on a weekend or evening and you see a guy with big sideburns and a worn out Packers hat on, that would be me.

I lived in Madison for several years and it's still one of my favorite nearby places to visit in the fall. I went back the first weekend in October and hit a few favorite spots including Vientiane Palace. They now have a second location on Regent street but I went to the original on Gorham. Their squash curry continues to be outstanding.


I also went to the farmer's market on the capitol square. Every time I'm there, I wonder, 'Why can't Chicago support a market like this?'. I like Green City but it's expensive and a bit disorganized. Madison's market blows it out of the water. Plus, there is a clear flow of traffic (everyone moves counter-clockwise around the square) so even with big crowds, wagons, strollers, you can still shop the stands pretty efficiently. This month's market featured things like emu eggs, all kinds of game, kohlrabi as big as your head. Here's a pic of the big kohlrabi (unfortunately I didn't put down a quarter for scale) and my haul from the market. I got a great bunch of recently picked lemongrass there-sometimes the Argyle market stuff I generally find is a little dried out.

brandon_w wrote:Willy Street is a great area. The pizza at Roman Candle is good, Mickey's Bar has the best chili cheese fries ever (decent beer selection too), Lazy Jane's has good breakfast and my favorite scones in the city, and on the far east side of Willy street you can get a great meal at Sardine. A nice little road.

Next time you are up if you want to do more shopping for local stuff check out the Jennifer Street Market. Not a co-op but a neighborhood store with a lot of good product on the shelves and brats made in house including beer brats made with Lake Louie Scotch Ale. The beer cooler has a huge selection of local microbrews and non-local ones too. I work part time in the meat and deli department when I'm not in school. If anyone ever stops in on a weekend or evening and you see a guy with big sideburns and a worn out Packers hat on, that would be me.

That's awesome. Jennifer street market was my go to spot when I was in school. Luckily I had a car so I always made the drive to Jenny street despite living in the Capitol Centre adjacent from the old Angelic and having Cap foods in my backyard. The beer is great as are the meats and I loved that ready to eat beef stew during the winter.

cilantro wrote:For a cuisine that you can't get in Chicago, I recommend the rijsttafel at Bandung. Americanized to be sure, but tasty and reasonably priced, and as I said, not available locally.

I took your advice and ate Bandung. I am not sure what I had exactly what I odered (I took the waitress' advice) but I enjoyed it.
One of the reasons I dont exactly remember what, is afterwards, I went to the Great Dane Brew Pub to watch the Bears vs SF. I only had as many beers as Jay Cutler had interceptions. But 5 beers always give me a hangover these days.
I would recommend Bandung too!

Well, we only had appetizers at the Kabul Restaurant but they were very good. The lentil soup comes with four different types of lentils from what I could tell. The meat filled dumplings covered in a yogurt sauce are another standout.

Kabul Afghanistan & Mediterranean Restaurant
541 State St
Madison, WI 53703

I lived in Madison for several years. Many of my favorites are listed here already, but I may have a few in my list that weren't mentioned:

East Side:
The Avenue Bar - Friday fish fry and brandy old fashioneds
Lao Laan-Xang - laotian food - try the steamed catfish/pork dish. Out of this world.
Ella's Deli - Come here with kids, or just to have your mind blown. Deli and ice cream shop.
Gail Ambrosius Chocolates - wooooah mama!

Capitol Square:
Marigold - best brunch in town (but only on Saturdays), and really excellent fresh food for lunch
The Old Fashioned - Best fried cheese curds on Earth. Never had a bad meal there.
The Great Dane - everyone's favorite stand-by in Madison. Eclectic, comfort-food-based menu. They brew their own beer on the premises.
Farmer's Market (in the summer) - Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread at Stella's booth located on the Northwest corner of the Square.
Barrique's - there are several locations but this is the most visible to visitors. The food is okay, but they have a great selection of boutique wines that you can drink there or take out. If memory serves me right, they don't sell any bottles that are over $15.

South:
Greenbush Bar - cozy basement bar with outstanding thin-crust pizza
Greenbush Bakery - late night doughnuts. Need I say more?
Inka Heritage - Peruvian food. excellent.
Washington Hotel Coffee Room/Lakeside Fibers - truly one of the most charming cafes I've ever been to. I miss it a lot.

State Street:
Chautara - also never had a bad meal there. Light, fresh, flavorful

Up to Madison yesterday to check on college daughter but more importantly the opening of the Dane County Farmers Market around the State Capitol. Packed to the gills, beautiful tulips in bloom, but still a little early for most of my favorite greens & veggies. Had a smashing venison 'Slim Jim'.

While trying to decide where to dine (with 80-something parents in tow no less!), daughter's Zoology T.A. had given her a tip for a Vietnamese noodle house on the West side, aptly named Saigon Noodle. While it's not quite up to par with my Chicago-area faves Hoanh Long & Ben Tre, Saigon was at once traditional, fresh & a damn good find. At 2:00 PM Saturday afternoon the joint was jumpin' & ours was one of only two non-Asian parties in the place.

Spring rolls--made to order because we requested no pork--were top notch, containing mint AND cilantro. Hoping we weren't flying too close to the sun, I ordered a Pho Tai Gan (containing 'eye round steak & soft tendon') and doled it out to the folks. They enjoyed it--in moderation. My assessment was that although the pho itself was fine, with the requisite wafting star anise aromas, the term 'soft tendon' must encompass a wide swath, because this was more like yellowish sinew/fat rather the pristine clear to white cartilage I get at Hoanh Long, and not nearly as tactile-ly enjoyable. I did think that standouts--besides the spring rolls--were the bun tom nuong & cha gio (vermicelli noodles with grilled shrimp & egg rolls) and Saigon Noodle's sweetened iced coffee.

Another notch in the belt for the most varied cuisine in the State of Wisconsin!


Saigon Noodle
6754 Odana Rd
Madison, WI 53719
(608) 827-9120

Had another fine dinner at Lao Laan-Xang last night, which included a mango curry - pork, mango, pineapple, potato, and an interesting squash with a green rind and orange flesh. Not entirely unlike butternut squash, but less sweet. Outstanding - rich, sweet, but not overly so, and with a deceptive, mysterious heat. The last time I had this curry here, it didn't include the mango or the mystery squash, and I pretty much stole the basic recipe to make at home. I foresee a few changes coming!

FYI: Be prepared for a little bit of a wait - I was going to a show downtown after dinner, and so arrived at this tiny storefront a little after 6 - and still had a 15-min wait. Service was ultra-swift, efficient, and very affectionate once I was seated, though. You should go.

Lao Laan-Xang (original Williamson St. location)
1146 Williamson St.
Madison, WI
608-280-0104