June 30, 2008
Talula
802 Atlas Ave. (off Cottage Grove Road)
Madison 608-441-1977
Hours: 11 am-10 pm Mon.-Fri., 4 pm-10 pm Sat.-Sun.
Madison’s Far East side should be brimming with dining hope. Talula has opened, and we’re excited.
First, by way of explanation, I am a Madisonian, born and bred. I grew up on the North side. Having said that, I’ve lived on the East Side for my entire adult life. Most people who aren’t from around these parts don’t understand that there is a difference between the North side and the East side of Madison. But that’s neither here nor there. My real point is that I know this building and the restaurants that it has housed very well, and long before it was pink. I knew it when it was The Pig’s Ear. I knew it when it was CJ’s. I knew it when it was, briefly, Mexicali Rose (who left the pinkness as a lingering mark on the landscape).
But enough reminiscing. Now it is Talula, and we hope that it stays Talula for a very long time. Co-owned by a former co-owner of Fyfes Corner Bistro, that fact alone has us watching this new place closely. We’ve been to Talula three times now. The first time was to stop in for a drink and check it out. Unfortunately it was far too busy for the drink, but we still checked out some of the changes.
The next time we went, we chose a Sunday evening in hopes of avoiding any large crowds. We were successful in that endeavor. While the restaurant was busy, it wasn’t packed to the gills. We settled into our booth after the hostess graciously agreed to our request that we be seated next to a window rather than tucked away next to the bar area where we were initially lead. Special seating requests didn’t seem to create the least bit of turmoil.
The dinner menu is small but varied. Those familiar with Fyfes will immediately recognize the very strong influence that it had on Talula’s menu. Appetizers range from Atlas Crab Cakes ($12.95) to Spicy Edamame ($4.95). There’s also a noteworthy Artichoke Crostini ($9.95) and a Talula Snack Platter ($11.95), consisting of assorted cheeses, fruits, crackers and Deviled Eggs.
But we ordered drinks, skipped the appetizers and went right to the meal.
Selections include salads, pasta dishes, a hefty selection of sandwiches and a rather small selection of entrees. Entrees include Filet Mignon in a Pink Peppercorn Cognac sauce ($25.95), Marinated Skirt Steak with a Citrus Beurre Blanc ($20.95), Tenderloin Kabobs ($19.95), Chicken Breast with Teriyaki Mushroom Sauce ($13.95), Cioppini (Fish Stew) ($19.95), Pork Loin with Cranberry Port Sauce ($13.95), and Salmon with Raspberry Coule ($17.95).
Each entree comes with a choice of a house salad, a wedge salad, or soup. They are also served with the seasonal vegetables or “Spiced Corn”. We chose to order the Tenderloin Kabob and the Sunday Evening special, Roasted Chicken ($10.95).
I firmly believe that the way to test a restaurant is to order their chicken dish. Things can go spectacularly wrong when a restaurant attempts to prepare chicken. It is with pleasure that we report that the chicken was very good and Talula passed the “Chicken Test”. Well prepared, moist, tender, and filling, this special was very “down home basic”, but it hit the spot. The Tenderloin Kabob was a very good cut of beef, and it was also moist and tender. The grilled zucchini and squash was perfectly, crisply cooked.
As we dined we were entertained to see that some things will probably never change. The extremely awful chandelier which has been there since The Pig’s Ear days was still in service, and still as awful as ever. But at this point it must be considered kitschy tradition.
We left Talula happy, and eager to return to try out the patio for lunch.
And so we did.
The patio is a pleasant place to relax on a nice day. It doesn’t have the best view, facing a large expanse of blacktop parking lot to the front, and a busy Highway 51 to the side. But still, in a city surprisingly void of outdoor dining, we’ll take it.
There are many sandwiches and salads on the lunch menu. It would be hard to not find something you would like to order. We chose to start with chips and salsa ($4.95) while we waited in the bar for a table to open up outside. It didn’t take long, and we moved outdoors to enjoy our Applewood Smoked Bacon Cheeseburger ($8.95) and our Basil-Marinated Chicken Sandwich ($8.95).
The sandwiches were substantial, served on a ciabatta-style bun, with a mound of perfectly cooked French Fries (a side salad was another option). Both sandwiches were served piled high with grated cheese, which was a refreshing change from a traditional slice. If possible, there was perhaps too much cheese. Is that possible? We’ve never been faced with making that call before.
With the solid menu, the good food, and smooth and efficient servce, we’ll be making Talula a routine stop in our dining repertoire. We hope that the East Side adopts this restaurant as a new neighborhood tradition. It beats most of the alternatives within many miles.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted in New Restaurants, Reviews 
No Comments - add yours now »
June 29, 2008
(Updated review can be found here.)
Talula
802 Atlas Avenue, Madison (off Cottage Grove Road)
441-1977
Talula has opened on Madison’s far east side. Occupying the spot that was the long-time CJ’s, followed by the short-term Mexicali Rose, Talula’s still maintains the pink building and the patio seating (hold-overs from the Mexicali Rose days).
We stopped in for a drink on a recent Friday night to check the place out, but it was far too crowded for even that. So we scoped out the changes made to the interior (good improvements!), and noticed a very familiar face - Keith Blew, recently of the dearly departed Fyfe’s Corner Bistro.
We loved Fyfe’s with a passion, and we have already carved out a spot on our calendars to check this place out. Check back for the full review, and if you’ve already tried the place, leave a comment and let us all know what you think!
(Updated review can be found here.)
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted in New Restaurants 1 Comment - add yours too »
May 31, 2008
We here at Madison Dining can be found roaming the Dane County Farmers Market each and every Saturday morning. Hit the circuit by 6 AM and you’ll more than likely bump into us. We’re the ones gulping the coffee down like it is going out of style. Here are just a few of photos of a recent journey around the square:
To see more Farmers Market photos, as well as a recipe for Spring Green Salad Milanese (inspired by a first course at Lombardinos!) visit Madison Dining Online’s sister site, Cooking Out of the Box. This site is dedicated to local Farmers Markets, CSA programs, and the challenge of cooking with locally grown, fresh, seasonal produce.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Posted in Cooking Out Of The Box, Downtown No Comments - add yours now »
April 18, 2008
Sure, the title of this entry may seem a bit startling, but we believe that the fairly melodramatic societal commentary that the opening of the Tilted Kilt has created is worthy of such a proclamation.
We couldn’t resist. We went to visit the Tilted Kilt within days of opening to see what the fuss was about. And we found a restaurant which certainly may be a bit heavy on the clientele testosterone, but which also serves food that stands up to the test, for the most part.
First, to explain: One reviewer was male, one reviewer was female. This may create some balance to the views expressed (though the female did write this review).
We arrived at the Tilted Kilt around noon, only to find the parking lot packed to the gills and the curbs along the street lined, amusingly, with pick up trucks, work vehicles of all kinds, and midlife crisis-styled sports cars. Spilling from the doors was a line of gentlemen of all ages and shapes, patiently awaiting admittance into the restaurant. There was no end to the male species of diner, but the female persuasion was very under-represented.
When questioned, we were told that there would be a 25 minute wait for a table. We decided to take our chances by looking for a quicker seat at the bar, and we snapped up a couple of the few remaining vacancies.
The first thing we noticed were the beers on tap. Selections ranged from Sam Adams, Killians Red and Coors Light, to more specialty beers like Capital Maibock and Amber, Spotted Cow, Blue Moon, and a Tilted Kilt label, produced by Leinies. The second thing noticed was the intermingled sounds of cackling men and Black Sabbath music.
But everyone seemed to be having fun in a very socially acceptable way.
So, do we start with the uniform critique, or with the food critique? Oh, what the heck, lets get the uniform critique out of the way first. By now everyone knows that the female staff dresses in very revealing push-up bra style tops and plaid skirts so short you hope that the server doesn’t drop anything that requires bending over to pick up. Errrr. Well. I don’t know if I speak for my fellow diners with that hope, but as the female reviewer on duty, I know I was pulling in favor of the dignity of the women. (photo taken from the Tilted Kilt website)
As my male reviewer-counterpart commented, ” The cleavage and belly button piercings are just fine so far….”. He also described the uniforms as being from the “Adam Ant 1980’s Music Video” period. From the female point of view, I do need to comment on the fact that while the women’s uniforms were shorter than short, the male bartenders, also in kilts, were covered to the knees. This smacks of discrimination for the female diner, to me.
Now that we’ve got that obligatory commentary out of the way, we’ll move on to the food. The menu is your typical sports bar sort of menu, with a somewhat forced Irish twist. The French Dip is corrected to be called the Irish Dip, and you will find other superficial nods to the British Isles along the way.
We ordered the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and the fish and chips. The meatloaf was actually very good. It had sauteed peppers and onions atop, with the “loaf” meat loosely packed and flavorful. The mashed potatoes were borderline “instant”. Thin and relatively bland, a lot of improvement could be had there.
The fish and chips were a pleasant surprise. With a very good taste, and flakey inside, this fish exhibited none of the doughy, greasy tendancies that many deep fried fish plates tend to have. As a “British Isles” fish and chips afficianado, I smugly looked around for the malt to pour on the fish and the fries. I was surprised to find it…. until I went to pour it and found that the plastic coated safety seal had not been removed before I arrived on the scene. No fears, I can open a bottle.
When we placed our order, we had asked that the fries that came with the fish be replaced with garlic fries. Once served, and without a bit of garlic in sight, we reminded our bartender of our request for garlic fries. He looked closely at our basket of fries, agreed that they weren’t garlic fries and came back, good-naturedly, with a basket of garlic fries. To our chagrin, there was no difference. It became apparent that we had actually been served garlic fries to start, though we didn’t know it due to absence of garlic. Still, the fries were crisp and were some of the better fries I’ve had lately.
The gentlemen sitting next to us at the bar provided excellent company along the way. They had consumed a cheeseburger, which they said was acceptable and fit the bill. They were somewhat bemused by the fact that we were taking pictures of food instead of scantily-clad Colleens. They rapidly reached the conclusion that we were there to review the food and threw out some of their observations (positive as well).
So, long story short, suck it up, Madison. The food is good for what it is , and if people want to go to the Tilted Kilt, let ‘em go. If you are offended by Wisconsin midriffs (because like or not, some of the midriffs we saw WERE products of a long Wisconsin winter), don’t go. If testosterone bothers you, avoid this place like the plague.
But, if you just want to go to a place with a solid sports bar menu, and if navel gazing at the servers doesn’t offend you, then by all means, go to the Tilted Kilt.
I still want to see the male staff in skirts several inches shorter, however. It is only fair.
Popularity: 28% [?]
Posted in Lunch, Reviews 3 Comments - add yours too »
April 17, 2008
EDIT: See Review Here!
Tilted Kilt
420 Gammon Way
Madison, WI
Yes, the Tilted Kilt has now opened. Judging from the strong opinions that we’re already getting from Madison Diners, we can’t wait to get the feedback.
We’ll be checking out more than the wait staff uniforms soon, and we’ll let you know what we think of their food. In the meantime, if you have tried it, leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Popularity: 27% [?]
Posted in New Restaurants, Restaurant News No Comments - add yours now »
April 12, 2008
1855 Saloon and Grill
218 South Main Street
Cottage Grove, WI (608) 839-3700
As a rule, we try not to review an establishment the very first time that we experience it. We prefer to go anywhere from two to four times, averaging out our experiences and tempering initial reactions with overall knowledgeable judgements. We seldom rely on knee-jerk reactions for our reviews, though at times the knee-jerk reaction is too strong to pass up, whether it be good or bad. We learned this lesson of averaging with our very first trip to the Cloud Nine Grille, and subsequent trips where we felt compelled to eat crow.
We have now been to the 1855 Saloon and Grill five times and believe that we have experienced enough to even out any reviews that we may have made after each individual trip.
We’ll start with the first time that we went to the 1855. We had heard that this was a very popular and very crowded new place, and so we decided to go shortly after they opened, for lunch, under relatively stressless staff circumstances. Our experience was very positive. We arrived at around 11:15 AM on a Saturday, and by 11:30 the place was packed. We ordered a caesar salad with sliced beef filet, bleu cheese, eggs and red onion, as well as a panini melt, consisting of “rustic bread, roasted turkey, capocollo ham, pepperoni, crispy bacon, pepper jack cheese and tomatoes”.
We left very satisfied with both the service and the food, and we eagerly anticipated another return to experience dinner. And so, obviously, we returned for dinner. On our first return visit, we arrived by 5:30 on a Wednesday evening. We were again seated immediately, but within minutes of arrival a waiting list began to form. The service suffered from the influx of diners, yet it was still adequate. On this visit, we ordered the Pesto-brushed salmon grill and the Rustic loaded filet.
Dinners are served with bread and with two butters. One is your average butter, the other is a roasted vegetable sun-dried tomato butter, which is above average. The rustic loaded filet was described as “a beef filet cutlet stuffed with prosciutto, sausage, pepperoni, tomatoes, Parmesan, spinach and mozzarella, served with mixed raviolis and a tomato cream sauce”. And that is exactly what it was. This time, the salmon did disappoint, being charred and dried out with a very strong fish taste. The filet, however, was again “adequate”.
On subsequent visits, we’ve asked more people to tag along to get their impressions as well. On those visits, various diners tried the Prime Rib (Saturday evening special ), filet with crab cakes, steak with beer battered shrimp, shrimp toasted with almonds and cocunut, and an assortment of cheeseburgers. Again, the food was very adequate, if not spectacular. On the other hand, with the menu being very moderately priced, spectacular probably should not be an expectation.
The 1855 Saloon and Grill is owned by the same owners of Tru’s in Cambridge. You will find many similarities in the menus between these two restaurants. The formulas for both restaurants become obvious fairly quickly. While on the surface the menus seem almost overwhelming due to selections, those with a discerning eye will find that many of the items are basically the same dish, with minor modifications. Unique recipe items are used time and time again in various dishes, giving a superficial plethora of flavors. In reality, peppers, Parmesan, artichokes, prosciutto, bacon and spinach are used in several dishes anchored by different meats to offer seemingly endless options.
Don’t get us wrong - that isn’t a criticism. It shows a practical creativity that will allow these restaurants to stand out, and yet still charge very reasonable prices.
The main quibble that we have with the 1855 is with their service. The staff is very young, and very inexperienced. There is no professional service to speak of, just youthful workers making their way through, apparently, high school. A recent visit, unfortunately seated in the vicinity of the server stations and kitchen, provided us an indepth understanding on where the staff stood with American Idol contestants. It also allowed us to chuckle at flashbacks created by overhearing the very childish flirting techniques of high school aged teenagers. After listening to the rambunctious teenage banter coming from the kitchen window area, you couldn’t pay us enough to return to that awkward age of false bravado aimed at covering teenage insecurity.
But perhaps the most perplexing moment dealing with the 1855 staff came when we ordered a bottle of wine (Seghesio Sangiovese) to have with our dinner. Our very nice, yet very young and green server asked us if we wanted that “to go”. This is a question that we haven’t yet figured out. Needless to say, we clarified our request and asked to have it served with dinner.
We like the 1855 Saloon and Grill for what it is; a solid restaurant in an area desperately needing such a thing. As such, one can overlook the hiring compromises that the owners have clearly needed to make, while applauding the crafty yet practical creativity that went into making the menu interesting, and yet still affordable.
Popularity: 29% [?]
Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Reviews, The 'burbs 7 Comments - add yours too »
April 7, 2008
We’d like to take a moment to discuss our moderation policies on the MDOL blog.
First, we LOVE to hear your comments. We get a lot of them, and we appreciate almost every single one. We’re more interested in what you think than in what we think. We approve more than 99% of the comments that hit this blog.
But…. (and you knew that there had to be a “but” in there, right?)…
We won’t approve malicious comments. We won’t approve comments that border on the rude, extremely personal or socially unacceptable. We won’t approve spamming from restaurant employees (though we love to get the get comments from various restaurants and their employees. There’s a difference between spam and comments). And last but not least, we won’t approve multiple comments from the same people who post over and over who have an obvious personal axe to grind against specific local Madison area restaurants, their employees and their owners.
You see, we have ways to tell if people are posting multiple comments about the same restaurant, with the same message, voiced in different ways and under different names. And that is not what we are about.
Our diners are looking for constructive comments on local Madison area restaurants, and we are excited to provide that resource for them, as well as a venue for those who like to provide input. We encourage people to comment, to give feedback, and to have a constructive, and even opinionated voice. And THAT is what we are here to provide.
So carry on - we want to hear from you! In the near future we’ll be creating an environment where it will be easier for you to submit your own reviews, and to have a stronger voice on our site. We’re looking forward to that!
Popularity: 18% [?]
Posted in Announcements No Comments - add yours now »
April 6, 2008
Mad City Crab House
122 State Street
Madison, WI
(608) 310-6933
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner, Monday - Saturday
Mad City Crab House has been opened on State Street for nearly a year now, filling the Madison need for a straight forward shellfish oriented restaurant. We tried Mad City Crab House for lunch several weeks ago. We found it to be bright and airy, evoking the feel of the Florida sea shore through the colors and overall decor.
The menu changes often, depending on fresh catches and crab that is freshly available at the time. Not surprisingly, it is heavy on the crab, with most of the appetizers and other dishes being crab dishes. On the surface, the prices seemed reasonable, with appetizers ranging from $6.95 for items like Jerk Calamari and Pan Seared Crab Cakes, to $8.95 for Stone Crab Claw Cocktails and for a plate of Oysters by the 1/2 dozen.
We tried the Crab House Spin Dip ($7.95), a mixture consisting of Dungeness Blue Crab, spinach, artichoke hearts, cream cheese and parmesan cheese, served with garlic toast for dipping. The dip had a good consistency, creamy from the cheese. We’ve had better such dip, but this did hit the spot.
You can order your crab by the pound, which we did. On this trip, we chose Crab Legs ($10/pound), and Stone Crab Claws ($12/pound). The Claws are steamed in a white wine garlic sauce and have good flavor.
The Legs were served simply, with a side of drawn butter and a slice of lemon. The legs were messy and hard to eat, as this restaurant doesn’t seem to believe in making the partaking of Crab Legs easy on their diners. No slits were added to the shells, forcing the diner to wrestle their food into submission. Surprisingly, no wet wipes are offered with the orders, and weren’t even available upon request, leaving bodily parts that came in contact during the wrestling match smelling of seafood. If you are out for a business lunch, or heading back to the office after a more casual lunch, this can be a messy and awkward situation.
Overall, we liked this restaurant. If you have a hankering for simple shellfish at a reasonable price, this fills the niche.
Popularity: 24% [?]
Posted in Quick Bytes, Reviews No Comments - add yours now »
March 28, 2008
A Tasty Affair for HospiceCare
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Pizzeria UNOs, valid at 222 West Gorham Street, 7601 Mineral Point Rd, AND 3010 Crossroads Dr, Madison WI
Hospice Helping Hands, the UW-Madison hospice student group (http://hospice.rso.wisc.edu), is holding a fund raiser to raise money for hospice in Meru, Kenya (http://www.meruhospice.or.ke/) on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at UNOs Pizzeria (Downtown, East, and West locations). Please print out and bring the coupon found at the end of the post in to UNOs at any time that day, and 20% of your bill will go towards benefiting Hospice in Kenya!
Download Coupon Here:
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/ziyiwang/web/HHH_UNO_Coupon.pdf
Popularity: 20% [?]
Posted in Events No Comments - add yours now »
February 17, 2008
Sardine
617 Williamson Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 441-1600
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5pm to 10pm;
Friday & Saturday 5pm to 11pm;
Sunday 9am to 9pm, Brunch 9:00-2:30
New restaurants open in Madison with amazing frequency. So, when a restaurant wins the 2007 Mad Diner Award for Best New Restaurant by a landslide, it deserves an in-depth look. This prompted us to invite some friends and head to Sardine to weigh in on the decision. We had relatively early reservations on a Saturday night, and had no problem getting seated on what turned out to be a busy dining evening.
Sardine’s early 20th Century Industrial interior combined with the bistro ambience would lead one to the conclusion that this restaurant was a long established Madison tradition rather than the 2007 winner of the Mad Diner Best New Restaurant award. One of the most alluring features is the wall of french doors leading to a view of Lake Monona. In a lake-laden town like Madison, one would expect many such lakefront dining opportunities, but puzzling as it may be, few restaurants offer such a view. Our visit fell in the heart of a very long winter, but that did not detract from the atmosphere.
Arriving deliberately early for our reservations, we were seated in the spacious bar. Service was helpful and friendly, and we were set up with our drink order while perusing the menu for appetizers to enjoy. Sardine offers a reasonably diverse selection of local, domestic, and imported beers ranging from Lake Louie Scotch Ale to Stella Artois. A selection of wines by the glass is also offered.
We selected two appetizers for the table to share. The shellfish eaters among us ordered the steamed mussels and frites with mayonnaise ($8). The mussels were plentiful and served in a very well seasoned broth with springs of fresh thyme. Warm goat cheese and crostini with arugula salad ($9) was flavorful, with the creamy goat cheese accented with tomato and olives.
Sardine’s menu has not changed dramatically since the restaurant first opened in 2006. We had heard rumors at that time that one of the signature offerings would be, not surprisingly, sardines. However, we’ve not seen it offered on any of the trips that we’ve made to the restaurant. One of the members of our party questioned this, and we were told that sardines are offered when in season. Our server wasn’t sure when the sardine season was… perhaps summer, and perhaps supplied from the Mediterranean.
On this visit four different dishes were ordered. The orecchiette with broccoli rabe, oven roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, niçoise olives and parmesan ($13) was prepared to al dente, with a very light sauce which allowed the tomatoes, olives, and cheese to stand out. The seared artic char over braised white bean pistou, grilled bread and petite salad ($22) was a robust meal on a winter evening. The white beans were prepared perfectly so that they maintained their structural integrity on the plate, and were firm to the bite. Outside of Lombardino’s, this was the best use of beans in an entree that we’ve experienced in Madison.
The Steak frites, a grilled ribeye steak with compound butter and frites ($23) was deemed cooked to perfection. The ribeye, while not being as thick as steakhouse trends have taken servings, was very well portioned for the price. The frites (or thinly sliced french fries) were mounded high on the plate as an accompaniment. The Pan-seared skatewing, sautéed broccoli rabe, fingerling potatoes with a lemon butter sauce ($18) was a good sized portion of white fish, dotted with capers, and served with a wedge of fresh lemon along the side. The broccoli rabe added a fresh green accent to the dish.
We also ordered some garnitures (or side dishes). The hericots verts and the sauteed spinach (both $4) were fresh and cooked to a perfect crispness. They added a nice touch to the entrees.
Though satisfied by the meal, we could not pass up dessert when offered. Two desserts caught our eyes. The seasonal sorbet ($6) was an intensely flavored pear sorbet, dotted with fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint. The creme brulee ($6) was perfectly prepared, with a crunchy caramelized sugar crust leading to a creamy, warm butterscotch custard underneath. This was the hit of the table.
In conclusion, our Madison Diners did not lead us astray when they told us that Sardine should win the Mad Diner Award for Best New Restaurant. We would encourage Sardine to freshen their menu on a regular basis, as it is somewhat limited and return visitors may wish to seek out more dishes than are offered. Still, we expect that Sardine may be around long enough to one day qualify for the Mad Diner award for Best Madison Tradition!
Popularity: 39% [?]
Posted in Dinner, Mad Diner Awards, Reviews 3 Comments - add yours too »
Madison’s Far East side should be brimming with dining hope. Talula has opened, and we’re excited.
The dinner menu is small but varied. Those familiar with Fyfes will immediately recognize the very strong influence that it had on Talula’s menu. Appetizers range from Atlas Crab Cakes ($12.95) to Spicy Edamame ($4.95). There’s also a noteworthy Artichoke Crostini ($9.95) and a Talula Snack Platter ($11.95), consisting of assorted cheeses, fruits, crackers and Deviled Eggs.
But we ordered drinks, skipped the appetizers and went right to the meal. 
As we dined we were entertained to see that some things will probably never change. The extremely awful chandelier which has been there since The Pig’s Ear days was still in service, and still as awful as ever. But at this point it must be considered kitschy tradition.
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