Tag: 2018

B-Lux Bar & Grill

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My family and I were spending a few days in Wisconsin Dells for my sister’s birthday. We were looking for a place to eat that wasn’t at the Kalahari. I am so glad we agreed on Blux. Although the service was horrendous, the food was on point. The restaurant is located right across from the Army Duck rides and Noah’s Ark waterpark. The restaurant has a lot of seating but I can see it being extremely busy during the summer months.

My eyes widen when I saw the B-Lux Donut Shake, a Nutella shake topped with whip cream and a sprinkled glazed donut. Oh was it delicious. There is no need for explanation of why you should get this. For an appetizer, we ordered the Loaded Chili Totchos, but we had to wait for them because our waitress entered in the wrong appetizer. That meant that our food came out shortly after the appetizer. The appetizer had tator tots fully loaded with chili, cheese, and salsa. We had the sour cream on the side per the birthday girl’s request. The tots were crispy and had the perfect amount of toppings to make sure you got some on each tot.

I decided to order the Big Hippie Burger and OMG it was deliciousness. I decided to get chipotle mayo and it paired well with the chipotle black bean burger, sprouts, and avocado. I am not a fan of the sprouts, but it totally worked with the burger. This is probably one of the best bean burger I’ve ever had (the next best is homemade of course). My family was not disappointed by their selections either, other than the fries being a little over well done. The birthday girl had a Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich and she enjoyed that one too. If you’re in Wisconsin Dells, I highly recommend stopping for a food at this restaurant.

Strings Ramen

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I was super excited when I heard a new ramen restaurant was opening up in Madison. I walked past it several times in anticipation for it to open. It finally did and I was not disappointed. Strings Ramen has locations in Chicago, and I heard how good it was from friends. When it opened, I had to go. I was on a mission to try all ramen restaurants in Madison and am working on a Vuepinion piece, so stay tuned.

The restaurant has limited seating so it can be a challenge during peak hours, but thankfully, turnover is quick. It was opening week, so we were seated immediately since few knew it had opened. As you walk in you are greeted by the entire kitchen, which makes you feel welcomed and that they actually care you are there. They had a few specials that day so we ordered a spicy pork belly don (I don’t remember the name of it). I’ve been hoping that they would have this as special again because it was so good. The pork belly was served on top of rice garnished with spicy mayo, pickled ginger, roasted garlic, and scallions, which is different to the one on their menu. I enjoyed the boldness of the pork belly spiced up with the spicy mayo and scallions but subdued by the acidity of the ginger and buttery textured garlic. I almost wanted to order another one just for myself since it was shared among the table.

I typically order tonkotsu when I go to a ramen restaurant but saw Hell Ramen on the menu. I love crispy pork skin so I was sold. I had to decide on the spice level and settled on level three, Shugou. It was spicy but not over the top. I love spicy so I would not recommend getting this level if you hardly eat spicy food. My tongue did go numb but its due to the spices not how spicy it tasted to me. The broth was full bodied and the ramen noodles were perfection. I often find other ramen broth from local restaurants underwhelming and broth is key to any noodle soup dish.

I am so happy this restaurant opened up as another option for ramen on a cold day or even hot summer day (see photos). My friends were not disappointed with their ramen either so I definitely would recommend trying this restaurant if you’re looking for good ramen.

https://www.ramenchicago.com

Achari

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I don’t think there’s anything bad I can say about this place other than it is in another country. The first time I ever ate here was about four years ago on a business trip. It was our last night in England before heading home. We asked the front desk to recommend a good Indian restaurant near our hotel. He recommended Achari and I’ve been going back since.

The last time I was at Achari was earlier this year in January. It had been on my mind and I couldn’t wait to have dinner. It was a long day in the office and by the time I drove from the office to my hotel and checked in it was late in the evening. When I got to the restaurant it was exactly as I remembered it. It was busy this evening. The service was a bit slow but it was worth the wait.

I ordered only one papadum and it was served with seven chutneys. Each one was so good I couldn’t decide which one was the best. Most Indian restaurants I’ve been to would only serve a few chutneys. Let’s just say I devoured the papadum and wanted more. I should have asked for two since they were complimentary but I was saving my stomach for the rest of my dinner.

I decided not to order my favorite curry, Chicken Vindaloo, and opted to try the Chicken Madras instead. With a long flight ahead of me I wanted to make sure my stomach was not upset because it’s very spicy. I can tolerate a lot of heat so when I say “very spicy” I mean it. I also got garlic naan and rice. I love my curry with rice, but the garlic naan is just too good to pass up. I love my carbs so I get rice and naan every time.

When I finally got my food, I dug right in. The Madras was delicious. It was spicy, but definitely not as hot as Vindaloo. The base of the curry is similar as vindaloo but the spices are different. I have found, at least in the U.S., that yogurt is added to reduce the spiciness of Madras, which is disappointing when that’s exactly what I want. Luckily, at Achari that is not the case. It was the perfect level of spiciness for me. Everything was so good that I finished most of my food and I have pictures to prove it lol.

If you are ever catching a flight from Heathrow airport and you want to try some delicious Indian food, I highly recommend this place. It isn’t far from the airport and they even deliver. However, naan doesn’t travel well and is always better at the restaurant. Now I just have to find an Indian restaurant near me that is just as good.

http://www.achari.co.uk/index.html

     

     

Café Hollander

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One of the great things about blogging about restaurants is that I get the opportunity to meet up with friends while enjoying a meal. Holly and I hadn’t seen each other in a while and I had introduced her to Café Hollander a year ago when we went there to celebrate me receiving my M.B.A. This restaurant is located at Hilldale Mall and originated from Milwaukee. I was so happy it opened in Madison because I loved having brunch there when visiting friend. I hope they bring back the jalapeno biscuits my friends had raved about because I never got to try it.

It was cold the morning we met up so I ordered the White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha. I love the fact that they serve it with a piece of Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares. You cannot go wrong with this coffee, which has a shot of espresso and liqueurs, Bols Crème de Cacao and Van Gogh Vanilla vodka, mixed with white chocolate, raspberry maple syrup, and steamed milk. Let’s just say it was a good way to warm up and start my day. My waiter had forgotten the Ghirardelli, so of course, I asked for it.

It was a sweet kind of breakfast day for me. I ordered the Cinnamon Streusel French Toast. I wished it came with some type of protein because honestly, who wants to eat just sweets for breakfast. Not me. I ordered eggs over medium, breakfast potatoes, and bacon on the side. Now that’s a meal. I love French toast and it was delicious. I loved how thick the slices were and the whipped butter. I love maple syrup and it paired perfectly with the cinnamon streusel.

I don’t recall what Holly ordered but it was either the Traditional Eggs Benedict or Brewcity Benedict. She loves Eggs Benedict just like me. It was great catching up with her while enjoying a delicious breakfast. This is a must try place if you are into brunch as much as my friends and I are.

https://cafehollander.com/

Lee’s Chinese Takeaway

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I was craving Chinese takeout when I was traveling this past January for work in England. I looked up the best Chinese “takeaway” in Melksham. I read reviews for several places but settled on Lee’s Takeaway. It had great reviews and was literally a couple minutes’ drive from my hotel so I could stop on my way back after work.

I arrived to the restaurant and was a bit confused where to enter because Lee’s Fish and Chips is next door, but luckily chose the right entrance. It wasn’t busy and was seated against the back wall. I was hungry so I ordered the Salt & Chili Spare Ribs appetizer. I wasn’t expecting fried spare ribs sprinkled with chili peppers and scallions but surprisingly, they were pretty good that I ate it all.

For dinner, I decided to get the House Special Chop Shuey. It had shrimp, chicken, beef, and roasted pork with vegetables. I was really craving veggies that night so settle on this since there was more than just broccoli. It was served over noodles instead of rice. I love me some rice so I was disappointed. The sauce wasn’t as thick as I would expect for chop sheuy and was a bit oily, but I think that may have been due to the way the noodles were prepared. The sauce on the meat and vegetables was the right consistency. The dish didn’t blow me away but it did please my hunger.

I was full but decided to get dessert. I could not decide so I asked my waitress and she recommended one since it was the most popular. I don’t recall the name of the dessert but I found the dessert a bit unusual. It was beautifully plated but once I put my spoon to it the frozen layers of ice cream was hard to cut through. It was also topped with what chocolate like dip and dots. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy the dessert as much as other guests had. My experience overall was that it was a decent Chinese restaurant with ample seating and a nice décor. However, I’ll be looking for another Chinese restaurant to try when I am back in Melksham.

Miko Poke

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I went to Miko Poke for the first time last fall. I enjoyed it so much I decided to meet my friend, Yang, out for dinner to catch up. The setup was different from the last time I was in. You now place your order with the cashier and wait until your name is called instead of having someone build your poke bowl and then paying at the end. I preferred the original setup but that is more due to the flow since the cash register is at the far end of the counter. However, this can be easily changed.

This time I ordered the Hawaii Style House Creation with Spicy Tuna and Brown Rice. I really enjoyed all the flavors of this bowl. The avocado paired well with the spicy aioli, cucumbers, and edamame. The scallions gave it the right amount of kick. The only thing I didn’t like was when I got to the bottom of the bowl the rice was drenched in poke sauce. I couldn’t eat the rest because it was just too much sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love sauces but in this case it overpowered the rest of the flavors. Good thing it was at the bottom of the bowl and not throughout because I had thoroughly enjoyed it up to that point.

This was the second time I went and my tummy was still very pleased. I will definitely be coming back when I want something refreshing and healthy to eat. I may consider asking them to holding the poke sauce in the future since there are bottles of the different sauces available by the silverware and napkins in case you want to add more. This place is a definite must if you want to try something similar to sushi as the tuna is raw.

https://mikopoke.com/

Everly

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I am so blessed to have awesome friends that I spent Valentine’s Day with and got to try out a new restaurant. After Bluephies closed down, two restaurants opened in its place. I had heard good things about Everly, so I was looking forward to this night.

Surprisingly this evening wasn’t overly busy with our 8 pm reservation. I was seated promptly as Andrew had already been shown our table. Nhi and Angie showed up shortly after. Everly was still offering the three-course menu from Restaurant Week, which Nhi and Angie obliged. Andrew and I decided to order off the dinner menu.

As a group, we decided to start with a bottle of Tempernillo. I had mentioned that it was considered a cheap wine according to my best friend’s French father-in-law who loved this particular type of wine. Angie was won over with the fact that it is considered cheap. I love red wine and this one definitely went well with dinner.

I ordered the Curry Samosas for my appetizer. The other appetizer ordered was fried gnocchi cheese. The Curry Samosas were delicious with the mint chutney-like dipping sauce that accompanied it. The fried gnocchi tasted like cheese curds. You could not go wrong with this appetizer. I was very impressed with the appetizers and looked forward to my entrée.

I decided on the Spicy Rigatoni for my main course. The spicy got me of course. It was topped with raw tuna and once mixed, perfectly cooked the tuna. Overall, it was good choice. However, the noodles were not evenly cooked. I had some rigatoni that were hard and trust me, not al dente. I also had to ask for Parmesan. Common its pasta, I shouldn’t have to wait for 5 minutes for my server to return so I could ask for it and she looked taken back when I did. The tomato-based sauce could have used more red pepper flakes because when I see spicy, I expect spicy. I guess this is what I get for ordering pasta from a non-Italian restaurant.

I really wanted a chocolate dessert that night but there wasn’t anything but a Chocolate Gelato, so I settled for that. I enjoyed the gelato and serving size was generous. Nhi had ordered a whipped crumble dessert, I don’t remember what it was called exactly, but it was delicious. The whipped heavy cream was light and airy which balanced out the berry sweetness of the dessert. I really regretted my decision once I had a bit of her dessert.

At the end of the evening, Andrew was kind enough to use a gift card he had received on us ladies. What a sweetheart! I was in great company and the food overall was good with some misses but I can let those go. The ambiance was great and would definitely be a place I would go to again.

https://everlymadison.com

Captain Bill’s

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After a long day of flying back from England, I made it out to dinner with siblings and friends for Restaurant Week. My friend Karim loves seafood, and that’s an understatement, so we settled on Captain Bill’s Seafood Restaurant in Middleton. What I love about Restaurant Week is that you can try a three-course meal at participating local restaurants for a reasonable price. This makes it super easy for ordering because the menu is limited.

We arrived to dinner around 8 pm and I was starving but severely jetlagged. I tried ordering a bottle of champagne for the table but was told that the bottle was small and would not be enough to share. I proceeded to order a bottle of wine thinking I could do the same thing but our waitress was persistent that they only sold it by the glass even though the wine list for Restaurant week show two prices and one that was clearly for a bottle. I thought I was going mad since I had been up for almost 24 hours. I was reassured I was not by my party, thankfully. I decided I had to order coffee if I wanted to stay awake and not be loopy.

Our waitress took our order for the first two courses. I had to get the clam chowder and most of the table agreed except Karim who opted for a chopped salad. As for the main course, all of us got the lobster tail with filet mignon while Roy, I believe, got bacon wrapped shrimp. Our first course came out quickly. The clam chowder was definitely interesting with bacon in it. I did not care for the bacon and felt that it overpowered the taste of the soup. I felt like I was eating a bake potato soup. It was a disappointment. If I wanted bacon soup, I would order it and not clam chowder soup.

First course down and I wasn’t overly impressed. We received our main course and I was pleased with the lobster tail but I could do without the steak. It was cooked to the right pinkness but the flavor was just all right. Of course, I saved the lobster tail for last because that was the highlight of the dish along with the asparagus. Francesca and Karim were disappointed that the lobster was somewhat cold.

When we finished our mains, we ordered our dessert. I chose the lava cake and hoped there was ice cream that accompanied it. The lava cake looked so sad when it arrived missing the lava part which makes the whole dessert. I tried looking around to see what other tables got for dessert to compare because honestly, I think the dessert was just poorly plated by our server. There was barely any chocolate syrup so it made it hard for me to enjoy the chocolate cake, which was essentially just an individual size Bundt cake. Overall, I was disappointed because I love seafood and am always looking for great go-to seafood restaurant.

http://capbills.com

Hot Pot

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I really got into hot pot late last fall to the point I had it every week for a couple months. My friends introduced me to hot pot years ago and I only really went when they did. I decided to take a few friends that had never had it before to try it and we were hooked. This led me to try a couple different restaurants in Madison.

Soga is the first place I ever had hot pot. It was once located on the corner of Gilman and State but has since moved towards Bascom Hill on State Street. The new location is nicer than its previous location. In my opinion, Soga has the best quality meat and seafood. There are two options for broth. The traditional or spicy version. You can also get half and half if you choose. However, they offer an array of condiments so that you can flavor the broth the way you want.

On my journey to try different restaurants in Madison that have hot pot, I tried Double 10 on Park Street that offers individual hot pot. Perfect for those who don’t like to share. They offer more broth options than Soga and have condiments you can use to flavor your broth. The kimchi broth was delicious. I enjoyed the udon noodles and even though we got our own hot pot we were able to share our platters that came with it. If you are by yourself, it could get pricey with adding on different meats, vegetables, and noodles.

I later ventured to Ichiban on Park Street. We went here for my stepmom’s birthday. It has the most flavorful traditional broth compared to Soga and Double 10. Service was a bit slow and the quality of the meat is subpar to Soga in my opinion. It is the best for large parties since there is ample seating compared to the other restaurants. We also ordered other dishes to share and it was superb. I loved the family style tables that really allowed my huge family to share all the food we bought.

In all, I had a great experience trying out what Madison had to offer and will be definitely back to each one of them when I have a hot pot craving. Each of the restaurants have a unique appeal. Soga with its quality meat and seafood. Double 10 with individual hot pot for those who prefer not to share. And Ichiban with its flavorful broth and family style seating. You cannot go wrong at any of these places.

http://www.sogashabushabumadison.com

http://www.double10restaurant.com

http://www.ichibanmadison.com

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