Category: Revues

Tavernakaya

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My last visit to Tavernakaya definitely changed my mind about this restaurant. The first experience I had eating there was shortly after it had opened. All I remember was that the noodles in the ramen and wings were good. I ate there a few times since and was never really impressed with the food. I figured I would give it another go since Nhi had never been.

It was a cold evening and I was happy to be seated away from the door. Many new restaurants that have popped up in Madison are tapas style. Tavernakaya is similar, in which you can order small or large plates to share with the table. This is what we decided to do that night.

We started off with ordering the Kurosawa Nigori Sake bottle, ‘O.G.’ Pork Buns, and Kakuni skewers. When the bottle of sake arrived, we quickly realized that we both have had it before. The ‘O.G.” Pork Buns and Kakuni skewers came out and were a perfect serving for two. The steamed bun was filled pork belly, pickled sliced cucumber, and green onions. The pickled cucumber wasn’t overwhelming and helped offset the taste of the pork belly since it can be rich in flavor to some. The Kakuni (pork belly) skewers were plated over hot mustard. I love pork belly so these two dishes hit the spot.

We decided to get more food because, hey, we like food. We ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen and Sake (salmon) nigiri. In order to avoid the upcharge for splitting the ramen, our waitress brought out another bowl for us. The broth for the ramen tasted good but wasn’t as spicy as I would like. The pork, egg, and noodles were excellent. Nhi was shocked when I told her that the noodles were made from Umami. A place I haven’t been to but have heard that the noodles in the ramen aren’t the best. The salmon nigiri looked a little suspect, but taste all right.

By now, our waitress probably thought we were full, but no, we placed an order for Tako (octopus) nigiri and Fried Chicken Buns. The Tako nigiri was excellent. I was pleasantly surprised because octopus can sometimes be overdone and chewy. The Fried Chicken Buns blew me away. The pickled veggies with spicy mayo really hit the spot. The fried chicken wasn’t overly heavy and had a good crunch to it. Mmmm, I want one now.

At the end of the night, they started clearing off the area where we sat and increased the background music volume. When they started setting up the DJ station, we knew it was our cue to get out of there. I had a great time catching up with Nhi and left happy and full. It was a successful girls night and definitely a restaurant worth suggesting to others to check out.

https://www.tavernakaya.com

Marigold Kitchen

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I had a Friday off since I was traveling for work on Sunday. That morning I woke up hungry as usual and decided to take Jeremiah and Francesca to brunch at Marigold Kitchen. It’s one of my favorite places for brunch in Madison. I wanted my siblings have great experience like I have in the past. Luckily, it wasn’t busy. We were able to place our order and find an empty table. My brother got the Granola Pancakes special and my sister the Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes. I ordered the Chili Poached Eggs and Hazelnut Mocha Latte.

Of course, I had to try each of their pancakes. I had one bite of the Granola Pancakes and OMG it was heaven. It had the perfect amount of sweetness, cinnamon, and butter – light and fluffy. I wished I had ordered it and I am not a huge pancake person. The Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes were good but it could not compete with the Granola Pancakes. The pumpkin flavor was very prominent but it lack the sweetness. Then again, my sister doesn’t appreciate syrup as much as I do.

I took a bite out of my dish and was disappointed by the poached eggs. They were poached in a dish and not freely in water, which you could tell by the shape, and were overdone. The prosciutto that the eggs were on top of was delicious but since it was on the bottom, didn’t do much to add flavor to the dish nor did the manchego cheese. The chili pepper flakes were sparse. In all, it was not horrible but not great either.

I did enjoy my Hazelnut Mocha Latte, which was served in a nice big mug with the leave design on top. The experience wasn’t what I wanted for my siblings. I don’t think Francesca was too impressed after my rave of how great it was. If it wasn’t for my brother’s pancake choice it would have been a bust going to Marigold Kitchen. However, I will still maintain that it is one of my favorite places for brunch because of the atmosphere and past meals I’ve had.

http://marigoldkitchen.com

The National Cafe

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I debated whether I should write a revue on this restaurant because I was not impressed. The National Cafe is located in Milwaukee. I met up with a few friends for brunch there. My friend, Sarah, is vegan, so we are always trying to find restaurants that offer vegan options. I showed up exhausted from the night before and was starving for food. I was surprised I was able to make the drive in the morning for brunch at noon. We were fashionably late due to getting my best friend’s, Nicole, little one ready while Sarah had already placed her order so that she could snatch a table when one became available.

The menu looked amazing. I knew I wanted breakfast but had a hard time deciding then settled on the Ulitimate Breakfast Sandwich. I placed my order and had to get the chocolate chip cookie. I ate it while waiting for a seat and was sad that it was almost rock like. It was freshly baked that day and one of the main reasons I got it, yet it was surprisingly a pretty stiff cookie. I don’t mind cookies that aren’t chewy and soft but it lacked sweetness in the dough, which didn’t make up for how tough it was eat. Regardless, I ate three quarters of it; I was hungry.

It took a while for us to get our food. When we did, I took a bite out of my sandwich and it was flavorless. I chose bacon as my meat choice and even that was lacking. It was also filled with caramelized onions, fried eggs, avocado, and olive tapenade. Even with all that no real flavor. The sourdough was too stiff from being toasted that I felt I was eating something charred just without the taste and the sauce was nonexistence. It’s sriracha mayo and usually noticeable. The name sure fooled me. The only thing I enjoyed was the fresh fruit it was served with. My orange juice wasn’t that good either. I don’t think any of us were thrilled with our meals. The restaurant was super cute inside but I don’t think I will be going back.

http://www.nationaleats.com

Monty’s Blue Plate Diner

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I’ve always loved this place. I think it’s because of their boozy shakes haha. Anyway, I ended up taking my mentee here for dinner. We had originally planned to go ice skating at Tenney Park but it was dark and freezing outside. I think dinner was a better idea. I asked her if there was any place that she would like to go. She couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant but after asking a few questions, I knew exactly which restaurant she was talking about: Monty’s.

I love the old school feel of the diner and how the first thing you see when you walk in is the desserts. It was busy for a Thursday night so we had to wait until they could clear off a table. All I could talk about was what dessert I was going to get. I was eyeing the Reese’s Cheesecake while waiting. When we were seated, we both examined the drink menu thoroughly before placing our order. She got an Oreo Shake and I got the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Shake.

We spent most of the time catching up since we hadn’t seen each other since November. Luckily, we both were able to decide on what to order even though we had been chatting the whole time. I ordered the Ultimate Mac & Cheese and she ordered the Corned Beef Hash. For some reason, I really wanted a hefty meal even though I had Chinese buffet for lunch that day. Mac and cheese sounded like it was going to hit the spot, especially since it was made out of sharp cheddar cheese and was topped with Parmesan and Asiago – yum!

We received our shakes and the stainless steel cup with the excess in it. It is literally another serving. The first sip was to die for so I took a big gulp. My shake had vanilla and strawberry ice cream from Sassy Cow and was topped with chocolate syrup. The wafer that is put on top of the whip cream was delicious – honestly, one of the reasons why I love their shakes. It was a great combination of chocolate and strawberry. I finished it all including what was in the cup and had no room for dessert.

Our meals actually made it to our table before our shakes did. I was disappointed with my first bite since I was expecting an explosion of flavors because of the cheeses that is used to make the mac and cheese. Overall, it was solid. The garlic bread served on the side was a bit burnt and was not as garlicy as I would like. It was also not cut evenly so one half was bulkier than the other which did not help the butter soak into the larger half. As for the Corned Beef Hash, it tasted good. I have never had it before but it seemed like you could do no wrong in ordering it. Moreover, my mentee finished it so it must have been good.

This diner is inviting and has awesome shakes. It is a great place to come for breakfast anytime of the day or for brunch. It is definitely a place worth checking out. And did I say they have awesome shakes? So if you like milkshakes or malts check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, even if your meal isn’t phenomenal, the shake will win you over.

https://montysblueplatediner.com

 

Heritage Tavern

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A couple weekends ago, I met friends for brunch at the Heritage Tavern before we went to see Rent at the Overture Center. I love brunch and was ecstatic when my friend, Nhi, suggested a new restaurant. I had walked by the restaurant several times before and never knew the name of it. Like most restaurants downtown, it was busy. However, it didn’t take long for us to get our table, but maybe that had more to do with the fact that I was late. I barely had a sip of my drink before we were escorted to our seats.

When going through the menu, I automatically knew what I would get. My rule of thumb for determining whether a restaurant has good brunch is how good its eggs Benedict is. If a restaurant cannot make decent eggs Benedict, it will probably be the last time I go there for brunch. Of course, that was what I ordered.

The Classic Eggs Benedict was plated beautifully when it came out. The eggs were poached and hollandaise consistency looked perfect. The rosti potato wasn’t what I expected it to be since the potato was not grated. What did I think when I took my first bite? It was good. Not great, unfortunately. I liked the “Old-Fashioned” ham and thought the hollandaise sauce was good. I prefer my hollandaise sauce with a bit more lemon than most people do. The eggs were poached exactly the way I like it – the yolk runny with a bit of pasty texture. The rosti potato was not crispy enough and needed more seasoning.

I also ordered the Donuts & Espresso-Coffee Ganache and yes, I did share them. They were delicious and absolutely divine as it was stated several times after brunch. The donuts had the perfect texture that was not too dense or light, and had the right amount of sugar. The espresso-coffee ganache sauce balanced the sweetness of the donut.

Nhi ordered the Lobster Scramble. I had a bite of it and OMG it was good. Honestly, I could have ate it for her. The croissant that came with it was huge. I will definitely order it the next time I go there for brunch. The House Cut Fries ordered for the table were delicious, especially with house ketchup and chili aioli. It was a great starter even for brunch. The feel of the restaurant was perfect for meeting friends for brunch and the donuts definitely increased the chance that I will be going back.

http://heritagetavern.com/

Osteria Papavero

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I finally had the opportunity to eat at Osteria Papavero a couple weekends ago after talking about going there for months. It is a quaint, almost rustic feel Italian restaurant. When we arrived, it didn’t take long to get a table even though the restaurant is quite small. Our waitress was amazing and went through the menu with us and listed from memory all of the specials and the type of pasta available for the evening. I was impressed. We also spoke about the owners and how they are from Reggio Emilia, which is where I was last month. What a small world.

We started with some cocktails. We ordered the Little Italy and Pago Pago. Our waitress was spot on when she explained that dark notes of the Little Italy cocktail, which was perfect for the chilly night. We ordered the Mare for our antipasti. That night the Mare consisted of three appetizers: crab cake on top of tartar, peppercorn and coriander crusted tuna on bed of tomatoes, and white fish sausage on a puree. From my understanding, what is offered on the Mare may differ daily. My favorite of the trio was the tuna. It was seared flawlessly around the edges. I found the crab cake to be my least favorite because it was too salty for my taste, surprisingly, because I love salty food. In my opinion, the salt overpowered the crab flavor.

For my main entrée, I ordered the Risotto, which was made in a lobster broth with shrimp. My first bite of the Risotto was not great. The lobster broth was pungent and I almost didn’t like my dish. After thoroughly stirring the Risotto, the lobster flavor mellowed out and I was able to enjoy my dinner. Beware if you do not like the taste of seafood or fishiness. I also found the rice to be a bit harder than I would have liked. This was by far not my favorite Risotto but not the worst I’ve had.

My friend, Roy, ordered the pasta in place of the Tortelli that was not available that evening. It was crab and ricotta filled tortelli topped with seafood in a wine sauce. We both wanted to order that dish but I conceded. I had the waitress describe the entrée to us twice because that’s all I could think about so I couldn’t focus on what the other specials were. It was delicious. If you like a good mixture of seafood and filled pasta, I definitely recommend and especially with the Gnocco Fritto. It is puffed bread that has a layer of salt on top of it. I enjoyed it so much that I had to know the name of it.

At the end of the night, I ordered an espresso. I mean you can’t go to an authentic Italian restaurant and not get one. We ordered the Bundino di Caramello for dessert. The butterscotch pudding topped with the whippiest cream and cocoa powder was divine, which made it difficult to want to share. We ended the night with grappa like you would in Italy. We ordered the Pinot Noir grappa and it sure did help clear my nostrils and my digestive system. I enjoyed my experience at Osteria Papavero and will be returning.

https://osteriapapavero.com

Blue Agave

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My friend, Rose, invited me to lunch last week at Blue Agave. We had lost connection after high school and didn’t reconnect until last year. She is one of the most sincere, caring, and ambitious person I know and started a non-profit to raise money for the disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico and Mexico. Blue Agave is the venue where she wants to host her next fundraiser. I was excited by the invite because I finally found out what replaced the Bayou, and was ecstatic about trying out the new restaurant.

The restaurant has a different vibe than when it was the Bayou with the freshly painted walls, new tables and chairs, and sparkly chandeliers. Rose informed me that the upstairs was a lounge area and where the prospective fundraiser would be held. The lunch menu offers a variety of options from starters such as soups to entrees such as enchiladas and fajitas. You are also able to order off the dinner menu during lunch. We were served chips and salsa, which I was not the biggest fan of. The onions were not chopped, but sliced and looked dehydrated. It’s not the best salsa, but definitely not the worst.

It took us awhile to decide what to order because we were talking and laughing a lot. Our server was extremely patient with us. When we were ready to order, I asked for the Sopa Azteca but they were out. I was disappointed but being that it had recently opened, I understood. I went on to order the Table Side Guacamole instead and the Cali Burrito. I was happy to learn that the entrees came with rice and beans. It drives me nuts when you have to buy the sides separate when I believe the entrees should always come with rice and beans. Rose ordered the fajitas and her brother, the enchiladas.

The guacamole made its way to our table and when I took a bite, I instantly thought it needed more salt. Rose felt it needed more salt too so I grabbed a saltshaker from the nearby table. After adding salt and mixing, it made it taste better. Our food arrived and it smelled delicious. My Cali Burrito was well seasoned with the proper amount of vegetable to steak filling. I enjoyed the pico de gallo and cheese sauce that it was topped with and could swear that it was also topped with a chipotle red sauce that added the perfect zing to it. The rice and beans tasted great with the burrito that I wanted more. Rose’s brother, inhaled his enchiladas, which could only mean that they were delicious. Rose enjoyed her fajitas and almost cleaned her plate. The serving size was very generous.

The chef stopped by to see how we were doing and asked about our meals. When we mentioned the under salted guacamole, he was gracious and took it off our bill. He also made note to make it to my liking when I stopped in next. Before leaving, I jokingly told our server that I might stop by later that evening. After hot pot dinner and desserts with friends later in the day, I found out that a friend I had planned to meet up with afterwards was at Blue Agave. I arrived a few minutes after she had left and bumped into our server and the chef. I decided to stay and check out the lounge area. I loved the look of the white chairs and couches in the upstairs lounge and how warm it was inside comparatively to the single digit weather outside. I definitely will be going back for dinner and to enjoy the Latin music while lounging on a white couch.

http://blueagavemadison.com

NYE: Tornado Steakhouse

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Every year New Year’s Eve creeps around the corner and before you know, it is here. The last couple of years I decided to stay in and enjoy it in the comfort of my own house and bed. Prior, I had traveled to different cities to bring in the New Year with close friends. When deciding what to do for New Year’s Eve, I said, “Let’s go out to eat at a really nice restaurant.” I could not think of a better way to ring in 2018 than eating a big old piece of juicy steak at Tornado Steakhouse.

This wasn’t my first time, but it was for my siblings, Jeremiah and Francesca, and our friend, Roy. I had hyped it up so it needed to deliver. My sister asked if she needed to dress up and I told her no because it was a supper club. Hidden downtown Madison is this adorable supper club with some of the best steaks I have ever had. This night did not disappoint. We showed up without reservations but were able to spend an hour and half learning more about each other over drinks in the dimly lit bar area.

We were seated downstairs when our table became available. I was hoping that there would be a pianist that night but the hostess told me that the person was booked for another event. Our waiter was very attentive and apologized several times for cutting me off while I was talking. I talk a lot so it no matter what he would have to cut me off if he wanted to get a word in.

Our table was served bread and vegetable garnishing when we sat down. We started with the Coquille Saint Jacques since I knew Roy loves scallops. It was delightful. The scallops were tender and the mashed potatoes were creamy goodness so I scraped as much as it off the plate to eat. It was a great way to start the meal and just enough scallops for each of us.

I ordered the 8 oz. Filet medium with asparagus because I knew I couldn’t eat any more than that. You get a choice between salad or soup. Normally, I would go with the Caesar Salad because it’s honestly the best I’ve ever had, but opted to try the soup, King Crab Bisque. The soup tasted a slightly bitter to me and I felt that it was lacking something that could have made it better. I later realized that it might be the pairing between crab and bisque that is usually made with lobster.

What the rest of the party ordered were the 20 oz. Bone in Tenderloin, 16 oz. New York Strip, and the special, Prime Rib. We all shared our meals and of all of them, I found the Bone in Tenderloin to be the most flavorful, but that did not surprise me since some people argue that bone in steaks are additionally flavored by the bone. In all, I enjoyed all the samples of the other steaks.

We, more like I, ordered the Pineapple Upside Down Cake for dessert. Luckily, our waiter brought four spoons to share. I haven’t had Pineapple Upside Down Cake in a long time and the fact that it was served a la mode made it my number one choice. The cake was good but wished there was more brown sugar to make the upside down part sweeter. I knew I should have ordered another scoop of ice cream (yes, I am that person) as cake was left behind on the plate once the ice cream was gone.

We all went home stomach happy and ready for the countdown to 2018. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to midnight. The food and drinks put me into a food coma on my couch. I fell asleep to Harry Potter with my taste buds fully satisfied, and was ready to meet 2018.

Canteen

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A few months ago, I found out Nostronos closed down when our CEO wanted to have dinner there with the management team from my workplace. I was disappointed to hear it closed and was curious what opened in its place. I was pleasantly surprised that a taqueria had replaced it when I stopped there late one night after a dinner date. Although we did not eat there, the creative cocktails were worth the stop. The Spicy Margarita immediately caught my eye because of my love for spicy food, and boy did I have to sip on it since I didn’t want it to upset my stomach especially while on a date. The drink menu excited my date as he chose a margarita made with mezcal because of its smoky flavor.

A couple weeks later, I met friends for dinner but the restaurant we had planned on eating at was not able to accommodate our party. We decided to try out Canteen. We were served duritos, which I am not a huge fan of, but my friends could not stop eating them. They are puffed wheat made in the shape of a spoke wheel flavored with chili and lime. My friends ordered the nachos and raved about how good it was with its freshly made tortilla chips. My friend ordered Creamy Horchata and I really like how refreshing it tasted. I ended up ordered two tacos: Pork Belly and Carne Asada. I wanted to love the tacos but found the meat dry, which took away from the flavor of the tacos.

Last week, I decided to give Canteen another try, and went with my brother and a friend for lunch. This is when I notice how extensive the list of the tequilas and mezcal was. We decided to order the Añejo Flight and were able to pick the three Añejos. Of the three I enjoyed the Herradura because of its lightness and smooth taste, which is sometimes hard to find in tequila.

We went on to order two appetizers. I had to order the Nachos because I only had a bite previously but was disappointed by it. It didn’t live up to the hype my friends had claimed the last time I was there. I found the chorizo to be oily and lacking in flavor, and the cheese too mild. The second appetizer we ordered was the Ceviche. I enjoyed this dish but wished it had more citrus. It was topped over guacamole, which was under seasoned and could have benefited from some salt and garlic.

We all ordered tacos for our main entrees. I chose two different tacos this time. I ordered the Barbacoa Beef Brisket and Grilled Farmers Cheese. The beef was juicy but the ratio of the beef to toppings made the taco taste bland. If there was less meat I think the taco would have been tasted better. I really enjoyed the Grilled Farmers Cheese. This is a good option for a vegetarian. I thought the flavors went well together and really liked the combination of the beans, salsa, and avocado. If you are looking for gooey cheese when biting into this taco, you will be disappointed as the cheese is dense.

We decided to go all out and ordered dessert. The Choco Taco excited us but it did not live up to our expectations. The wafer shell was soft and the quality of the ice cream did not make up for it. Additionally, the sunflower seeds did not go well on the Choco Taco. We also ordered the Strawberries and Cream Paleta. I enjoyed the paleta but I expected more based on what we paid for the dessert.

Overall, I believe Canteen is worth trying out but it does have a couple misses. What makes up for the misses is the different kind of tequilas it carries and the tacos are decently priced. I don’t believe you will be wowed by everything on the menu but I would definitely say it is not horrible. Located in one of the corner buildings of the capitol square, it is a great place to stop by if you’re looking for something quick and light.

http://canteentaco.com