Burgers and Brew - The Taste is Local 2010

Burgers and Brew is a can't miss event every year hosted by Capital Brewery in Middleton, WI! This is my second time going, last year Kyle and I went. L'Etoile stole the show for me then and it seems like they had another solid offering this year so I was very excited. Burgers and Brew is basically local chefs making burgers out of local meats, veggies and fixings and pairing them with a local brew. The money raised benefits REAP which is a non-profit that helps local growers and farmers. So while lots of people run 5ks or do bike rides for causes (ok I do those too) I thought that not only can I help a cause I can also eat burgers and drink beer. Sold!

I picked out 3 burgers I'd like to try while I was standing in line. Alexis and Riz also were partaking as Nina and Jess were there to offer eating encouragement! My first burger was prepared by Jacs Dining & Tap House which I've never heard of. The Brewbarb burger was a grilled beef burger topped with bacon, pickled rhubarb, caramelized onions and creamy havarti served on focaccia with a Picnic Ants beer from O'So brewery on the side. It looks a little something like this (not I am still dry, it started to pour right after this!)

It was an excellent burger. Well-made for sure. The pickled rhubarb was scary but they didn't put all that much on there so instead of being overwhelmed it was complimentary of everything else. Interesting for sure. I'd order this burger. The Picnic Ants beer is not for everyone and while I liked it at first it got a bit overwhelming by the end (which is usually the opposite.)

Alexis went for The Local Legend burger at Lombardinos. It was a lamb burger patty with a gently fried quail egg, smoked bacon aioli with lettuce and onion. It was her favorite burger as well, but I didn't try it.

The Riz optioned for the Willy Street Co-Op Bellaburger. The blend of beef and italian sausage had Riz declaring this one of the best burgers he had on this afternoon. It was rounded out with sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, red onion and roasted garlic, topped with frest mozarella and tomato relish. My bite was decent as well.

Riz upped the pace (it started to rain and he wasn't willing to let the rain clear like the rest of us, although it never cleared that afternoon) and went for burger #2. It was Fresco's Bad to the Bone Burger and it left us all confused. The description was a beef burger topped with bone marrow caramelized onions, a black truffle aioli and local radish. Bone marrow caramelized onions, what the heck does that mean? Riz things it means delicious as he also thought this was among the best. "The awesome truffle aioli came through really well." My bite was excellent as well!I finally went and braved the rain for the burger I've been waiting for. L'Etoile's Seasonal Spud burger was on tap for me. Grilled beef with Petit Frere cheese, Walla Walla onions, bacon, hashed brown potatoes and rhubarb mayo. Weird. This burger did not disappoint in the least in fact it was far and away the best burger I've had in the two years at this festival. The rhubarb mayo didn't add much but the patty/cheese combination was among the best I've ever had. The hashed brown potatoes added a great flavor as well and you can't go wrong with bacon even though the bacon took a back seat to the patty and cheese.Worthy of a second shot to show how wet I was but how delicious the burger is!Riz got right back on the horse to try the Jalepeno Blend burger at Tornado Steakhouse. Jalepenos were blended into the beef/pork mixture when grinding it and then it was cooked and topped with whipped feta cheese. A couple of us were questioning Riz on if he liked Feta or not and clearly he mixed it up with something else because he hated the feta. Not sure what his thoughts on the patty were but I got to eat half of this burger and I thought the meat grind was outstanding. I would've prefered a bleu cheese to the whipped feta but overall I really liked this burger. Here's a closeup of the whipped feta.

My last burger was supposed to be Sardine's Big Ed's Summer Marmalade Burger. You can tell Dane County is famous for rhubarb as this one has a sweet onion and rhubarb marmalade on it along with bacon, arugula, cheese, mustard and aioli. I opted away from the IPA that was served with this. This was my least favorite burger of the bunch. Not to say it was bad, it was actually good, which means the 2010 event was a success! Three burgers all with rhubarb makes me laugh a little. This one had a strong mustard flavor which kind of took away from everything else this burger could offer. The Rye Bob beer from Grumpy Troll was decent but pretty typical.I can't remember which burger Alexis has 2nd (I believe it was the one from L'Etoile as well) but we both ended up having an Alchemy Cafe Tin Shack Smokehouse burger. I found a burger coupon on the ground so I got a bonus 4th burger and was pretty excited. I originally went to get an extra burger from L'Etoile (it was so awesome) but while I was getting poured on in the extra-long line I saw that Alchemy was serving bison burgers from North Star Bison. North Star Bison is from Rice Lake, WI, or where I grew up, so I figured that was sign for me to give it a shot. The grilled bison burger was pretty typically topped with caramelized onions, bacon, spinach, white cheddar and a herb aioli. I was also excited to get a Smokin' Hemp porter as advertised but they were serving an IPA with it, so I passed and used my last beer coupon on ice cream. Back to the burger, it was excellent! The lean bison was still plenty juicy and the cheddar was aged perfectly! Loved it, probably the second best burger of the day. Alexis liked hers as well!

Burgerwise this was the best yet and I'll certainly be back next year to compare! Although the weather could've been nicer, it created for some fun memories! We rushed back to the car, soaked and headed home to comfy clothes and some NetFlix! Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

2009 Year in Food!

My annual review of food is back and better than ever! In 2009 I dined out 303 times, up from 268 times last year. Also if you are into archives, here is how this has evolved a lot since 2006 and 2007.

This year was maybe the best year for eating. I ate at the 2007 and 2008 best places to eat locations at least twice each. I travelled way too much for work and stayed at a hotel without a kitchen or breakfast many times. My wife is pregnant so we’ve just been eating a lot. In 2009 we have a new champion. I only got to eat here once and it was kind of under the radar. 2009 was definitely the year of Man V Food as I personally visited 8 locations this year that were featured on the show in Chicago, Denver, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Sarasota. And all were good and a few were even great. The single best meal I had in 2009 was actually breakfast…at Jack-N-Grill in Denver, CO. It’s something I had once, enjoyed at the time, missed it when we were done and have craved ever since. It can’t be replicated locally, even in a poor man’s version. I had breakfast tacos with meat, cheese, beans, salsa and the key ingredient, fire roasted green chilis.

The other finalists include:

2008 Winner, Bandit Burrito. Multiple trips to and through Iowa brought me here a few times. Des Moines is the geocaching epicenter of America and nothing is as good for a caching appetite like the world’s best burrito. Love it! The owner even recognized me from the Facebook fan page and sat with us and talked with us. Hoping Robert feels the need to expand about 4 hours northeast.

2007 Winner, Empire Burger. Located in Breckenridge, it’s one of the reasons that I request Breckenridge every summer (3 years running so far.) Best Nachos in the world and my 2nd favorite burger of all time made the Empire a go-to 3 times in the 6 days in Breck.

2007 Co-Winner, Mother Bear’s Pizza. One weekend in Bloomington, IN made 2 stops to this pizza institution necessary. And oh so good. Best pizza I’ve ever had and it isn’t even close.

Jethro’s BBQ in Des Moines. I’ve craved BBQ all year along, or at least until October. My mom cut out an article about legendary BBQ joints in the US and this one was on there. Now I crave Jethro’s BBQ. The best ribs hands-down, no contest. Awesome sides. Way too much food and variety I really wish this was closer.
Cherry Cricket in Denver. This was on Man V Food and we had extra time to head there as we made great time out to Denver (left in the morning and had supper at the Cricket.) Best new burger in 2009 and a top 5 burger overall.

Old Salty Dog in Sarasota. I made my parents drive us 2 hours each way to go to this place (and the beach) and it didn’t disappoint. The food was really good (I wouldn’t fully load my salty dog next time but I knocked this bad boy down much like Adam on Man V Food did) but it was the best atmosphere ever. Located on a pathway between the ocean and the sound in Sarasota, we ate outside in the tropics while dolphins were swimming all around. 24 hours prior I was at my desk at work in cold Wisconsin, so it made me really feel like I was on vacation.
Now on to the rest.

Top Man V Food locations of 2009:
1. Jack-N-Grill Denver, CO (best of 2009, see above!)
2. Old Salty Dog, Sarasota, FL (see photo and write-up above)
3. Cherry Cricket, Denver, CO (see photo and write-up above)
4. Primanti Bros, Pittsburgh, PA (Fries in the sandwich!)
5. Deluca’s, Pittsburgh, PA - Best traditional breakfast I've ever had. I am not a huge breakfast guy but I do enjoy a good one when I can!
6. Iron Barley, St Louis, MO - The prime rib was good (especially the burnt ends) but the pork was just ok. 7. Al’s Italian Beef, Chicago, IL (some friends we are making Kyle stand-up to eat after he ran 16 miles and numerous obstacles, oh well!) Food was decent, pricey and selection was lame.
8. Quaker Steak and Lube (this was featured in the Pitt episode but I went to the one in Middleton, WI. It would be ranked higher but I felt it a bit lame they visited a national chain for a challenge, but I do really like QS&L.)

Better late than never- Our Waffle House visit waited until December 7th off of I-4 in Florida at the Haines City exit. Waffle House didn't dissappoint!


Comeback of the year: This was a year of eating at favorites and this was tough to come up with. Then I remember a lunch invitation to a place I deemed as not only overrated but also I felt it was just bad. But I perused the menu to find some things I liked online and I just didn’t want to miss a lunch with the fellas. Tex Tubbs Taco Palace. Once I discovered the variety they had I was sold, and the food matched the expectations. My thoughts? Not great for traditional Mexican food, just get some fun assorted tacos.

Worst food of the year: I tried Maid Rite which is a Midwest chain of loose meat sandwiches that was even figured as a top 100 burger in Hamburger America. Awful. Bland and a weird texture. Pricey. And I threw it up. Worst food of the last few years. Sorry, no pictures available. Honroable mention: Subway, Perkins

Most unique dining experience: Casa Bonita. I finally went and it was everything I dreamed and more! It was so cheesy it was awesome! While my return is doubtful (there is only one 1st time) if you've never been, go! For those who have no idea what I am talking about, click here!

Dotty's still is the best food in Madison, hands-down. Can't get any better than a melting pot burger and cheese curds.
The Great Dane Brew Pub had a BBQ Chipotle Meatloaf grinder for a limited time. I really wish they'd bring it back, it was one of the best food items in town. Meatloaf smothered in cheese and jalepeno mashed potoatoes with fried onion straws and chipotle BBQ sauce on a toasted roll? Awesome! The second best thing I had at a Brew Pub was at the Dillon Dam Brewery. The smothered chicken plate hit the spot on a trip filled with burritos, pizza, burgers and nachos. A little spinach for some Popeye power! It's even Kyle approved.
Declining restaurants: Subway, Checkers, Arbys, Tim Hortons

(While 2009 was supposed to be the year of the $5 footlong, in Breckenridge they were $6 and in the Bahamas, $7!)

Rising restaurants: McDonalds, Nitty Gritty, Taco Bell, BW3

Best new Madison Chain: BD’s Mongolian Grill - make your own stir-fry with whatever sauce you wanted! BBQ sauce with pasta, beans asparagus, meatballs, steak and sausage? No problem!

Madison got ripped off. We got a Five Guys burgers. Very ordinary and you almost pay restaurant prices for counter service. Colorado has Smashburger. Imagine being able to drive thru and getting a burger better than anything in Madison that isn't Dotty's. Smashburger is the ticket!
We went on a cruise in February but I have no way of classifing cruise food into my best of 2009. That being said, I loved most of the cruise food, drinks and desserts and can't wait to go back again as soon as we are able! Here is a typical Carnival Cruise meal.

Best Ball Park Food- The Iowa Cub footlong hotdog. While I am sure I enjoyed a helmet of cheesy fries at the Brewers game much more often, a classic and inexpensive footlong hot dog on a perfect night of baseball hit the spot! :)Best food in Bedford: For 4 weeks of my 2009 I ate every meal in a restaurant in and around Bedford, PA. And many of those were eaten at the Green Harvest and Jean Bonnet. Which by the way are both awesome! Green Harvest was on pace to be a contendor for food of the year but I burned out on it. The best in Bedford is actually 10 miles north at a place called Slick's Ivy Stone. Home cooking! You get dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls with frosting to start. Then the world's largest soup bowl. Then a home cooked meal (the photo is from chicken and waffle night) but I prefered steak and waffle night even better. Finish it off with some of the best pie I've ever had (Bumbleberry) and it was easy to get to sleep that night! :)You simply have not lived until you take a trip to Daylight Donuts in Breckenridge. Who knew there were locals in Breck? This is where they have breakfast. Reasonable pricing and a local atmosphere puts a little spin on your vacation. Very nice!While coffee could be a blog post altogether, no post would be complete without talking about the Black and Gold Latte. The Pittsburgh Mayorga Coffee Roasters in the airport was my go-to spot for coffee on 7 of the 8 legs I was in Pittsburgh (I didn't know about it on my way in the first time.) By about my 4th stop the girl that worked there knew my order. By the 6th stop she knew my name even. Pretty cool for an airport coffee shop. And the coffee? The black meant dark chocolate and the gold meant caramel. The black and gold represents Steelers fandom. Or deliciousness!

Here are the top 10 restraunts in terms of volume for the past year:

1. McDonalds (48)- It was the year of McCafe for me! I also spent 4 weeks at a hotel without breakfast next to a McDonalds that did.

2. Taco Bell (26)- Once every two weeks seems about right for the Bell.

3. Great Dane Brew Pub (12)- Once a month, seems a populare place for my friends.

4. Qdoba (8)- One of my wife's favorite places (mine too.)

5. (Tie): Arbys, Bandit Burrito, Green Harvest (7)- No suprises here, all excellent!

8. (Tie): BW3, Chilis, Dennys (6)- Only hit Denny's for breakfast. BW3s is new to our neighborhood. Chilis is down, not sure why though.

Stories to watch in 2010:

-McDonalds now has a dollar menu for breakfast including my two favorite breakfast items (Sausage McMuffin and Fruit & Yogurt Parfet) but I am burnt out a bit on McCafe so the number is certain to slide down from 2009.

-We are expecting our first baby in February which will definitely change how and where we eat.

-We have no trips planned right now which could jeopardize eating at any of my 2009 Best-Of locations.

-BW3 and Papa Murphys are now in our neighborhood. Both seem like good options in 2010.

That's all I've got, my 2010 Year In Food! Please comment on what you like, what you don't and where I should try in 2010.

Burgers and Brew

It's so easy to be uninspired to blog. But sometimes you have an event so great that it inspires you to start blogging again. Not sure how long this will last but lets give it a whirl. For some reason I didn't hear about the Capital Brewery Burgers & Brew event until Saturday morning. And then I wasn't sure if I should go. But I called up my great friend Kyle who also enjoys the gourmet burgers and the brew and he was more than willing to come with. Excellent! The good news is that there were 10 places serving 11 burgers. The bad news? For the $25 entry fee I got to try 3 burgers and 3 beers. I quickly made the decision that I would base the decision of what to get by the burger and not the beer. Kyle at the fest:


Burger 1: "Little John Burger" featuring John Priske's beef patty topped with Widmer's brick cheese, Jordandal Farm bacon, garlic aioli and fresh lettuce, red onion and tomato created by L'Etoile. On the bonus side I got a porter from Sand Creek Brewing which is from Black River Falls which is where both of my parents grew up. It was an excellent choice and my favorite burger of the day. The patty was prepared perfectly (medium rare) and the combo of cheese, bacon and garlic aioli were perfect!
Burger 2: Brasserie V's "V Burger" which is grilled beef with Muenster cheese, onion straws, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and classic aioli will please the classically trained burger lover (we were under a blue tent in the photo, so sorry for the photo.)This was the third best of the three I tried. But it was still a most excellent burger. The patty was above average and the combo of muenster (the most underrated of cheeses) onion straws and ever more aioli hit the spot. The peppered ale served with it was a great combo.

Burger 3 was a hard decision. 8 burgers available and only 1 more to eat. I did decide I wanted to stay traditional which eliminated the lamb, pork and vegetarian burgers. While finalizing the decision I see people walking away with a burger with crazy cheese sauce. Yep. I got the "Burger to Relish" from the Old Fashioned which was a beef burger spiced up with roasted red bell pepper and cherry pepper relish, topped with a 12 year Brunkow aged cheddar sauce made with Rocky's bourbon ale on a Sheboygan hard roll. Excellent choice! The Tyranena beer that came with was the worst of the three, but again that isn't saying much. The blend of cheese and peppers aboard a perfect patty made this one another favorite! Outstanding!

Kyle tried two of the same burgers I tried and added the "Weary Mexican Traveler." He seemed rather unimpressed with that and the pale ale he was forced to have with it. He thought the patty was ok and the toppings were marginal. Afterward we decided to sample one of Capital's pints before calling it an afternoon. Overall, I would eat any of these three burgers frequently if it was offered on a menu somewhere as they were all around Top 10 worthy and a couple might even be Top 5 worthy if I could try them again at a restaurant. So while the $25 was steep it went to a good cause and I hope to come back next year as it was very worthwhile!

Earlier in the week, Jess had a TGI Fridays hankering. Who am I to argue, especially since it was $5 burger night. Any burger on the menu for $5!!! Awesome! I got the triple stacked burger as it seemed very unique. The description: A juicy beef patty with a zesty red pepper pimento blend of sharp Cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses topped with ham, crispy bacon, pickles and more cheese, all stacked on a toasted bun..

It came as advertised and I must say, I never thought of ham on a hamburger before but it worked. It was actually very good and I'd order it again for sure. While their burgers aren't as large as other chains (Chili's for example) when it is stacked this high it didn't matter. Definitely worthy if you are on the west side and need something quick, especially on a Tuesday night!

Thanks for reading. Hopefully I'll hit back again soon!

Doug's Soul Food

Sorry for the delay in posts. We’ll chalk it up to being busy and not caring so much. We went to Bloomington, IN which is a food mecca (best pizza at Mother Bear's and best coffee at Copper Cup) for a long weekend and then I was busy having surgery and with work and other things. Not sure how regularly I’ll be posting but thought another post was worthwhile. Sunday night I went back to the Dane for another Meatloaf grinder. Still excellent although the meatloaf portion was skimpy. Last night however we went to the new Doug’s Soul Food off of Fish Hatchery which serves up some down home southern cooking. Wasn’t sure what to expect but it all sounded good, on paper at least.

I ordered the pork spare ribs with sides of mac & cheese and french fries (not a big sweet potato or collard greens kind of guy.) Not good. The Mac & Cheese was ok, it was food service quality though and not homemade like I had hoped. The fries were the most basic boring fries ever and I am not sure if they fried them up or just warmed them up. Blah! The spare ribs? Rough and tough. I couldn’t eat them with a fork, I tried. I had to pick them up. The sauce was below average and the meat was overdone and not plentiful. Do not get these. I went with my in-laws and they didn’t like their food either (between us all we tried all the sides and my father in law had some not so good fried catfish.) The only salvageable part were the hushpuppies served with the meal which were good but not great. So not sure who is in to soul food but my guess is this isn’t the true soul good that Alabamians would love. Bummer. The staff was very nice and we enjoyed the visit, just not the food.

Not sure what is next on my food agenda. Thanks for reading!

Madison eating news...

Well there were some not so good things going down in Madison in regards to food. Everyone has their neighborhood/go-to restaurant and for a couple years for us it has been JT Whitneys. We even had our wedding rehersal dinner there. But alas that all might be over. The current JT Whitneys has closed indefinitely and it might reopen under new ownership although they could change the format entirely. I am also a bit bummed that we are losing both Delitalia and Tony Romas. Both were good and I'd go to each once or twice a year. But alas neither could survive not only the struggling economy but being in often overlooked locations. I mostly just hope though that JT Whitneys comes back the same although I seriously doubt it. Might be out a good $100 in gift cards as well. Guh!

I also have to take exception to and agree with some restaurant reviews. Here is the Sonic review. First off I don't like her use of "like it could be a bad fit for a city that prides itself on environmental consciousness". Most people like that would never eat fast food anyways. Plus I didn't know Middleton prided itself on things like that. Other than that she is almost spot on. The burgers are overpriced and pretty lame. And she did try the java chiller and loved it; she should, it is one of the best items you can get at any fast food restaurant. She also failed to talk about breakfast (which is served all-day) and how it is the best of what Sonic offers and the best values any time of day. That's right, her review mearly talked about lunch and traditional lunch offerings. Oh yeah, and I don't get the obsession with Limeade either. All in all though, I don't really care much for most food critics but she is pretty bright so kudos to Lindsay Christians.

Which leads me to my pride and joy, the burger. Yes I like burritos but they are so diverse and everyone has a differing opinion on what is good and what isn't. The burger is something that is pure and easy to compare stop to stop. Here is a recent review of two of Madison's legendary burgers, the Gritty burger and the Plaza burger both which live and die by the sauce. Living by the sauce is what makes the Gritty burger. While any burger at the Nitty Gritty would be above average, the Gritty sauce is awesome and is one of my favorite sauces. It is one of those Madison original places you have to try. The Plaza Burger was featured in Hamburger America and the author loved the sauce so I tried it right after the book came out. The burger itself is pretty weak (Joe average's bar burger) and the sauce was weak as well. It's even sour cream based which should be good but it seemed a bit bland for my liking. But, you know, I think I want to give this another chance. I just think that maybe I am missing something and went there on an off-day or had a weird stomach that day or something. And it isn't like the burger is terrible or expensive so the price of trying it doesn't seem too bad. Yes, I will try you again Plaza burger because I want to like you and I try to like you...I just don't yet.

Back on the eating track!

Sorry for the delay in getting another post but we’ve been extremely busy with life and throwing in some sickness and family visits have made free time basically obsolete the past two weeks. I also haven’t been eating out much, except on our long weekend trip to Iowa. There were a couple places in Ames I’ve been dying to eat at so this post will focus on those two and a couple others. Also, I’ve broken two digital cameras in a week span. One I was able to return and have decided to not buy another but to hopefully get warranty service on the Panasonic I own.

Maid Rite has been around for several decades. Apparently they had one in Madison years ago but that is long gone. It’s been on my Top 5 of fast food chains I needed to try and one of the locations was featured in Hamburger America so I was excited. I went into the Amana Colonies store right off of I-80 in the middle of Iowa for what I hoped was a supper treat. I tried the original Maid-Rite sandwich with Cheese. The Maid Rite sandwich is basically a sloppy joe that isn’t runny and tastes like a hamburger, supposedly. The one I had was awful It didn’t meet any of the three requirements for fast food: tasty, cheap or large and usually it takes at least 2 of the 3 to make it something I want to buy. The taste was awful. They steam the meat and that takes most of the taste away but they had seasonings to make it taste like something, and that something was bad. I can’t even pin it or compare it. The thing cost me $3.50 and was smaller than a McDonalds double cheeseburger. I won’t be back to Maid Rite if I can help it. Yuck! Fortunately my pictures are missing so you'll never see my Maid Rite experience.

The other two meals of note I had in Iowa were in Ames. Great Plains Sauce & Dough has long been the crown jewel of Iowa pizzerias. And who doesn’t like a good pizza? They specialize in pizzas that are thicker than pan pizzas but made without a pan. While the premise sounded good to me, the realization is that I am not really a bread guy and this was the most yeasty pizza I’ve ever had. It was super doughy so if you love that barely cooked dough taste this place is for you. But the dough taste was way too overwhelming for me and the toppings couldn’t make up for it. But one thing is for sure, I’ve never seen anything like their pizza and I am thankful I got to try it.

While I did get to eat at my favorite place, Bandit Burrito, on the Friday we were there it was the Fighting Burrito in Ames that really excited me. The person who founded Bandit Burrito started at Fighting Burrito so I knew they would be similar but is it possible that they could not only be different but that the Fighting Burrito could be better? It wasn’t a possiblity. While many of the things were very similar, the Fighting Burrito missed in a few key categories. Bandit has better tortillas, beans, cheese and salsa. Not to say that Fighting sucks because it is one of my top 5 burrito places and they have the same beef and sour cream that make Bandit the best place ever. So if you are in Ames and not going to Des Moines, try out the Fighting Burrito! Oh yeah, but don't expect much for atmosphere...it is dark and kinda scary in there.

I’ll hopefully have some more Madison updates soon. I’ve recently went out a couple times to some noteworthy chains and one Madison original. Thanks for reading!