Laura Zastrow
El Rancho’s carne asada, chopped to the right size for tacos, legitimately holds its own against others in town.
Just when you think there may be a lull in the opening of eateries and drinkeries in the Madison area, a spate of new openings hits. It’s a reminder that dining out is an integral part of today’s social scene. Never has “you are what you eat” — or even “you are where you eat” — been more true. This is our recap of where Isthmus reviewers have been eating and drinking since the publication of our last Dining special section. Writeups are by Allison Geyer, Candice Wagener, Kyle Nabilcy, Linda Falkenstein, Nigel O’Shea, Robin Shepard and Howard Hardee.
Anointed One
The menu is simple. It fits on one page and consists of standards and daily specials. Start with that hallmark of soul food, fried chicken. The Friday fried catfish special is another winner. Don’t overlook the sides or the excellent cornbread. — C.W.
Athens Grill
Go beyond the gyros with a grilled eggplant pita — disks of well-done eggplant melt into hummus along with charred onion, feta and pine nuts— or the Mediterranean grain salad. Good happy hour specials from a local tap list. — L.F.
Beef Butter BBQ
You’re at a rib joint; order the back ribs, which are meaty and tender. The three sauces (a mild, medium and hot) provide a sweet-vinegar-tomato tang that amplifies without hiding the meat flavor. Brisket can be ordered lean, fatty or as a mix. The housemade seasoned chips are a great side. —L.F.
Bierock
The bierock, a Volga German tradition, is a perfectly smooth wrapper of golden-brown dough that contains a variety of mostly savory fillings. Traditional bierocks like beef, sauerkraut and onion, rock, but so do nouveau takes like a tofu peanut kimchi version with peanut sauce. Beer choices are good from an ample tap list. — K.N.
Amy Stocklein
Boar & Barrel
Restaurant and cocktail bar in the cozy space formerly home to Hamilton’s on the Square and, before that, the Blue Marlin. Quality local meats are paired with whiskeys and a good wine list. — A.G.
Cafe Brittoli
All of the espresso drinks and teas you’d expect at a coffee shop, along with three varieties of sweet crepes: blueberry, banana Nutella and strawberry rhubarb. The bacon, egg and pepper jack cheese breakfast sandwich is also a standout. — H.H.
Chaat Cafe
This west side eatery focuses on a side of Indian dining that Madison doesn’t often see: the food of the streets. Satisfying samosa chaat, hearty paneer tikka wrap, along with Indian-style “burgers” and some more traditional curries. — K.N.
Chen’s Dumpling House
The place for dumplings. Dough for all varieties is prepared daily and the dumplings are filled and cooked to order. Especially good are the chive and pork dumplings and the wonton soup. — L.F.
Common Ground
Cozy, home-like dining room filled with an eclectic mix of tables and chairs; a stage at the rear often showcases local talent. Breakfast and lunch fare, with much of the menu available until closing. Inventive burgers and customizable salads, weekend brunch, Friday fish fry. — C.W.
Compadres
Tableside guacamole is a must. The guacamolier rolls by with a cart stocked with avocados, limes, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, onions and jalapeños to create the freshest of fresh guacamole, made to order. — C.W.
Amy Stocklein
Cafe Brittoli's strawberry-rhubarb crepes.
Dubai
The interior is bright and modern, much like its namesake city, with sleek white tabletops and cozy booths. But the food here is all comfort and homemade charm. Try the “mix” meze platter with garlicky hummus, sweet maharama and outstanding baba ganoush, along with falafel donuts and plenty of pita bread. The maqloubah is a mound of perfectly cooked saffron rice with strips of delicately fried eggplant and flavorful chicken seasoned with Arabic spices. — A.G.
El Panzon
Panaderia and loncheria with good Mexican baked goods. The signature dish is the cemita, a gigantic sandwich with a homemade brioche-like bun, covered in sesame seeds and filled with avocado, lettuce, cheese, pickled jalapeños and the meat of your choosing. My favorite was the cemita de Milanesa, with a delicious, deep-fried chicken cutlet and thinly sliced ham. El Panzon also offers the traditional cold beverages tepache and jamaica. — C.W.
El Rancho
Tacos, quesadillas, nachos, tortas and the like, plus sampler platters that come with loose tortillas for the build-your-own experience. A couple asada tacos on the way home from work would be a great way to celebrate kicking the loafers off. — K.N.
Flix Brewhouse
Brewpub and full-service restaurant in addition to movies, with food served in a dining area or in front of the screens. American tavern fare; head for apps like the chicken quesadilla. — K.N.
Freiburg Tap Haus
Embrace the Gemütlichkeit and go for the real German platters. Start with the brat stickers, then head for the German meatballs with mushroom gravy. They’re served atop spaetzle, the hearty egg noodle — really a demure dumpling. German beers are the specialty. — L.F.
FreshFin
Serving what is among the best poke in town, this Milwaukee-based boutique chain has several signature bowls, like the colorful Mango Tango (Atlantic salmon, mango, avocado and tobiko) and the classic Spicy Tuna (yellowfin ahi tuna, jalapeno, cucumber). The toppings are indeed fresh and the portions generous. — A.G.
Frutta Bowls
Smoothies reimagined as bowls, a larger canvas on which to artfully arrange toppings like fruit, granola and nuts. Also, oatmeal bowls, smoothies in cups, and “summer chillers,” an icy, slushy-like beverage. — A.G.
Giant Jones
The brewery atmosphere is a combination of warm rustic with industrial. The bar top is made from ash trees that were cut down as part of the city’s emerald ash borer control program. The brewery system is designed for high gravity beers, especially barleywines. Food is carry-in or order-in, plus food cart nights and special guests like The Ugly Apple Cafe, which serves chili Thursday nights during the winter. — R.S.
Chris Hynes
The Globe
The Globe is a sweet fusion diner with great soups and Nepalese appetizers. Start with either the excellent 14 bean soup or the rich coconut cauliflower curry chowder. Noodle and rice entrees come from Nepal, India, Thailand, Korea, the American South, Japan, Korea and the Middle East. — L.F.
Heights Kitchen
Simple but exquisite neighborhood cafe serving seasonal dishes all day. Simple eggs shine at breakfast. Toulouse sausage on a bed of beans, whitefish and culotte steak are all excellent at dinner. — C.W.
Humble
It's always pie day at Humble. Pies can be sweet, from a cherry galette to the maple-y Pippi's Pancakes pie. Pies can be savory, too, with pasties and quiches. — N.O.
Kingdom
Gambian and Senegalese stews join soul food classics and some American fast food, but go for the West African fufu, benachin, domada and yassa. Peanut stew with chicken — marinated and cooked to fall-off-the-bone tenderness — is a good way to start. — L.F.
Jennifer Mans
La Escondida
All eight varieties of tacos are worth trying. The pastor (roasted marinated pork) is particularly good — nicely spiced and not at all greasy. The steak that comes in the asada, alambre and cecina tacos is equally flavorful. Homemade horchata and champurrado, too. — A.G.
Lake Edge Seafood
Seafood, from lobster rolls to a Wisconsin fish fry. The latter might encompass cod, perch, walleye and shrimp, available individually or as a combination platter. Fish tacos and grilled grouper are other good options. — K.N.
Point Burger Bar
Choices on the build-your-own burger menu will make your head spin. The base burger itself comes with a multitude of options — angus beef, bison, lamb, duck, chicken, turkey and salmon, along with several choices for vegetarians and vegans. Plenty of fun add-ons range from peanut butter to balsamic onion jam. — C.W.
Poke It Up
Poke it Up’s innovation is to offer the poke bowl as a sort of burrito. But it’s easier to eat the signature “Ocean Feast” as a bowl, with its ahi tuna, salmon, white tuna and yellowtail augmented with mango, fried onion, nori, ginger, tobiko, spicy aioli and wasabi sauce. — L.F.
Poke Plus & Teriyaki
Building a poke bowl is all DIY at Poke Plus. If you’re brand new to the concept, that can be challenging. But there’s also the option of teriyaki: chicken, steak or shrimp topped with sweet-savory brown sauce and perfectly-cooked vegetables served with a side of rice. — C.W.
Samantha Egelhoff
Poke Poke
Advanced-level poke creations. Flavors here are bold and challenging and frequently reflect a Japanese influence on the Hawaiian raw fish dish. Both ahi and white tuna melted on the palate. — K.N.
Strings Ramen
All three broths — shoyu, miso and tonkotsu — are quite good and distinct in their character. Starters of note include the lotus root. Marinated in sugar, soy and sesame oil and chilled, the sliced disks of root have a light crunch. Strings also features donburi, or rice bowls. — N.O.
Sujeo
Revamped as a fast casual eatery with a new menu designed with sous chef Jamie Hoang, Sujeo is still pan-Asian fun food. Korean fried chicken, fried Brussels sprout leaves and kale, dan dan noodles — all good. Dip in, order without having to think too hard, and get out in pretty short order. — K.N.
Sweet Home Wisconsin
The concept of Sweet Home Wisconsin is to marry the best of Chicago pub grub and Wisconsin’s. So you’ll find Italian beef, Polish sausage and a Chicago dog, as well as bratwurst and battered and fried cheese curds. A raft of burgers with specialty toppings and a handful of other sandwiches and salads round out the menu. — L.F.
Tapatios Cocina
Tapatios is the brick-and-mortar continuation of the local food cart Cali Fresh. Basic tacos are winners, but the fish taco, the ceviche tostada, and the michelada show a taqueria cocina ready to embrace a sit-down audience. — N.O.
Christopher Klinge
Tipsy Cow-Sun Prairie
Residents can be assured of getting the same, full Tipsy Cow experience as they would get at the Madison location, with stretchy cheese curds, overstuffed cheeseburgers, and the crisp and lightly-dressed PBR-battered fish tacos (a Tuesday and Thursday special). — K.N.
The Hilltop
From steaks to fish fry, this Wisconsin supper club in Cross Plains does it up right. Start with the 35 ice cream drinks. Steaks and chops shine, but try the “pork porterhouse,” a cut definitely worth the trip. Wednesdays and Fridays the fish fry offers a choice of fried lake perch or fried or baked cod. — C.W.
The Tin Fox
The bar features an array of local brews on tap and a menu of approachable and whimsically named craft cocktails. Sprawling, ambitious menu offerings change seasonally. Look for beef cheek tostada, chicken skin chips, charred octopus, citrus-marinated salmon, New York strip steak. — A.G.
Village Pizza
Specializes in Chicago-style deep-dish pies; try the vegetable-packed “Harvest.” But the Tuesday tacos might be the best thing here, available in beef, chicken or pork in a double corn tortilla with diced onion, cilantro, fresh lime, and fiery housemade salsa. — A.G.
Working Draft
The taproom aesthetic is both urban and urbane, syncing with young families and dating couples, tabletop gamers and yoga practitioners. Culinary flair is evident in the sandwich line, and the killer app is the pimento cheese and biscuits. But it’s a brewery first, and Pulp Culture is a solid entry in the local hazy IPA game. — K.N.
Yume Sushi
Chirashi is a visually stunning plate of chef-selected sashimi over vinegared rice, garnished with dainty microgreens, spiral-cut daikon radish, bright green tobiko, and a shiso leaf. Beef teriyaki and pickled radish are unexpected hits. — A.G.
ZenZen Taste
Small but pleasant dining room next to the Asian grocery J & P Fresh Market. Sichuan dishes are the way to go here. The ma po tofu features rich ground pork, silky tofu and coarsely ground, numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Another knockout dish is the “mouthwatering chicken,” poached chicken in a fire-red chili oil sauce topped with peanuts, ground red chilis, and fresh cilantro. — L.F.
