Bar and Dining Guide 2011

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Jillian GruppDanielle HanafordMax NonnamakerMyla RosenbloomAlissa Siegenthaler

CLASSIFIED MANAGER

Roshni Nedungadi

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGAnna Elsmo-Siebert

Matt Preston

ADVERTISING DIRECTORBryant Miller

DISPLAY MANAGERMitch Hawes

www.badgerherald.com

Eric Wiegmann & Alex Laedtke

LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGN

STAFF

True to its name, The Weary Traveler is a low-key restaurant whose happy, welcoming at-mosphere appeals to locals and out-of-town-ers alike. Located on free-spirited Willy Street, the self-appointed “freehouse” serves up locally-sourced dishes in a rustic, comfortable setting.

Outside, a small sign stuck in the window is the only indica-tion a restaurant is there. Inside, towering woodwork, local chat-ter, rows of tap beers and hard wood fl oors give the feeling of being in a saloon. Brass instru-ments, vintage advertisements and period paintings on the walls render The Weary Trave-ler’s decor similar to Potbelly’s — sans the commercialism.

Though it offers dishes from around the world, The Weary Traveler maintains a deft bal-ance between cosmopolitan fl avors and local favorites.

The eatery is perhaps most famous for its hamburgers — it is considered, along with Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry, The Old Fashioned and The Nitty Gritty, to serve one of the best ham-burgers in Madison.

Bob’s (Organic) Bad Breath

Burger, which consists of “a half pound of hand-packed fresh ground Lange Farms organic Wisconsin beef with cream cheese, green goddess dressing, caramelized onions, garlic, tomatoes and Pickapeppa Sauce,” is an onion-ey, garlic-ey Wisconsin indulgence.

For minimalist eaters, there is also the Ace Burger “for kids,” which is served only with Wis-consin cheddar cheese. It also comes with a side of graham crackers freshly-made at Potter’s Crackers just a few blocks down the street. And don’t bother requesting your burger without the graham crackers — your server will offer them to you an-yway for free because they are “just so good!” You’ll fi nd you won’t regret it — the graham crackers are warm, crumbly and subtly sweet.

By the way, if you like your meals spicy, The Weary Traveler has you covered. Upon request, your server will bring you a chassy that holds no less than six different kinds of hot sauce.

If tender steak is what you crave, try out the West of the Andes Sandwich with beef tenderloin, avocado, pico de gallo and Chipotle mayonnaise.

THE WEARY TRAVELERThe creamy avocado and mayo on this sandwich amplify the steak’s tenderness to new heights, while the pico de gallo provides a sharp cilantro counterpoint to the steak’s savoriness.

Outside of a sandwich, Carne Asada is a delicious choice with marinated, sliced fl ank steak, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo salsa, grilled scallion, tortilla chips and spicy escabeche (acidic marinade) pickled vegetables.

Not all of The Weary Trave-ler’s dishes are meat-based. The restaurant offers many vegan and vegetarian options, including The Ramblin’ Vegan’s Chili, Sweet Corn, Qunoa & Black Bean Salad, and Weary’s Tom Ka Tofu — a coconut lemon grass stew with

mushrooms, green beans, galanga (roots), lime leaves, tomatoes, cilantro and extra fi rm tofu.

What is unique about The Wea-ry Traveler is the sheer variety and dynamism of its food. Next to the Mediterranean Plate, you’ll fi nd the Wisconsin Meat and Cheese Platter. One minute you’re looking over the Eggs, Potatoes and Toast and the next you’re considering the Frittata du Jour. In two short pages, the menu traverses the globe, defying traditional world cuisine boundaries.

So whether you’re vegan or carnivore, Madison stranger or Madison local, and whether you crave exotic cuisines or a simple American hamburger, The Weary Traveler is the place for you.

Bar & Dining Guide 2011 | 3

Sam Stepp

As any citizen of Madison knows, the city is reaching criti-cal mass on the amount of coffee shops it contains. Many of them contain excellent coffee, and, due to the inherently subjective nature of coffee, one must try them all in order to decide on a “favorite.” That said, of all the coffee houses in Madison, one in particular sticks out both for its delicious, artistic, and varied coffee and its unique offering of crêpes. This exceptional and quaint coffee house is known as Bradbury’s.

First and foremost, Bradbury’s is a coffee house. They offer ba-sic coffee options found in most coffee houses such as drip, es-presso, mocha, latte and cappuc-cino, but Bradbury’s also offers

a few atypical options including a pour over, French press, and a Japanese siphon that serves 2-3 people. What is most noticeable about the coffee, other than it’s superlative taste (not burnt, not tarry), is the presentation; typi-cal coffees are served in unique looking mugs, and the espresso drinks have artistic designs whirled into them by way of an apparatus. The roast selection is also wide including around ten different roasts, mostly from Kickapoo Coffee (based in Viroqua, WI), and a “guest es-presso” from roasters around the country. Bradbury’s commitment to local ingredients also transfers over to their crêpes.

While Bradbury’s coffee is certainly in the upper echelon of Madison coffee houses based on their brews and espresso alone,

the crêpes are what keep patrons coming back. Crêpes are always made to order from fresh, local ingredients. When the Farmers’ Market is in service, a large ma-jority of their ingredients come directly from there. What this means for the patron is, while the ingredients are always fresh, the menu is ever changing. There are some mainstay crêpes, such as the classic cinnamon and sugar, but most of the menu is seasonal. The current offerings are autumn-based, includ-ing a spiced pumpkin puree with apple cider reduction and whipped cream and a bacon and caramelized onions with Brie, apples, and a fried egg. There is sure to be something to please every customer, regardless of the season.

Not only are the drinks and

food delicious, but the environ-ment also adds to the inviting nature of Bradbury’s. The work-ers are always nice and happy to lend a helping hand when a patron is unsure what to get, the service is always quick, even when the shop is crowded (not diffi cult considering the diminu-tive size of Bradbury’s), and the ridiculous amount of windows allows ample amounts of natural light in to give the somewhat in-dustrial design of the space some much-needed warmth. The only problem for Bradbury’s is the somewhat inconvenient location just off Capitol Square, but the journey is surely worth it.

Bradbury’s is located at 127 N. Hamilton Street; the hours are 6:30 AM–6:30 PM Monday–Fri-day and 6:30 AM–5:30 PM Satur-day and Sunday.

BRADBURY’S: CREATIVE COFFEE AND CRÊPES


Regen McCracken


Amy’s Cafe & Bar

Argus Bar

Badgerland

Brass Ring

Brink Lounge

Brocach Irish Pub

Brothers

Buck’s Madison Square Garden

Buffalo Wild Wings

Church Key

Come Back In

Crystal Corner Bar

Dotty’s Dumpling Dowry

Echo Tap

Frida’s

Genna’s

Great Dane

Hawk’s

High Noon Saloon

Irish Pub

Jordan’s Big 10

Lucky’s

Madison’s

Nitty Gritty

Old Fashioned

Opus Lounge

Paradise Lounge

Plaza

Red Shed

Shamrock Bar

State Street Brats

Tiki Shack and Crabhouse

Up North Bar

Vintage

Wando’s

Willy Street Pub and Grill

Zander’s Sports Lounge

$2.25 Rail Mixer, $3.00 Import Bottles, $3.50 Drop Shots; 10-12: Half Off Åll Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)Happy Hour: M-F 4 -7 $1 off mix drinks and wine, $.75 off bottles, $.50 off taps; M-F 9-close $1 off mix drinks Happy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $2 Single Rail MixersHappy Hour 4-7: $2 Rails, $1 off tap beers$5 Peach Cosmos, $5 Apple TinisHappy Hour (3-6): 1/2 Off All Top Shelf Irish and Scotch Whiskey, $6 Shot of Bushmills and 20oz. Guinness Pint, $5 Glasses of WineHappy Hour (4-9): $1.75 Taps, $1 Off Appetizers; 9-Close: $1 You-Call-ItsHappy Hour (3-7): $2 Domestic Taps and Bottles, $2 Bartender’s Choice Shots; 7-Close: 2-For-1 Rails, 2-for-1 Domestic Bottles, $2 Goldshlager ShotsHappy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall Taps9-Close: $2 Three Olives Mixers, $2 Cruzan Rum Mixers, $2 Jim Bean Mixers, $2 Dietsch Bombs, $2 Pints On Tap$2.50 Micro Bottles, $1.50 Domestic Bottles, $2 Margaritas, $.50 Tacos7-10: $2 Pints of Pabst; 9-Close: $2.50 Call ShotsHalf off all tap beer daily from 4-6 pm$4.50 Pitchers of Miller High Life and Berghoff1/2 Price House Margaritas All Day LongHappy Hour (4:30-6:30): 40% Off Select Rail Cocktails & Tap BeersHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 RailsPitcher Night: $7 Premium Pitchers, $2 Jameson ShotsHappy Hour (4-7), 2-For-1 Rails and Select Taps$1.75 Domestic Bottles, $2 Leinie’s, Top-Shelf Mixers at Rail Prices8-Close: $1.00 Rail Mixers, $2 Bottles of Corona and Negra Modelo, $.60 Hard Shell Beef TacosHappy Hour (3-6): 2-for-1 Rail Mixers, 2-for-1 Domestic Bottles, $2 Off All Pitchers, $1 Off Appetizers; 7-Close: $.40 Wings, $2.25 Wisconsin Bottles, $2.25 UV Vodka Mixers$3 Three Olives Mixers, $3 Local Taps, $2.50 Cheeseburgers; 10-Close: Clyde Stubblefi eld Show ($8, $5 with Student ID)$1.75 Rails, $2.75 Leinie’s TapsDubble Bubble Happy Hour (3-5 and 10:30-Midnight): 2-For-1 Tap Beer and Rail Mixers; Service Industry Night (10-Close): $2 Jameson and Jagermeister Shots2-For-1 Champagne Cocktails, 25% Off Other Food and Drinks$.50 Off All Call Drinks$1.50 PBR, $2 Rails$1.50 Top Shelf Highballs8-Close: 1/2 Off Tap BeerBeer Stock Exchange$2 Pints of Draught BeerHappy Hour (2:30-7): $3 Pints, $2.75 Rail Mixers; $2 Captain Mixers, $1 Canned Pabst, $3 Jack Daniel’s Mixers; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice Beer$1 Wisconsin Taps$2.50 Miller Bottles, $4 Jumbo Absolute and Smirnoff Mixers$1.50 Bottles of Leinenkugel’sHappy Hour (4-7): $2 Domestic Taps and Bottles, 1/2 Off Appetizers; All the Fries You Can Eat with Burger Purchase

MONDAYBAR SPECIALS

(Excluding Pitchers)ff d k

Despite living within a few blocks of Pizza Brutta for two years, it took me almost a year and a half to visit. Located on Monroe St. near Trader Joe’s, Pizza Brutta takes the idea of ‘Pizza from scratch’ to the extreme by making everything in-house, including their mozzarella. Their crust is hand stretched and their sauce is made from tomatoes im-ported from Italy. Once constructed, each pizza is fi nished in their stone oven.

Pizza Brutta’s pizza menu is broken up into two sections, ‘Rosso’, pizzas with a red sauce, and ‘Bianco’, pizzas with a white sauce. They fea-ture more than 25 different pizzas,

and there’s always the option to cus-tomize a pizza with the multitude of offered toppings. These topings include traditional ones like toma-toes, basil and ham, in addition to less traditional ones like anchovies, artichoke hearts and gorgonzola.

I tried the Siciliana (off of the ‘Rosso’ side of the menu) which is topped with tomato sauce, basil, prosciutto, roasted eggplant, gaeta olives and fresh mozzarella. It was delicious, and I had no problem de-vouring the whole thing. The crust, the most important part of the pizza and the one that’s usually lacking, was fantastic. It was thin, airy, and crispy. I should have visited about a year and a half ago — and once a week since.

PIZZA BRUTTABar & Dining Guide 2011 | 8

Benjamin Cox


Amy’s Cafe & Bar

Argus Bar

Badgerland

Brass Ring

Brink Lounge

Brocach Irish Pub

Brothers

Buffalo Wild Wings

The Casbah

Cardinal Bar

Chasers

The City

Come Back In

Crystal Corner Bar

Echo Tap

Essen Haus

The Frequency

Frida’s

Genna’s

The Great Dane

Hawk’s

High Noon Saloon

Irish Pub

Jordan’s Big 10

Lucky’s

Madison’s

Nitty Gritty

Old Fashioned

Opus Lounge

Orpheum Restaurant Lobby

Paradise Lounge

The Plaza Tavern

Porta Bella Wine Cellar

Red Shed

Regent Street Retreat

Shamrock Bar

State Street Brats


Up North Bar

Vintage

Wando’s



$3.00 UV Mixers, $2.00 Miller Lite Taps, $3.75 UV Bombs; 10-12: Half Off All Rail Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)$1 off pitchers, Happy Hour: M-F$1 off mix drinks and wine, $.75 off bottles, $.50 off taps Happy Hour: M-F 4 -7 $1 off mix drinks and wine, $.75 off bottles, $.50 off taps; M-F 9-close $1 off mix drinks Happy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $3.00 Single Flavored Skyy MixersHappy Hour 4-7: $2 Rails, $1 Off Tap Beers; 8-close $3 Cocktail of the Night $4 Mojitos, $4 Mint JulipHappy Hour (3-6): 1/2 Off All Top Shelf Irish and Scotch Whiskey, $6 Shot of Bushmills and 20oz. Guinness Pint, $5 Glasses of WineHappy Hour (4-9): $1.75 Taps, $1 Off Appetizers; 9-Close: $1.50 Taps, $1 Rail Mixers, 2-for-1 Jumbo Long Islands$.40 Wings, Happy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall TapsHappy Hour (3-6): $1 Off Wine or Beer, 1/2 Price Appetizers$2 Pints of PBR$2.50 Domestic Big Girls, Rails, and White Russians, 50% Off ALL Wine Bottles$4 Jumbo Three Olives Mixers. $3.50 Pints of Spotted Cow, $2.50 Southern Comfort and Lime ShotsHappy Hour (All Night): $3.50 Half Liters, Rail Mixers, and Half Limes9-Close: $2.50 Call Shots; Free PoolBartender’s Choice(3-6): $1 OFF Appetizers; (3-Close): $3 Pints/Half Liters, House Wines & Rail Cocktails; (9-Close): $6 1L Boots, $12 2L boots, $30 5L mugsHappy Hour (5-7): $1.50 PBR, $1 Off Everything Else; $2 PBR, $2 Rails3-6: $2 Mexican and Domestic BeersHappy Hour (4:30-6:30): 40% Off Select Rail Cocktails & Tap BeersHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 RailsBeer and Shot NightHappy Hour (4-7), 2-For-1 Rails and Select Taps$2.50 Mixers, $2.50 Import Bottles8-Close: $1 Bottles of PBR and PBR Light, $1 Cans of Miller High Life and Miller High Life Light, $1 Bottles of Busch Light, $1 Cans of Blatz; 6-Close: 1.25 Sloppy JoesHappy Hour (3-6): 2-for-1 Rail Mixers, 2-for-1 Domestic Bottles, $2 Off All Pitchers, $1 Off Appetizers; 7-Close: 2-for-1 Rail Mixers, $1.50 Old School Cans, $1.00 Corn Dogs$3 Margaritas, $10 Buckets of Corona or Miller Chill, $1 Tacos$2.50 Wisconsin Taps, $2.50 Skyy MixersDubble Bubble Happy Hour (3-5 and 10:30-Midnight): 2-For-1 Tap Beer and Rail Mixers; 4-Close: Margarita SpecialsHalf-Priced Taps and Martini FlightsHappy Hour (4-7, 9-Close): $3 Rails, 1/2-Off Bottles of Wine, $5 Specialty Martinis, $2.50 Stella Taps, $3.50 Daily Taps$1.50 Rail Drinks and Berghoff Bottles$2 Off Pitchers, $1 Off 1/2 Pitchers, $2.50 Rum Mixers$2.50 Domestic Pints, $4.50 Personal Pizzas1/2 Off Taps$3 Capital Bottles, $2.50 Smirnoff Bottles1/2 Off High Life and Leinies, Free KaraokeFlip Night: 75% Off with correct heads/tails call$3 Skyy Flavor MixersHappy Hour (2:30-7): $3 Pints, $2.75 Rail Mixers; $2 Seagram’s Mixers; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice Beer$2 Jack Daniels, Captain, or Stoli Mixers, 2-For-1 Bud Light$1 Cans of PBR, Coors Light, and Michelob Golden Light$1.50 Bottles of PBRHappy Hour (4-7): $2 Domestic Taps and Bottles, 1/2 Off Appetizers; After 4: $.10 Peel and Eat Shrimp

TUESDAYBAR SPECIALS

ers (Excluding Pitchers)

Mickies Dairy Bar, located adjacent to Camp Randall Stadium, is practically synonymous with “breakfast” in Madison. It has earned this esteemed association with the most important meal of the day through years of dedicated customers bringing new friends in to share in its over-portioned glory (in fact, this writer was introduced to this breakfast nirvana in this very way). It certainly doesn’t hurt that the prices are nearly unbeatable for the aforementioned belt-loosening serving size. This Madison staple has plenty on the menu, but it is well known for one dish in particular.

Mickies signature dish is a bona fi de breakfast behemoth known to patrons far and wide as The Scrambler. The Scrambler is, from the ground up, a plate-size base of Mickies signature fried potatoes (known as “yanks”), an omelet consisting of several eggs and any of a cornucopia of ingredients ranging from bacon, to corned beef, to on-

ions, to spinach, and everything in between (at a paltry $0.50 per additional ingredi-ent), and fi nally, the culinary coup de gråce, the entire dish is heaped with your choice of shredded Cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese. The only downside to The Scram-bler is that it is one of the more expensive dishes on Mickies wide menu at a base price of $7.50; this price is offset by the fact that it can feed your average person for two to three total meals. However, if one were looking for less food for less money, Mickies menu still aims to please.

The menu (located on the wall, so patrons may need to get up from their tables to decide what to order) is fi lled with choices encompassing a wide variety of breakfast and lunch dishes, as well as a few desserts. The pancakes, which may be more fi lling than The Scrambler, could easily substitute for manhole covers thanks to their immense size, however the texture and fl avor shares nothing with a large iron disc: they are every bit as delicious as any pancakes anywhere

else and come in such varieties as classic buttermilk, cornmeal and this writer’s per-sonal favorite, banana walnut. Also gracing the menu are delicious sandwiches (steak, tuna, egg), daily soups, coffee cake, cinna-mon rolls, and much more. Of course, after eating all of this food, one will need to wash it down with something. Mickies has your typical soda choices, delicious coffee and some of the best shakes/malts in the city (in a variety of fl avors, of course).

Mickies Dairy Bar is a must for any resi-dent of Madison or the Madison area. The only real drawbacks are its location slightly off the beaten path of many students and the fact that they only accept cash. If one is in the neighborhood, however, pay a visit at Mickies; surely, it will become a staple in your life as it has in so many Madison residents before.

Mickies Dairy Bar is located at 1511 Mon-roe Street; its hours are 6:00 AM-2:30 PM Tuesday–Saturday and 7:00 AM–2:00 PM on Sunday.

MICKIES DAIRY BAR: A MADISON BREAKFAST RITUAL


Regen McCracken


Forget that old wives’ tale that eating good has to be boring. At Fit Fresh Cuisine they put those superstitions to rest. They offer well-balanced meals created by a registered dietitian, and emphasize their use of fresh and local ingredients. A recent addition to the list of restaurants in Madison, they are taking off, and demonstrating that eating healthy really doesn’t have to be such a struggle.

Fit Fresh Cuisine launched their Fitchburg location in 2009. While it is a little off the beaten path, located in the Commerce In-dustrial Park, they recently opened a second location at 700 South Park Street, for those wishing to stay close to the downtown area. The Fitchburg location is also attached to Hybrid Fitness, which focusses on the blend-ing of fi tness and nutrition, and has gained notoriety in Madison’s annual Biggest Loser Competition.

I know what you’re thinking. A restaurant

inside of a gym complex? How ... quaint. But really, the restaurant has its own certain ambiance, and stands in stark contrast to the gym atmosphere. Both locations usher you in with their incredibly warm and inviting settings. In addition, the staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Many customers are greeted by name, and they are willing to go above and beyond to make sure everyone leaves Fit Fresh Cuisine happy, full and per-haps even a little bit wiser.

The ever expanding menu presents diners with options ranging from stuffed French toast to Margarita Pizza to hot sandwiches with names like “Warrior” and “Hercules”. All options are listed alongside their nutritional information, for the diet-conscious, or in my case, for curiosity sake.

One of the must-haves, the Greek sliders, are small, almost-bite-sized turkey burgers, topped with cucumber, tomato and their secret homemade dill sauce. The cucumber and tomato add a great fresh taste, as well as

a good crunch, while the sauce perfectly ties in all of the fl avors together.

The Thai Chicken wrap is also a favorite. A chicken breast mixed with red pepper, carrot, cucumber, tomato, spinach, cilantro, and yet another homemade sauce, is a pleasant surprise for your taste buds. This time, the sauce is a tasty homemade ginger and peanut concoction.

A customer favorite, the peanut butter oat bars make a great fi nale to whichever entrée diners indulge in. Fit Fresh Cuisine is probably one of the only places where you feel like you can “spoil” yourself with a little dessert. These tasty bars are a nice treat that come sans the guilt.

So the next time you shudder, reminisc-ing on being force fed broccoli and brussels sprouts as a child, realize that eating healthy doesn’t have to be such a chore. Fit Fresh Cuisine really gets it right, providing great tasting food that is affordable as well as nutri-tious.

FIT FRESH CUISINESarah Drei� e

Three-hundred pounds. That’s how much bacon was consumed at Wando’s Bar on a typical Tuesday night this summer. Fifteen cases of marbled meat, fried on the massive grill at the back of the bar until the smell drifted across the street to the patio at Vintage. Over a sixth ton of crisped pig, delivered gratis and en masse to the gaping food holes of vacationing students, washed down with beer, a mixed drink or a fi shbowl.

It’s a calling card, to be sure, a well-earned reputation, but it’s not the only thing Wando’s wants to be known for. Last winter, owner Jay Wanserski and General Manger Adam Allister hired Chris Tuttle as their new kitchen manager in the hopes of

expanding the expertise of the bar on the corner of Frances and University beyond its two biggest draws. Tuttle, who has a lengthy background in the Madison restaurant scene dating back to stints at The Ovens of Brittany and Jordan’s Big 10 Pub, re-sponded by completely rewriting the lunch and dinner menu.

Keeping his audience in mind, Tuttle settled on a restrained ap-proach to the revamp. Instead of introducing fancy new foods that looked good on paper but would never see the plate, he decided to work with tried and true sports bar fare, but put an increased emphasis on quality ingredients and making things from scratch.

The method is best exempli-fi ed by his interpretation of moz-zarella sticks. Rather than bred string cheese, or worse, buy a

frozen product and reheat, Tuttle created the mozzarella roll — a egg roll/mozzarella hybrid that outstrips the traditional stick in crunch and fl avor and doesn’t crumble in the eater’s lap. It’s a standout, though at $5.75 for four it may not represent the best dollar value on the appetizer menu. Rather, that honor goes to the ‘muchos nachos,’ an ab-surdly large pile of chips, cheese, onions, meat and other top-pings that’s probably best for big groups watching long games.

On the lunch menu, the blue cheese stuffed burger was a delicious success, moist and quite literally bursting with a medium blue cheese fl avor, and well matched with its pretzel style bun. The burger rotates through the specials selections on a roughly weekly basis, but

according to Tuttle, it’s a similar gustatory experience to the Wando’s Burger, which headlines the back page of the menu. A shrimp po’ boy was slightly less tasty, mostly due to the small portion of shrimp, but that was easily forgotten due to the fresh side salad and house made Ital-ian dressing.

It’s unlikely that Wando’s will completely escape its rep as a haven for fi shbowls and fried meat anytime soon. However, the new emphasis on quality ingredients and cooking from scratch add a new dimension to an undeniably convenient loca-tion for students. Wando’s new food selection raises it a half-step above competition like State Street Brats and on a level more on par with established eateries like the Nitty Gritty.

WANDO’SBar & Dining Guide 2011 | 12

Lin Weeks


Amy’s Cafe & Bar

The Annex

Argus Bar

Badgerland

Brass Ring

Brink Lounge

Brocach Irish Pub

Buck’s Madison Square Garden

Buffalo Wild Wings

Cardinal Bar

The Casbah

Chaser’s Bar & Grille

Church Key

The City

Come Back In

Crystal Corner Bar

Echo Tap

Essen Haus

The Frequency

Fresco Rooftop Lounge

Frida’s

Genna’s

The Great Dane

Hawk’s

High Noon Saloon

Irish Pub

Johnny O’s

Jordan’s Big 10

Kollege Klub

Lava Lounge

Lucky’s

Madhatter’s

Madison Concourse Hotel

Madison’s

Monday’s

Nitty Gritty

Old Fashioned

Opus Lounge


Paradise Lounge

The Plaza Tavern

Pizzeria Uno


Red Shed


Shamrock Bar

Stadium Bar

State Street Brats


Up North Bar

Vintage

Wando’s



$2.75 Vodka Energy Drinks, $2.00 Bud or Bug Light, $3.25 Irish Car Bombs; 10-12: Half Off All Rail Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)$1.50 Rail MixersHappy Hour: M-F 4 -7 $1 off mix drinks and wine, $.75 off bottles, $.50 off taps; M-F 9-close $1 off mix drinks Happy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $2 Single Rail MixersHappy Hour 4-7: $2 Rails, $1 Off Tap Beers; $2 Tap Beer of the Day$5 Saint M & Riesling, $5 Rosenblum CuveeHappy Hour (3-6): 1/2 Off All Top Shelf Irish and Scotch Whiskey, $6 Shot of Bushmills and 20oz. Guinness Pint, $5 Glasses of WineHappy Hour (3-7): $2 Domestic Taps and Bottles, $2 Bartender’s Choice Shots; 7-Close: $2.50 Coronas, $2.50 Jose Cuervo Shots$.70 Legs, Happy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall Taps8-Midnight: $1 Pints, $4 Pitchers of Spotted CowHappy Hour (3-6): $1 Off Wine or Beer, 1/2 Price Appetizers$2.50 Pints, $2.50 Mexican Bottles9-Close: $2.50 Rail Mixers, $5 Martinis, $3.50 Kettle One Mixers, $3 Pints of Sangria, $2 Shots (Bartender’s Choice), Free Dart$2.50 Bottles of Schlitz, $5 Infused Vodka (Strawberry, 3Beri, or Pineapple), $3.50 Jack Daniels Mixers$2.50 Micro Bottles, $1.50 Domestic Bottles, $3 Jumbo Long Island Iced Tea, $.40 Wings$2.50 Pints of New Glarus Products$2.50 Microbrew Pints(3-6): $1 OFF Appetizers; (3-Close): $3 Pints/Half Liters, House Wines & Rail Cocktails; (9-Close): $6 1L Boots, $12 2L boots, $30 5L mugsHappy Hour (5-7): $1.50 PBR, $1 Off Everything Else; $2 PBR, $2 Rails“Fresco Five” (8-9): $5 Signature Martinis, $5 Glasses of Wine, $5 Small Plates3-6: $13 for a Margarita Pitcher and AppetizerHappy Hour (4:30-6:30): 40% Off Select Rail Cocktails & Tap BeersHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 Rails$2.50 Jumbo MixersHappy Hour (4-7), 2-For-1 Rails and Select Taps$2.75 Bass, Guiness, Harp, Smithwicks Pints1/2 Off Pitchers and Taps, Beerpong, Free Mini Corn Dogs with Drink Purchase; Power Hour (10-11): 1/2 Off Captain Morgan Mixers and Taps; All Night: $2 PBR 16oz. Silos8-Close: 2-for-1 Rum Drinks (You Call the Rum), $3 24oz. PBR Cans9-Close: Beer and Shot Night (Buy Any Bottle of Beer and Get a Free Shot); 8-Close: $3 Miller Lite Bottles, $4 Jumbo Long Islands$2 Rails, $2 Wisconsin Taps, $3 Cazadores ShotsHappy Hour (3-6): 2-for-1 Rail Mixers, 2-for-1 Domestic Bottles, $2 Off All Pitchers, $1 Off Appetizers; 7-Close: $2.50 Korbel and Seagram’s 7 Mixers, $2 Bud Light Bottles, $1 Chicken Legs; Power Hour (10-11): 1/2 Off Regular Price DrinksHappy Hour (5-9): $2 Taps; 9-Midnight: $4 Domestic Pitchers, $2 Three Olive Mixers; Hump Day: 1/2 Off Rails, Bottles, and Taps5-7: $3 Wisconsin Beers (Taps and Bottles)1/2 Off Martinis, $3 Effen Vodka Mixers$3.50 You-Call-Its, $2 Taps$3 Taps, $3 Captain Mixers, $.79 Itty Bitty Gritty BurgersDubble Bubble Happy Hour (3-5 and 10:30-Midnight): 2-For-1 Tap Beer and Rail Mixers; 10-Close: “Liquid Courage” - Classic Pint Sized Cocktails for $3.50Half-Priced Glasses of WineHappy Hour (4-7): $3 Rails, 1/2-Off Bottles of Wine, $5 Specialty Martinis, $2.50 Stella Taps, $3.50 Daily Taps; 9-Close: “Double Bubble” (Buy One, Get One Free)$1.50 Pabst Bottles$2 Micro Bottles (Capital Beers, Blue Moon, and Rolling Rock), $3 Jack & Stoli MixersHappy Hour (4-7, 9-Close): $3, $4, $5 20oz. Pilsners, $3.50 Long Islands and Margaritas, $4 Glasses of Wine and Sangria, $2.99 Appetizers$2.50 Domestic Pints, $4.50 Personal Pizzas$1.25 Rail Highballs$2.50 Jack & Captain Mixers9-1: 1/2 Off Martinis$3 Captain Morgan Mixers, $2.25 PBR Taps10 wings for $1.50 and 50% off all drinks after 4pm, $2.50 Ketel One Mixers & $2.00 Lemon Drops$2 Landsharks and Bud LightHappy Hour (2:30-7): $3 Pints, $2.75 Rail Mixers; $2 Captain Mixers; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice Beer$1.50 Cans, $2 Smirnoff Vodka Mixers$15 Fishbowls, $4.50 Jumbo Effen Vodka Mixers, $2 Bud Light Bottles, 32oz. Liquor Pitchers, $7 Rail Mixers, $8 Captain, Three Olives, or Bacardi Mixers, $9 Call Mixers$1.50 Cans of LaCrosse Lager and BlatzHappy Hour (4-7): $2 Domestic Taps and Bottles, 1/2 Off Appetizers; $12.95 All You Can Eat Wings

WEDNESDAYBAR SPECIALS

and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)

I think brunch is my favorite fake meal ever! It’s the perfect excuse to eat breakfast food for lunch and it makes me feel like less of a dead beat when I wake up around lunchtime on Sunday and am craving breakfast food anyway. But whatever your reason for loving it, brunch is awesome, and The Pancake Cafe does a good one. I’ve been there twice for brunch in the last two months and both times were great.

Obviously, I had to try the pancakes. So on one of my visits, I ordered a half order of the strawberry pancakes, and was

served a mountain of pancake, strawberry, syrup, and whip cream that made me wonder what the full order looked like. My friend had the French toast, which was equally decadent. Everything we ate was great, but when I left, I decided that it should really be called The Bacon Cafe. They serve thick cut bacon that seemed more like steak than bacon. I almost got out my knife and fork to attack it.

The Pancake Café is located on Nesbitt Road off of county road PD. It’s housed in a building that is well lit and spacious with multiple dining areas. Despite the size, be prepared for a wait if you go for Sunday Brunch.

PANCAKE CAFÉBar & Dining Guide 2011 | 15

Benjamin Cox

American Apparel might be having fi nancial issues, but there’s a restaurant off State that happens to be doing quite well for itself, unbeknownst to many students. Los Gemelos provides the tastiest alternative to Chipotle, or, for its fans, Taco Bell, without breaking the bank.

On State Street alone, there are numerous Mexican res-taurants, spanning the entire spectrum from fast food to sit down establishments. Los Gemelos strikes that perfect middle ground that every col-lege student searches for. The meals are delivered in plastic baskets, the two salsa options come in squeeze bottles, the tables and seats are bolted into the fl oor. Yet the food itself is

cooked to perfection, usually fried in some way but not greasy, and made with only quality ingredients. The meat is always well cooked and never contains any cheap cuts, the vegetables that come with the full meals are always fresh and ripe, even the avocados. The quality of the food is both high and consistent, something that at fi rst seems at odds with the setting, but is easy to quickly fall in love with.

By taking this approach, Los Gemelos provides food that is both affordable and worth eat-ing. Depending on a student’s appetite, it’s very likely that they could subscribe to the 3-6-8 rule. Three dollar items on the menu are enough for a snack, or to tie a person over until the next meal, six dollar items (or two three dollar items) are enough

for a full meal, and the eight dollar items are enough to leave a person fuller than they likely ever want to be. It should be noted that the largest eight dol-lar options are the burritos that, despite shrinking in size over the last year, still remain roughly large enough to completely obscure the face of the eater. No burrito from any of the compet-ing restaurants can compare. The meal even comes with rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados.

While many love Chipotle’s options, there is something undeniably novel about Los Gemelos’ atmosphere as well. The restaurant does not try to appear deliberately ethnic, but it certainly creates the feeling that English is not the default lan-guage. Numerous wall mounted

fl at screens constantly play Hispanic music videos. While most students might enjoy something other than the hour long pop mariachi feature that is occasionally playing, there is certainly something that feels right about eating a sope and watching short men in cowboy hats play their love songs.

Madison is often described as the perfect college town, and without a doubt, its offering of restaurants is one of the key reasons. The variety is so overwhelming that few students get to sample all of the avail-able places in their time here. It might be best, to remember that a Taco Bell gordita can be had all over the country. In the meantime, the sopes, quesadil-las, burritos, and chimichangas of Los Gemelos are calling.

LOS GEMELOS


Kevin Kousha


Amy’s Cafe & Bar

Argus Bar

Badgerland

Brass Ring

Brink Lounge

Brocach Irish Pub

Brothers

Buffalo Wild Wings

Cardinal Bar

Casbah


The City

Club Tavern

Come Back In

Crystal Corner Bar

Echo Tap

Essen Haus

The Frequency


Frida’s

Genna’s

The Great Dane

Hawk’s

High Noon Saloon

Irish Pub

Johnny O’s

Jordan’s Big 10

Kollege Klub

Lucky’s

MadHatter

Madison’s

Nitty Gritty

Old Fashioned

Opus Lounge


Paradise Lounge

The Plaza Tavern


Red Shed


Shamrock Bar

State Street Brats


Up North Bar

Vintage

Wando’s



$3.25 Margaritas, $3.50 Strawberry Daiquiris, $3.50 Pina Coladas, $3 Captain Mixers, $2.50 Rolling Rock; 10-12: 1/2 Off All Rail Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)Happy Hour: M-F 4 -7 $1 off mix drinks and wine, $.75 off bottles, $.50 off taps; M-F 9-close $1 off mix drinks Happy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $3 Single Flavored Skyy MixersHappy Hour 4-7: $2 Rails, $1 Off Tap Beers25% Off ALL Bottles of Wine Happy Hour (3-6): 1/2 Off All Top Shelf Irish and Scotch Whiskey, $6 Shot of Bushmills and 20oz. Guinness Pint, $5 Glasses of WineHappy Hour (4-9): $1 You-Call-Its; 9-Close: $2 You-Call-Its, $2 Miller Pitchers (Until Midnight), $2.50 Jack Daniels Mix-ers, $2 Southern Comfort Mixers60¢ Boneless Wings, Happy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall Taps$3 Rum and Coke, $3 Coronas Happy Hour (3-6): $1 Off Wine or Beer, 1/2 Price Appetizers$3 Big GirlsHalf-Priced Pitchers, $5 Jumbo Kilo Kai Mixers Country Club Night and Customer Appreciation Gift (Gift Card Giveaways), $10 16 Wing Basket; 8-Close: $6 Miller Pitchers,$2 Kesslers Shots, $3 UV Mixers; Late Night Happy Hour: $1.50 Keystone Cans, Late Night FoodHappy Hour (All Night): $3.50 Half Liters, Rail Mixers, and Half Limes; $14 Boots$5 Domestic Pitchers$1.25 Pints of Miller High Life and Pabst, $3 Captain Mixers(3-6): $1 OFF Appetizers; (3-Close): $3 Pints/Half Liters, House Wines and Rail Cocktails; (9-Close): $6 1L Boots, $12 2L boots, $30 5L mugsHappy Hour 6-8: $1 off everything, $2 PBR“Fresco Five” (8-9): $5 Signature Martinis, $5 Glasses of Wine, $5 Small Plates1/2 Price House Margaritas All Day LongHappy Hour (4:30-6:30): 40% Off Select Rail Cocktails & Tap BeersHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 Rails$3 Long Islands (5 Choices)Happy hour Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m. featuring two for one rail drinks and select taps$2 Rail Mixers, 50 Off Top Shelf, $7 Pitchers$2 Rails, $3.50 Off All Pitchers; Power Hour (10-11): 1/2 Off Captain Morgan Mixers and Taps; All Night: $2 PBR 16oz. Silos8-Close: $1 Domestic Taps, $2 and $2.50 Micro Taps, $4 Jack Daniels and Coke Pints; 6-Close: $2.50 Fun Platters8-Close: $1 Jello Shots, $2 Mixed Shots, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Double Jack Daniels, Captain Morgan or Kettle One MixersHappy Hour (3-6): 2-for-1 Rail Mixers, 2-for-1 Domestic Bottles, $2 Off All Pitchers, $1 Off Appetizers; 7-Close: $1 Taps, $2.50 Captain Mixers, $2.25 Long Island Iced Teas, $2.25 Doctor Shots, $6.50 One Topping PizzasHappy Hour (5-9): $2 Taps; 9-Midnight: $4 Domestic Pitchers, $2 Three Olive Mixers; $2 Rails, $2 Bottles, $2 Kamikazes$1 Michelob Golden Draft Light Bottles, $3 Three Olives Mixers2-For-1 Taps, Bottled Beer, or Single Liquor MixersDubble Bubble Happy Hour (3-5 and 10:30-Midnight): 2-For-1 Tap Beer and Rail Mixers25% Off Champagne by the Glass, 25% Off Chocolate and Caramel FonduesHappy Hour (4-7, 9-Close): $3 Rails, 1/2-Off Bottles of Wine, $5 Specialty Martinis, $2.50 Stella Taps, $3.50 Daily Taps$1 Off All Pitchers$2.50 Pints of Spaten and Redhook, $2 Long Islands$2.50 Domestic Pints, $4.50 Personal Pizzas1/2 off Taps$10 All-U-Can-Drink8-Close: $1 Off Vodka Mixers4-12: $1 Domestic Taps; 4-Close: $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (Including Redbull)$2.75 Jumbo Rail MixersHappy Hour (2:30-7): $3 Pints, $2.75 Rail Mixers; $2 Seagram’s Mixers; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice BeerHappy Hour (3-8): $1 Off Everything; $2 Skyy Vodka Mixers, $3 Pitchers of Miller Light, Bud Light, PBR, High Life$15 Fishbowls, $5 Coors Light Pitchers, $5 Jumbo Kettle One Mixers, $4 Jumbo Jack Mixers, $4 Jumbo UW Mixers, $2.50 Rail Mixers, $2.50 Domestic Bottles$1.50 Bottles of Point9-close 3-for-1 rails, $2.50 16oz bud, and 1/2 price apps from 10 to 12; 4pm-7pm half price apps and taps

THURSDAYBAR SPECIALS

2.50 Rolling Rock; 10-12: 1/2 Off All

close $1 off mix drinks


BADGERHERALD

NuFF SAID.


FRIDAYBAR SPECIALS

Amy’s Cafe & Bar

Argus Bar

Badgerland

Brass Ring

Brothers

Buffalo Wild Wings


The City

Church Key

Crystal Corner Bar

Essen Haus

The Frequency

Fresco Rooftop

Frida’s

Genna’s

The Great Dane

High Noon Saloon

Johnny O’s

Jordan’s Big 10

Kollege Klub

Lucky’s

Madison’s

Monday’s

Nitty Gritty

Opus Lounge

Paradise Lounge


Shamrock Bar

State Street Brats


Up North Bar

Vintage



$3 Bacardi mixers, $3 Corona, $3 SoCo Lime Shot; 10-12: Half Off All Rail Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)Happy Hour: M-F 4 -7 $1 off mix drinks and wine, $.75 off bottles, $.50 off taps; M-F 9-close $6 Pitchers of Pabst and Huber BockHappy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $2 Single Rail MixersHappy Hour 4-7: $2 Rails, $1 Off Tap BeersHappy Hour (4-9): $1.75 Taps, $1 Off Appetizers, $2 Burgers and $3 Burger Baskets, $2.50 Domestic Pitchers; 9-Close: $3 3 Olives Mixers, $3.25 Domestic Bottles, $4 3 Olives Vodka and Red Bull, $4 Jager BombsHappy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall Taps$4 Big Girl Margaritas$3 Jumbo Well Drinks ($5 with Redbull), $4 Skyscrapers, Pabst After Class: $3 pitchers Until 10Friday After Class (1-9): $2 Pitchers; 9-Close: $3.50 Captain Morgan Mixers, $3 Seagram’s 7, $3 Long Island Iced Tea, $3 Pinnacle Vodka Mixers, $3 Pints (Central Waters Beers), $2.50 Southern Comfort Lime Shots9-Close: $3 Three Olives Cherry Bombs, $2.50 Jameson Shots, $3 Jager Bombs(3-6): $1 OFF Appetizers, $3 Pints/Half Liters, House Wines and Rail CocktailsHappy Hour (5-7): $1.50 PBR, $1 Off Everything Else; $2 PBR“Fresco Five” (9-10): $5 Signature Martinis, $5 Glasses of Wine, $5 Small Plates3-6: $2 Mexican Bottles BeersHappy Hour (4:30-6:30): 40% Off Select Rail Cocktails & Tap BeersHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 RailsHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 Rails$5 Pitchers of Coors Light, $3.75 Jack Daniel’s Mixers, $2.50 Southern Comfort and Lime Shots; Power Hour (10-11): 1/2 Off Captain Morgan Mixers and Taps; All Night: $2 PBR 16oz. Silos8-Close: 2-for-1 Long Islands, 2-for-1 Bud Light Taps, $3 Martini of the Week9-Close: $4 Jumbo Long Islands, $4 Kettle One Mixers, $4 Grape or Cherry BombsHappy Hour (3-6): 2-for-1 Rail Mixers, 2-for-1 Domestic Bottles, $2 Off All Pitchers, $1 Off Appetizers; 7-Close: $2.50 Svedka Mixers, 10-Close: DJ ($3 Cover)$3 Rails, $1 Taps, $2 Specialty Shots$3 Jumbo Long Islands, $3 Drop Shots, 2-For-1 Bud and Bud Light BottlesHalf-Priced Glasses of Wine$5.50 Pitchers of PBR, $4 Bombs$1 Kamikaze Shots, $5 Miller Pitchers8-Close: $1 Off Rum Mixers; 10-Close: DJ (No Cover)4-12: Half Time Domestic Pitchers (Pitchers are Half the Price of the Hour i.e. 4 O’Clock = $2 Pitcher, 5 O’Clock = $2.50 Pitcher, Etc.); 4-Close: $4 Bacardi Mixers2-for-1 Rum PunchesHappy Hour (2:30-7): $3 Pints, $2.75 Rail Mixers; $2 Vodka Mixers; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice Beer$2 High Life Taps$2 Bottles of Mickey’s and Rolling RockHappy Hour (4-7): $2 Domestic Taps and Bottles, 1/2 Off Appetizers

The farther you get from the Mexican border, the less likely you are to fi nd an authentic Mexican restaurant. So imagine my surprise when, about 4 years ago, I stumbled upon La Taqueria Guadalajara on South Park Street in Madison, Wis-consin. It is the kind of place where you might have to order by pointing at the pictures on the menu if you don’t speak Spanish.

Taqueria Guadalajara is a dive in every sense of the word. Despite its bright pink exterior, if you didn’t know it was there, you still might walk by it. Sand-wiched between storefronts on Park Street, the entire restau-

rant can’t possibly occupy more than a few hundred square feet. The dining area consists of a small bar in the front of the restaurant and an area in the back with three or four tables. Both seating areas surround a tiny kitchen in the middle. The fact that so many astounding dishes can come out of such a tiny kitchen is nothing short of a miracle.

The authenticity of the food served at La Taqueria Guadala-jara lies in its ingredients. Go to any Americanized ‘Mexican’ restaurant (don’t take this per-sonally Chipotle, we can still be friends) and you will fi nd burri-tos and tacos. But the choices of meat are extremely unlikely to include beef tongue, which they

do at Taqueria Guadalajara. An-other ingredient that (as far as I’ve seen in Madison) is unique to Taqueria Guadalajara is nopales. Nopales are made from the pad segments (peeled of course) of the prickly pear cac-tus. Taqueria Guadalajara offers several menu items that feature nopales. Nopales are sweet and tangy, and for me, would always be a welcome replacement to pickles on a sandwich.

I’ve eaten at La Taqueria Guadalajara several times now and have had a great meal each time. And while everything I’ve tried has been good, my favorite has been their tortas. A torta is more of a stuffed roll than it is a sandwich, of which there are two varieties: one

served on (in) a bolillo (bowl-ee-yo), an oval shaped roll with a thick and crunchy crust, and one served on (in) a telera (tay-lay-ra), a soft round roll.

La Taqueria Guadalajara serves the latter version and it’s huge. It’s stuffed with sour cream, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeno peppers and a choice of meat (which includes grilled steak, seasoned pork steak, beef tongue, pork, chicken, ham or breaded chick-en breast). This meal, like all of their meals, is a great bargain, priced at only $6.00. So don’t let the pink paint fool you; La Taqueria Guadalajara is a Mexi-can restaurant that, despite its size, dishes out Mexican fl avor that is unrivaled in Madison.

TAQUERIA GUADALAJARA

8 Seasons Grille is an intimate family-owned restaurant in the heart of downtown Madison. The style of food ranges from traditional American foods with a twist to more exotic combina-tions. Their menu changes eight times per year in order to feature locally grown, in-season and creative dishes, hence the name 8 Seasons.

With its Italian villa ambiance, the restaurant is easily spotted at 45 S. Basset. The posh exterior should not fool college students, as their prices range from downright cheap to average, but with the high quality food, atmosphere and staff of a bank-breaking fancy restaurant.

Every dish displays the food in an imaginative arrangement, like

an original piece of artwork, al-most too pretty to eat. Of course those feelings are overcome by all of your senses telling you it is time to eat a delicious meal.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week. Their best deal on the menu is the delicious $4.75 fried egg sandwich, perfect for a good start to the day or after a crazy night out on the town. And even if breakfast does not happen until the afternoon, 8 Seasons will happily oblige.

The current lunch menu ranges from a burger and pork sandwich to more unusual dishes like duck pate and a quinoa wrap.

Similarly, their dinner menu has lamb chops and ribeye, in addition to duck ravioli and huckleberry lamb. All of their dishes have imaginative ingredi-

ent combinations that surprise the taste buds.

With home-cooked dishes that are tested for great taste before being served to custom-ers, 8 Seasons Grille is authentic and healthy. You never have to wonder about unhealthy addi-tives sneaking their way into traditionally wholesome meals.

8 Seasons has an impressive coffee bar, offering what may just be the best espresso in the city. They also have extensive tea, wine, beer and cocktail lists.

In addition, the wait staff is knowledgeable about their ever-changing menu, readily offering suggestions and giving detailed descriptions of different dishes. Beyond that, they are personable and truly seem to enjoy their jobs, this effervescent attitude gives the restaurant a comfort-

able feel unlike any other. The restaurant also holds an “Iron Chef” competition in tribute to the popular television show. This contest is between 8 Seasons head chef Nick Baertschy and a local guest chef.

Like the show, the competi-tors are given a secret ingredient to implement into all of their dishes. Participants get to taste the dishes and decide, “Whose cuisine reigns supreme!”

8 Seasons Grille is innovative in how they run their business, there is never a dull moment or dish. It is a great place for date night, socializing with friends, a business meeting, a rich cup of espresso or dinner with the parents. It is time to expand and test out restaurants off of State Street, 8 Seasons is the perfect place to start.

8 SEASONS GRILLE


Benjamin Cox

Kate Northey

After 20 years in Madison, the Hong Kong Café continues to bring their A game. Located at the corner of Regent and Mills Streets, the café serves up lunch and dinner daily. The highly decorated restaurant simply cannot stop winning local Madison area awards, like Best Oriental Restaurant of Madison, which they earned only a year after being estab-lished.

There is one problem when dining at the Hong Kong Café: deciding what to order. The café features a menu that is as large as it is diverse. Unlike most Chinese restaurants that serve “American styled” food, the Hong Kong Café serves

only the most authentic Can-tonese cuisine — a specifi c type of Chinese food that features the freshest meats and vegeta-bles cooked in a small amount of oil.

The café offers a reasonably priced lunch, which includes a choice of soup or an egg roll, rice and a healthy serving of one of their delicious entrees. The lunch menu contains an immense selection of beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetar-ian, rice and noodle centered entrees, each for around $7. The triple mushroom shrimp, house vegetable delight and fragrant scallops are three of the best choices, but the garlic eggplant (prepared with Chinese egg-plant, carrots, bamboo shoots, broccoli, peapods and the

chef’s special brown sauce) is arguably one of the best items on the menu, and something you won’t fi nd at most Chinese restaurants.

Dinner at Hong Kong is little more expensive, but it’s a solid choice for a classy night out or celebration. Their din-ner menu, even larger than the lunch menu, offers savory specialty items, like the three-course Peking duck meal.

For an even more traditional Chinese cuisine experience, on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the café serves Dim Sum — a Cantonese tradi-tion of serving small portions of a variety of food. This is a great way to sample many great items like the shrimp salad, a small dish of fried shrimp served with

pineapple, broccoli and a sweet mayo sauce.

This café isn’t just another poorly lit, somewhat sketchy, middling-chance-of-contract-ing-hepatitis Chinese restau-rant; it is tastefully decorated, inviting and the bright atmos-phere is as impressive as the cuisine.

With that said, the staff is what truly makes the restaurant fi rst class. Extremely knowl-edgeable and always speedy, customers will receive a warm greeting from each staff mem-ber upon arrival and a barrage of thank yous on the way out. In all, the Hong Kong Café is very positive dining experience from the delectable food to the excellent service — a great choice every time.

HONG KONG CAFE


Meredith Lee

About a 10 minute drive from campus, A*Sakura is a cozy sushi joint tucked into a strip mall between Qdoba and a Pay Day loan shop. The atmosphere of the restaurant is laid back; a stone fi re-place warms the tables, which are accentuated with napkins folded into little paper boats. Nearly every customer in the restaurant is casually dressed and no one seems to mind; this place is worlds away from Muramoto (the uppity sushi joint off Capitol Square). A*Sakura isn’t pretending to be anything it’s not.

The menu is incredibly broad, offering appetizers that range from miso soup and steamed dumplings to avocado salad and spring rolls. The Japanese

beer is refreshing and crisp, and the prices seem too good to be true. The owner, Shawn Xiong, introduces himself at every table, making menu suggestions and praising his sushi chef. He serves bowls of soup that aren’t included in the meal, persuading custom-ers to “just try it.” It’s their house soup, and it’s incredible: a buttery, oil-based miso garnished with sliced mushrooms and scallions and heated to perfection.

At Xiong’s suggestion, we order the Sakura combo, which includes the customer’s choice of two special rolls, two maki (inside-out) rolls and four pieces of nigiri. It also comes with two bowls of miso, a large seaweed salad and a bowl of steaming, salted edamame. The combo is more than enough for two people and costs around $30,

the price of two special rolls, so customers basically get the maki rolls, the nigiri, the soup, salad and edamame for free.

The wait is moderate but not unreasonable given the large size of the order. The sushi arrives with a spread of fresh ginger and wasabi, the nigiri is garnished with cucumber slices and there is low-sodium soy at every table. The freshness of the white tuna nigiri is mouth-watering. The Philadel-phia roll (salmon, cream cheese, cucumber) is perfectly garnished with sesame seeds, and though the spicy scallop roll (avocado, spicy sauce) has a bit too much kick to it, the scallops are fresh and the eight pieces are generously sized for a maki roll.

As for special rolls, the Packer roll (salmon, eel, cucumber, man-

go, avocado, spicy sauce, mayo) is the perfect combo of raw fi sh and sweet fruit. But the tiger roll (shrimp tempura, cream cheese, cucumber, salmon, avocado, sweet mayo) takes the prize: The chef timed the arrival of the tempura perfectly so that it was still warm when served with the rest of the rolls — an incredible attention to detail that elevates A*Sakura’s sushi chef to among the best.

A*Sakura has it all: the perfect lunch deal (three rolls plus a soda for $11), the perfect date deal (inexpensive combos for two) and the perfect atmosphere for stressed-out college students looking to get their sushi fi x. And if you can’t make the drive to Fitchburg, give them a call — they deliver to campus with a mini-mum order of just $12.

A*SAKURAAmie Kjellstrom


Amy’s Cafe & Bar

Argus Bar

Badgerland

Brothers

Buffalo Wild Wings


The City

Club Tavern

Come Back In

Crystal Corner Bar

Echo Tap

The Frequency


The Great Dane

High Noon Saloon

Johnny O’s

Jordan’s Big 10

Lucky’s

Nitty Gritty

Paradise Lounge


Shamrock Bar

State Street Brats


Up North Bar


$3.25 Long Island Iced Tea, $2.50 PBR, $3.00 Jager Shots, $3.75 Jager Bombs; 10-12: Half Off All Rail Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)9-close $6.00 Pitchers of Pabst and Huber BockHappy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $3 Single Flavored Skyy Mixers Happy Hour (4-9): $1.75 Taps, $1 Off Appetizers; 9-Close: $3 Bacardi Mixers, $3 Bacardi Mojitos, $3.25 Domestic Bottles, $3.75 Vodka and Red BullHappy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall Taps$3 Svedka Singles, $5 Svedka Doubles$4 Skyscrapers, $3 Jumbo Well Drinks ($5 with Redbull)Live Music, $9 Buckets of 5 Budweiser or Miller Bottles, $10 16 Wing Basket, 8-Close:$3 Leinenkugel Pints, $3 Vodka Redbulls, $3 Smirnoff Bombs; Late Night Happy Hour: $1.50 Keystone Cans, Late Night Food$1 Wonder Shots$1 Domestic Taps$1.25 Pints of Miller High Life and Pabst, $3 Captain MixersHappy Hour 6-8: $1 off everything, $2 PBR“Fresco Five” (9-10): $5 Signature Martinis, $5 Glasses of Wine, $5 Small PlatesHappy Hour (4-6): $3.50 Pints, $3.50 RailsHappy Hour (12-5), 2-For-1 Rails and Select Taps$2.50 Three Olives Mixers; Power Hour (10-11): 1/2 Off Captain Morgan Mixers and Taps; All Night: $2 PBR 16oz. Silos8-Close: $5 Pitchers of Bud Light, $5 Vodka Monster Pints7-Close: $2.50 Bacardi Mixers, $3.50 2-for-1 Coors or Coors Light$3 Miller Light Bottles, $3 Bacardi Mixers, $3 Mojitos$5.50 Pitchers of PBR$2.50 Rails, $2 PBR Taps8-Close: $2 Coors Light; 10-Close: DJ (No Cover)$3.75 32oz. Domestic Taps, $4.25 Bloody Marys2-for-1 Bahama Mamas$2 Vodka Mixers; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice Beer$2.50 Bottles of Harp and Heineken

Amy’s Cafe & Bar

Badgerland

Brass Ring

Brothers

Buffalo Wild Wings


Come Back In

Crystal Corner Bar

Echo Tap

Essen Haus

The Frequency

Genna’s

The Great Dane

Hawk’s

Irish Pub

Jordan’s Big 10

Lucky’s

Nitty Gritty

Paradise Lounge

Shamrock Bar

State Street Brats

Up North Bar

Vintage

Wando’s

$3.50 Bloody Mary’s, $3.25 Jack Daniel Mixers, $3.50 Guinness; 10-12: Half Off All Rail Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)Happy Hour (5-7): $1 Off Tapped Beer, House Wine and “Martini of the Day”, $2 Single Rail Mixers$3.00 20 oz. Taps, 8-close Free Pool8-Close: 2-For-1 EverythingHappy Hour (3-9): $1 Off Tall TapsBloody Mary Bar (Includes beef stick!), Double Screwdrivers $3.50, $2 Mimosas, Build a Spud $5”Happy Hour (All Night): $3.50 Half Liters, Rail Mixers, and Half Limes; Karaoke NightHospitality Night (6-Close): $2.50 Call Drinks, $2.50 PintsHospitality Night: Service Industry Employees Get 40% Of All Drinks(3-6): $1 OFF Appetizers; (3-Close): $3 Pints/Half Liters, House Wines and Rail Cocktails; FREE Bottle of Wine with the Purchase of Two EntreesHappy Hour (5-7): $1.50 PBR, $1 Off Everything Else; $2 PBR, $2 RailsService Industry Night: 40% Off Most Everything for Service Industry Workers9-Close: $3.50 Pints, $3.50 Rails$3 Long Islands (5 Choices)$2.50 Mimosas, $2 Vodka Mixers, $.50 off all bottled beer8-Close: $5 Pitchers of Bud Light, $5 Vodka Monster Pints, $2.50 Mimosas$2 16oz. Cans of Coors Light, $2 Mimosas, $2.50 Rail Juice Mixers, $4 Two Sliders and Fries$2.50 Bartender’s Choice$2.75 Long Island Iced Tea, Swap Waters, and Alabama Slammers4-8: Beer Bash, $2 PBR Bottles$3.75 32oz. Domestic Taps, $4.25 Bloody Marys$1.50 Grab Bag; After 7: $3 Bartender’s Choice Beer$1 PBR and High Life, $2 Rail Mixers$4 Jumbo Kettle One Mixers, $2.50 Lemon Drop Shots, $2 Domestic Taps

SUNDAYBAR SPECIALS

(Excluding Pitchers)

SATURDAYBAR SPECIALS

Mixers and Beers (Excluding Pitchers)

Documents

Bar and Dining Guide 2011