Season of the noodle: Slurp nine of Madison's best bowls André Darlington on Thursday 02/02/2012 This time of year, when the ground is frozen and the Farmers' Market is reduced to selling mostly hope, there is a surprise culinary bright spot -- the noodle bowl. This is its season. Whether you're returning hungry from skiing or sick and in need of a little love in a ladle, no food is more comforting or better for reviving the senses than noodles in steaming broth or stock. Here are a few of the best slurps among Madison's ever-expanding options. >MoreThe best of Wisconsin cuisine is served at the Fountain Beautiful state Raphael Kadushin on Thursday 01/26/2012 There is something refreshingly soulful about the Fountain, especially as the chain-ification of State Street continues apace. (And why not an actually decent chain, like maybe a Maoz Vegetarian or Le Pain Quotidien or, if we have to swallow one more cupcake, at least a Sprinkles, which doesn't pile its cakes with mounds of lard-like frosting?) >More
Madtown Pizza is a taste of the old Greenbush Just like mama used to make Marcelle Richards on Thursday 01/05/2012 Madtown Pizza is a throwback to Madison's Greenbush neighborhood, even though it's on East Johnson Street. The Greenbush, in its heyday a home base for a largely Italian immigrant community, was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Bayview, Braxton and Brittingham apartments. >MoreMadison's pro foodies pick their favorite spots from 2011 Austin Duerst on Friday 12/30/2011 4:00 pm It's no secret that area restaurateurs, food writers, bartenders and chefs have strong opinions about what they eat, so we knew we'd get a good sampling of great suggestions when we asked several of them where they liked to eat this year. >More
Whoopie cookies and more among Madison's vegan sweets ...hold the dairy Cheryl Breuer on Thursday 12/08/2011 When vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli won Cupcake Wars on Food Network last year, I did a fist pump of victory for fellow vegans everywhere. The judges marveled at Coscarelli's moist, delicious creations baked without eggs or butter and frosted without cream cheese, validating on national television what many vegans already know. Done well, vegan cakes, pies and desserts are every bit as complex and flavorful as their non-vegan counterparts. >MoreAJ Bombers heats up the Madison hamburger field... sort of Burger wars Marcelle Richards on Thursday 12/01/2011 AJ Bombers, a Milwaukee-based burger joint celebrating "P-nuts, burgers and beer!," now has a branch in downtown Madison. These are not your rank-and-file burgers. The standard patty is a quarter-pound blend of sirloin, chuck and brisket, and diners can go big with up to a quadruple stack. Or upgrade to a grass-fed beef patty. Or substitute the Gahnzo patty, made from half grass-fed beef, half Nueske's bacon. Toppings include everything from the norm to peanut butter, which sounded like a craving my pregnant sister would have. >More
Cookbook cues: The Northern Heartland Kitchen by Beth Dooley Linda Falkenstein on Wednesday 01/18/2012 2:00 pm If I had a dime for every time I've typed "fresh and seasonal" in the process of covering local food over the past 12 months... I could order a fresh and seasonal meal at a top restaurant. So with a cookbook by Beth Dooley called The Northern Heartland Kitchen, subtitled "More than 200 recipes to satisfy seasonal appetites," what are you going to get that's different from the rest of the what-are-you-going-to-do-with-your-CSA-box recipes out there? >MoreFarm-to-school lunch thrives in Mount Horeb But advocates say programs can't rely on donated goods for long-term survival Mary Ellen Gabriel on Thursday 01/12/2012, (2) Comments A huge tub of cranberry-apple salsa, made from Wisconsin-grown fruit, glows ruby-red under fluorescent lights in the Mount Horeb Area Schools' production kitchen. Two hair-netted food service employees spoon the salsa into little cups, working fast because they still have 1,650 main meals to put together for Mount Horeb students in grades K-12. But even at 7:30 a.m., the two wear big smiles. >More
Cookbook cues: Goat: Meat · Milk · Cheese by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough Ruth Young on Wednesday 12/07/2011 2:00 pm When deciding what to cook for dinner on any given night, "goat," for most of us, is likely the one of the last ideas to come to mind. Goat meat is on the rise in Madison restaurants, but it's still largely absent from home kitchens. Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, authors of a plethora of cookbooks and the blog Real Food Has Curves, are out to change that in their recent cookbook, Goat: Meat · Milk · Cheese. >MoreCookbook cues: Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs Anna Thomas Bates on Wednesday 11/23/2011 2:00 pm Your neighbor's famous sticky buns or great Aunt Martha's paprikash may be what come to mind when you think of great home cooking. But made-at-home fare is elevated to a new level in Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs' Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks. Think Moroccan carrot salad with harissa, cider-brined pork with Calvados, and figgy pudding butter cookies. >More
We tried the fig, gorgonzola and bacon pizza and it was amazing. We also tried a sausage pizza whic ... Paisan's Christine Bartlein on 11/06/11
Currently 3.00/5
Overall, the food was very good, but it was the little things that just didn't meet my expectations. ... Lazy Jane's Cafe Sara Redlin on 11/01/11
Currently 5.00/5
Absolutely delicious scones, and I'm not big on scones. Many other delicious bakery items as well. T ... K Peppers Rebecca Van Dan on 11/01/11
Currently 5.00/5
Outstanding gem of a restaurant, hidden in a strip mall in Middleton. A great place for a healthy & ... Old Fashioned, The Halina Zakowicz on 10/13/11
Currently 5.00/5
When The Old Fashioned first opened up, I predicted that it wouldn't last a year. Fried cheer curds ... Weary Traveler Kai Shiu on 09/25/11
Currently 4.00/5
You know what you're going to get at the Weary, and thats exactly why its so popular. Consistently ... Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar Kai Shiu on 09/25/11
Currently 4.00/5
Umami has founds a niche, offering dumplings and Japanese style Ramen in rich broths. This ain't yo ... Brasserie V Jon Beers on 09/22/11
Currently 0.00/5
Despite the noisy crowd, the service was friendly and efficient. The cod with asparagus, cherry toma ...
THE DAILY / EATS
Noir Black Belgian Barleywine Style Ale from Sand Creek Brewing Robin Shepard on Friday 02/03/2012 3:00 pm Sand Creek Brewing just released a dark and dangerous new brew. It's named Noir, the French word for black that is often associated with a genre of crime literature featuring tough characters and risky, bleak situations. This black Belgian barley wine is indeed a mysterious contradiction with hard-to-explain flavors: sweet, bitter, roasted and spicy. Its creator, lead brewer Nate Peck, describes its complexity as simply "a beer with a lot going on." Noir just hit local shelves in the past couple of weeks. >MoreJD's cart finds campus location, Dickey's Barbecue and other restaurants prep to open Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 01/31/2012 3:15 pm You never know when a new eatery will rescue a hard-luck spot (the Great Dane on Jupiter Drive and the Coopers Tavern on the Square, for instance). The short-lived Limon, at 317 N. Bassett (formerly home to the Copper Gable Café), has given way to JD's, a brick-and-mortar version of the well-known late-night food cart at State and Broom. >MoreMadison eats agenda: Vanilla, Groundhog Day chili, Souper Bowl XVI, Super Bowl Brunch The week in food Linda Falkenstein and Kristian Knutsen on Monday 01/30/2012 8:00 pm This coming week, in events that get to your heart through your stomach. >More
Beer Here: Wild Buckwheat Red from Sweet Mullets Brewery & Pub Robin Shepard on Friday 01/27/2012 2:00 pm One of the most memorable discoveries to emerge from a full afternoon of tasting at the Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest last weekend was from one of state's newest breweries -- Sweet Mullets Brewery & Pub, set to open next month in Oconomowoc. Owner and brewmaster Mark Duchow is no stranger to southern Wisconsin beer enthusiasts. >MoreScenes from the 2012 Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest (slideshow) Eric Tadsen on Monday 01/23/2012 Over two thousand fans of Wisconsin's bounty joined us on Saturday at the Alliant Energy Center's Exhibition Hall for a celebration of some of the stuff that makes living here great! >More
Hydro Street Brewing in Columbus gets ready for its grand opening Nano-brewing in a small town Robin Shepard on Friday 01/13/2012 3:00 pm, (2) Comments They don't get much smaller than this, southern Wisconsin's latest brewpub: Hydro Street Brewing Company. Now preparing for its grand opening, the downtown Columbus pub passed its building inspections just days before Christmas. Shortly thereafter, the first beer hunters started to appear. Owner Aaron Adams says the first three customers through the door sat at the bar texting their friends, and by evening the place was packed: "We hadn't announced anything or advertised, and we had a house full." >MoreBeer Here: 2012 Black Ale from Stevens Point Brewery Robin Shepard on Friday 01/06/2012 2:00 pm, (1) Comment What could be more appropriate than starting the new year with a beer named 2012 Black Ale? It's a dark and malty brew is made by Stevens Point Brewery. >More
Beer Here: Gandy Dancer Porter from Potosi Brewing Robin Shepard on Friday 11/25/2011 2:00 pm For me, there's nothing quite like a good porter; I can recognize one almost by its aroma alone. These dark, often full-bodied beers have something of an attitude thanks to their caramel and chocolate tones. And it's a beer that will complement many foods. If you're a fan of the style, then the Potosi Brewing porter named Gandy Dancer is a beer to try. >MoreBeer Here: Sun D'Appled Orchard Ale from Vintage Brewing Robin Shepard on Friday 11/18/2011 2:00 pm The fall apple harvest in Wisconsin usually brings with it the opportunity to try one or two new local beers. This year, Vintage Brewing has an apple beer worthy of attention. The Madison brewpub recently tapped its Sun D'Appled Orchard Ale, made from apples grown on its owner's family farm. >More
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