Saturday, March 14, 2009

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.


Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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!