Taste of Madison

Ok, the Taste of Madison was quite good this year - the weather was mild and not too sunny, the crowds on Sunday weren't too crazy, and most importantly, none of stands had run out of the food that I wanted to try. I do have a couple of complaints, though: why are there stands from Rio? I can see Fitchburg, and Middleton, maybe. But Rio? Why not bring in Janesville restaurants? Or Portage? Rio is 30 miles from Madison. I would also like to complain about the brochures - bring back the small, glossy brochures and have people handing them out! We hunted down the State Journal stand to find some, and were asked at least six times where we had found them. People want the brochures and they were too hard to find.

This is what I ate:
Spicy Beef Skewer with pepper dipping sauce (Kelly's Grill in Fitchburg)
Hand Dipped Halibut (Joey's Seafood)
Coconut Shrimp (Joey's Seafood)
Key Lime Pie (Joey's Seafood)
Berry Panna Cotta (Lombardino's)
Jerk Chicken Nachos (Bluephies)
Spinach Boat (West Side Club/Queen Anne's)

All in all, another fun Taste in Madison.

Import death or dearth

Yet another hootchie girl clothing store in the (seemingly) endless array of shops owned or masterminded by the import conglomerate that dominates the 100 and 200 blocks of State is "moving" or closing. The signs say "moving sale" but I have my doubts.

Cosi looks close to being done - the workers are going great guns, lots of hammering and drilling. I am looking forward to finding out what they have to offer.

Fancy Make-Up

There is a new store where Dick and Jane used to be on the 500 block and it is full of fancy make-up. The young woman at the counter said that they sell top brands available at stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus. I recognized Cargo and Bourjois (Oprah's favorite brand of lipstick), but I am a dedicated Sephora fan, and the high end brands I like, like Stila and Nars, are already available there. I wish they had Laura Mercier - then I wouldn't have to stock up on tinted moisturizer when I get to Nordstrom in Chicago. This new store is stocking what looks to be a slider tin of lip gloss like the Village Lip Lickers glosses by Village Bath from my childhood. I will have to do some checking on that.

Cosi

There is a new restaurant called Cosi opening where Stillwaters used to be. It looks promising - a European bakery/cafe of sorts. They will be serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffees, desserts and are known for their flatbread. They also have a s'mores dessert. Lord knows I love coffee and dessert and we really don't have anything like this in the State St. area. I do enjoy Panera and this seems similar. Marigold is still my all time favorite place for this type of food, but they are only open through lunch and it is still quite a jaunt to get to the King St. neighborhood and back for lunch.

Sayonara Arcade

The State Street Arcade finally closed. It was about time. That joint has been a blight on the 100 block for as long as I can remember. It was embarrassing to take kids to get popcorn or pizza next door to that skeevy place and explain that it wasn't a "real arcade." I just hope they don't relocate to Midvale Plaza. ha! Or not so ha. Best wishes for a nice new business to fill that space.

Apple Pie

I am making my first scratch apple pie today. I have made the dough for the crust and it is sitting in the refrigerator doing whatever it needs to do for the next hour or so. I bought galas and pink ladies, for some crunch and flavor. We shall see. The dough did not form a nice ball before I divided it and may have been handled too much for consumption. Will it be as hard as a rock? Hmmm. I have been inspired after reading John T. Edge's Apple Pie book. I am going to add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla to the filling. I am not experimenting with Red Hots or green chiles or anything fancy today. Just your basic apple pie. My own american story.

The Great Flood

Got caught in the great flood 06 near campus. Streets were flooded, the water kept pouring from the sky and up and over anything in its wake. Scary!

Caspian Cafe

In honor of the greater State St. area, I present the new location of the Caspian Cafe. It is even easier to get to now, the Persian tea is super and I just had a great lunch there. There are three daily specials offered in addition to the regular menu items and everything looks fantastic and tastes even better. Today's specials included enormous meatballs stuffed with peppers, currants, hardboiled eggs and more, served with a rice pilaf, a spinach phyllo entree and an eggplant tagine of sorts that had so many more ingredients I can't remember any. I had the cafe sampler that included falafel, hummus, baba gannouj, tabouli, fluffy bread and yogurt salad. A+++

Opera Rain

What a bummer. Opera in the Park got rained out. What's a little weather advisory? I had my bag chairs. I had my picnic basket. I had my Quizno's BLT and entertainment magazines. Very disappointing. Rescheduling on a Sunday night doesn't do it for me. Who wants to fight the crowds out of a filled to capacity park at 11:00 pm on a work night? So I went to the movies instead. Go see Wordplay. Cross Swords fun for everyone.

The Plaza

What could be more perfect than a Plaza burger with an order of fries and extra Plaza sauce on the side? I really do not know. Except maybe the tuna melt on whole wheat with fries and extra sauce. Or an order of fried mushrooms with extra sauce on the side. And a pitcher of Point beer.

Jamba Heaven

Beat the heat with my new favorite, Jamba Juice. I can't believe that I have never tried this nectar before - it is delicious! I had the Orange Dreamsicle. It was orange juice, soy, protein powder, orange sherbet and some other heroin that makes me want to have it three times a day. I also tried a protein pizza stick. Super yum. A bit spendy, but highly recommended.

Art Fair on the Square

Festival season! Art Fair, then Maxwell Street, Taste of Madison - the square is bustling and crazy. Art Fair this year seems busier than ever, tons of food stands and music in the streets.
Great weather this year, too.

On other fronts, green tea ice cream has been spotted at the new super-sized Chocolate Shoppe. Hooray.

Holiday Week-end

Happy 4th of July week-end! Even though the 4th isn't until Tuesday and I have to work Monday. State St. is all torn up and in total chaos, but as much fun and craziness as always. I am sure farmer's market today is just nuts and that there will be tons of events about town. Which is why I am at home, typing away at the computer. ha! Not much to report - except that I had forgotten how nice the Fanny Garver gallery is - needed a "ruby" gift for my parents 40th wedding anniversary and they had a wide variety of very pretty, useable art. Highly recommend.

Ice Tea

There is nothing more refreshing than ice tea. Michelangelo's does a superb job with this - they serve jasmine tea iced. Delightful. Thirst quenching. Full of antioxidents.

CowParade

The CowParade is so much fun - I love wandering around during my lunch hours checking out the various downtown cows. The half and half cow is clever! My favorite so far is the mirrored cow on the square, but the chocolate milk cow is a very close second. The bumper cow is hugely popular with the kids. Nothing beats a yellow plastic steering wheel.

Fat Elvis

In honor of our recent trip to Graceland, I have to address the incomparable Fat Elvis ice cream at the Chocolate Shoppe. It is amazing - banana ice cream with creamy chunks of peanut butter and bitter sweet chocolate. A perfect mix. Not quite the same as a peanut butter and banana sandwich on white bread fried in a stick of butter, but a pleasing alternative.

Library Mall

Library mall is one of the best restaurants in town. It is so fun to wander down there at noon, where all of the studnets are playing frisby and laying on the grass (as opposed to the drunks laying on the sidewalk up near my neck of the woods) and sample the many food carts. I haven't seen the greek cart lately, but Buraka is there, as well as a jamaican cart, sushi, thai, chinese, soul food and more. Mr. Loose Juice is also back. Hey, Carl, when are you opening the Rye back up? We are still waiting!

Bratfest Revisited

Happy Memorial Day!

This is the first time we have attended the new and super-sized brat fest at Colliseum Island. Eh. So you can buy a $5 cup of beer. And you can sit on the grass and listen to some local bands. I can do that at the Union every Friday night! It was something to do, and it is for a good cause, but it just ain't what it used to be.

Yogurt at the Farmer's Market

I love the yogurt at the Farmer's Market. I have not tried the Murphy Farms (home of the best cottage cheese on earth) because that is only available at the downtown market, but I have been gobbling up the Sugar River yogurt from the Westside Community Market like crazy. I love the Westside Community Market, otherwise known as the Hilldale defectors market. Murphy Farms, the Sugar River people, the good apple lady and my favorite maple syrup guy are all there. There is plenty of room to run around on the grass and the parking is plentiful. The old Hilldale market had gotten to be a cramped mess. Boo hiss! On other Hilldale defector fronts, the new Chocolate Shoppe at Midvale Plaza is open for business and booming. They have been open one week and we have already been three times. No peppermint stick, though. I am also going to request that they add the green tea ice cream from the State St. store (a special request from downtown patrons when Chocolate Coyote closed). Hooray for ice cream!

Chicks and Gifts

I ran down to the b-side during my break to buy the new Dixie Chicks album, Taking the Long Way. Here's to free speech! I also stopped in to Twee to pick up some taffy. For $1.50 you can purchase more taffy than you should eat in one setting. The raspberry/lemon and key lime are currently my favorite. But I always end up buying questionable flavors like chocolate chip cookie and buttered popcorn. When I know I like the tangy flavors. Blech. And watch out for the red licorice flavor. It is super stale. Some like the teeth crackin' taffy. I do not. Consider yourself warned.

Other recommendations: the MMoCA gift shop has so many excellent items - cards, jewelry, bags and household accessories. A wonderful place to buy gifts (for yourself) and others.

Mango

There is a new store opening on the 100 block of State Street called Mango Boutique. I was hoping that it would be related to the sensational international chain Mango, but I am not getting my hopes up. We cannot even support a decent H&M in this state. Still, it is nice to see new development on State Street. I have also heard that the post office from the now defunct U-Square is moving to State, as well as another Starbucks.

La Brioche

I still remember when La Brioche was on State St. It was in the spot where Ian's is now. My two favorite places! I can't even remember all of the other incarnations after La Brioche left: a coffee shop, a juice bar, a vegetarian restaurant and Madison Masala among others. There is something so magical about their pastries. I always get a black and white cookie and a brownie. If we are picking up pastries for the week-end, I like chocolate croissants and morning buns. Mitch likes fruit danish and mini chocolate chip cookies. But we have tried just about everything and it is all spectacular. We went through a phase where we were obsessed with the macaroons. My sister loves the florentines. Vive la brioche!

Sushi Carts and Sesame Noodles

The special of the day at the Sushi cart on the square at MLK near Starbucks on Friday was spicy tuna roll for $4.99. This came with avocado and cucumber rolls and was beautifully presented. The guy in line next to me got the tempura and that looked really good, too. And just so I never forget: 10# (or seemingly) of the most delicious cold sesame noodles on earth are just $3.75 from Asian Kitchen under La Bamba and Wasabi. I laugh every time I pass Riley's thinking of our freshman year bank statements being mailed to our parents with numerous Tyme withdrawls from the corner with a "Wines of the World" location indicator. ha.

MMoCa

The new Museum of Contemporary Art is gorgeous. Some of the art is kinda weird. It always was, but there is more of it to notice now in the bright, shiny new facility. It took several attempts to find the Henry St. gallery with the Frida Kahlo, and the glass stairs are a little scary - I really had to concentrate. It was raining the day we went to visit, so the rooftop garden wasn't much fun to spend time in and I was a little afraid of slipping, but I am excited to have this new facility in our town and plan to take lots of visitors. On the same day we went to MMoCa, my sister and I had dinner at Takara. We each ordered the beef negimaki Bento boxes. They are expensive but worth it. And the presentation is exquisite. Highly recommend.

Mourning the Rye

A bunch of us are still mourning the Rad Rye. Where can you get a good sandwich and decent soup on State Street? We were walking near Overture last night after having pizza at Sal's/Casa Bianca/Pizza di Roma (who can keep track?) and saw the glassy corner filled with stairs where the Rye used to be and paused for a moment. Then we discussed the possibilities of the new Food Fight restaurant going in and were optimistic, but not placated.

Open on Saturdays

I have heard over and over again how sad it is that Twee is not open on Saturdays. I agree. Saturday is a big day on State St. and the people should not be deprived of the magnificent bunny petit fours, dark chocolate covered vanilla marshmallows and various taffys. On other fronts, a food fight restaurant is going into Overture. Can't wait!

what's new and makes me blue

Some things that make me sad:
Where did all the empty storefronts come from? I can't even keep track. dick and jane, Discount Records, the Discount Den, the pelmeini place (although the sign says they are coming back), the import clothing places on the 100 block. And now there's a Fuddrucker's moving in on the 700 block? How on earth will an open topping bar work? I cringe thinking about it. Yucko. And another thing that I want to support, but consistently disappoints - Barriques. I am an Alterra coffee fiend - but even that tastes weird there. What are they up to? Why can't they get it together like Soleil, which is perfect example of what I need in a sandwiches, coffee and pastries, except on our side of the square?

Jamie's Lives On?

There may be hope for Jamie's, yet. Word on the street is that there is some kind of custody case over the shop and that it is open again, with limited hours. My best wishes for a speedy cookie recovery.

Chin's v. Asian Kitchen

Where is the best wonton soup on State St.? The wonton soup at Asian Kitchen is generous and comes with hot, greasy little fried crackers. What's not to love? But the wonton soup at Chin's has chicken dumplings instead of the usual pork. Hmmm. Still, the Asian Kitchen lunch special cannot be beat - your choice of entree, soup (hot and sour, egg drop, wonton) and crab rangoon, egg roll or chicken wings. For under $6.00. I can get two meals out of all of the food. And that is a miracle, with my appetite. I highly recommend the hunan chicken and shrimp. Choice is the spice of life.

Candy at Community Pharmacy

Started buying Valentine presents - new hit is the Green and Black's organic white chocolate candy bar. My brother loves white chocolate. I do not. I usually run from it. But I was buying it for him. When the nice person at the pharmacy told me that this candy bar has reached cult status among the staff there (who also claim to not like white chocolate) because of the full cream milk and BOURBON VANILLA. mmmmmmm.

Chocolate

Not much new in the world, other than the plethora of Valentine candy available. All of the new Hershey's Kisses are very exciting to me - caramel, cherry, peanut butter and now strawberry. I am putting up a book display featuring chocolates in honor of candy holidays.

Dunn Brothers and Burgers

Dunn Brothers Coffee closed. I had heard that it was wonderful coffee, but never got a chance to give it a try. My colleagues at Memorial Library were sad to see it go.

On other news fronts, Fuddruckers is opening on the 600 block. I wonder how they will handle the "choose your own toppings" bar with all the students and State St. vagrant population. Maybe not such a grand idea.

The Piano Bar where Dean's used to be is still vacant. Haven't heard anything about that.

Baked Egg Souffle

Wowee wow wow. This is not on State St. This is not even on campus. But I cannot love the Baked Egg Souffle at Panera enough. I ordered the spinach and artichoke and it is truly my new favorite thing. Imagine if I had ordered the bacon? It is just the right size - warm and fluffy and savory. And approx. $2.99. Which is just the right price, too. I am already planning when I can get one again. Maybe Saturday morning. Mmmm.

Jamie's

There is a "for lease" sign in the window of Jamie's. No more white chocolate macadamia nut muffins. No more giant chocolate chip cookies. No more Jamie's. That makes me very sad. In the way that Madison Bagel closing made me feel sad. Why on earth can't State St. support a bakery? The baked items at Michelangelo's are very good (many are from La Brioche), but I remember a time when a cookie lover had to stand in line!