Restaurant Reveiw: Short Stack Eats

Short Stack Eats Comes Up Short

In a town saturated with amazing brunch spots (Lazy Jane's, Marigold Kitchen, etc.), the new Short Stack Eats doesn't compete. Its three largest advantages are 24 hour service (Thursday through Sunday), its location on the corner of West Johnson and State Street, and its pancakes.

However, on a wintry Saturday morning, the food left me cold, disappointed, and confused. I ordered the blind special, a short stack, and a cup of coffee. My dining companions ordered Cajun biscuits and gravy, bacon, a breakfast trio, and a Bloody Mary.

For my first cup of coffee at the self service station I had the Velvet Hammer, which is a great brew, but there was no cream at our table and they only have a single small carafe of cream at the coffee station which was empty. For my second cup the restaurant had run out of Velvet Hammer so I tried their cinnamon hazelnut flavored coffee instead. It was highly flavored, which I personally don't like in coffee. With the restaurant fully-staffed and only half full of patrons, it could have run a little more smoothly.

I love the idea of the blind special! If you ask what the special is, it costs $12.95 but if you order it in the blind it costs only $6.50. You weed out picky and non-adventurous eaters and you could make interesting, off the beaten path food for a self selected audience. This is something that would really excite me as a chef or as an eater! What did I get for my blind special?

Restaurant Review: Tornado Steakhouse

The Tornado Steakhouse is one of the finest steakhouses in the Midwest. They have been around for about 16 years but the building/restaurant which houses the Tornado has been around far longer than that. This is a modern supperclub. If you don't know what a supper club is, you probably didn't grow up in the Midwest. There is a particular ambiance of a supperclub that Tornado nails head on in a classy way. Tornado is mood-lit and a highly sociable environment with a strong cocktail menu and a food menu heavy on steak, venison, and well-made seafood. One of the hallmarks of a supper club is the relish tray that starts the meal. A glass of ice with very fresh carrots, celery, olives, and radishes start off the meal. Our visitor from Florida wasn't quite sure what to make of it and if it was for eating or for decoration.

While the mood lighting made taking pictures of the food nearly impossible, it does make for a comfortable dining experience. Tornado being just off of the capitol square has been a long time favorite for politicians and lobbyists making their dirty deals as well as a higher form of clientele such as drug dealers and children's TV hosts. In all honesty it's a comfortable and great establishment for everyone who is interested in the finest meats in Madison.

Restaurant Review: David's Jamaican

I am just now discovering David's Jamaican in Monona. And boy do I wish I heard about this place 10 years ago! Ever since I got an office in Monona I've been looking for a great lunch place. David's Jamaican is at the very top of the list.

I've eaten Jamaican food a couple of times over the years, and it's never really impressed me. It hasn't been something I crave. Jolly Bob's makes some tasty food. But to be honest, the "jerked" foods I've made at home were a lot better then the stuff I had eaten out.

I figured I just didn't like Jamaican food all that much... I was wrong. Yeah I said it... I was wrong.

David's Jamaican, in my mind, had quite a few strikes against it before I went. It was Jamaican food, which I wasn't thrilled about, it is a lunch buffet place, which rarely has great food, and I tend to overeat at those (Eye > stomach syndrome.) I think that's why it took me more then 6 months of working nearby to try the place out.

We went right as they were opening, an absolutely key to going to any buffet place, the food will be at its freshest and will have been poked by the fewest amount of 6 year olds. The service was not exactly warm, but efficient.

Fried catfish, OMG, this is just so perfectly done. Nice fresh catfish nuggets in a flavorful batter fried golden brown and crispy. They were still nicely crispy even in the buffet! Such a great flavor in the batter, but it didn't overwhelm the great catfish flavor either! With went well with a bit of red beans and rice, which is a deceptively simple dish.

Madison Restaurant Review: Hong Kong Station

I will admit I was first interested in Hong Kong Station's unique noodle ordering system. You are given a pen and a sheet where you can choose from 8 different types of noodles, 3 different broths and more then a dozen mix ins and toppings. It's like the Coldstone of Noodles.

On my first outing to Hong Kong Station I shared a nice meal with this cutie.

She was (un?)fortunately more interested in the magna-doodle then the food, though she seemed love the broken flakes of eggroll wrapper.

I tried the beef broth with Ramen noodles, beef tenderloin, and beef meatballs. The ramen noodles were good but nothing to blog about.  The beef broth was fairly flat. There are a few condiments on the table which make it better. Personally I think what this broth really needs is a deeper roast on the bones before they make the stock and another 4-6 hours of simmering. It is a beautifully clear broth, which means it hasn't come to a full boil, which causes a stock to become very cloudy.

Beef Broth with Ramen noodles beef balls and tenderloin.

I also tried the spicy broth with Chinese egg noodles shrimpballs and shrimp dumplings. The Chinese egg noodles are nearly identical to Wah-Kee's noodles, maybe their source? The Spicy broth had a tiny bit of a kick, but more importantly Szechuan peppercorns floating on top. I told Pete chew on one of those and he spent the rest of the meal asking me "Why would you do that to me?" The analgesic effect slowly wore off as my amusement faded. Chewing on these fills your mouth with a unique flavor and numbs your mouth completely.

Restaurant Review: VIP Asian Cuisine

This is a relatively new establishment on Odana road. They specialize in Chinese and Japanese food with two separate menu's.

Since this was a work meal and the restaurant was dark, I didn't take pictures of the food. I know, "excuses excuses," I'll just have to be extra descriptive! Everything was eaten family style.

We started out with appetizers:

Chef's Roll:
(rock shrimp tempura and crab, rolled in bean paper wrappers with brown rice)
This was a weekly special. The flavors were well balanced and the sushi rice was well made. I wasn't left missing the more traditional seaweed wrapping, the alternative wrapping did a good job of highlighting the flavors of the rice and tempura.

Veggie tempura:
Fried broccoli, carrot, asparagus, etc. This restaurant is a fine purveyor of the fry-o-later arts. Everything was very lightly battered and fried tender but not overdone.

Pork dumplings in sweet Szechuan chili sauce:
Yowza! This one was good. The sweet chili sauce almost reminded me of a Thai chili sauce that I get at Suwanasak. Great pork dumplings come swimming in that spicy sauce. Szechuan food is characterized by the interesting peppers that are used.

Szechuan peppercorns. Photo by Nocas on flickr.com

These are highly aromatic peppers which are not very spicy, however they to have the odd effect of numbing your tongue when you bite into them. This can be helpful because they are usually paired with huge amounts of other extremely spicy peppers.

Restaurant Review: Grampa's Pizzeria

Gilbert Altschul the Chef/Owner of the 1 year old Grampa's Pizzeria on Williamson street knows his ingredients. He knows his suppliers. He even knows where to get a bunch of old guns.

In the former location of Grampa's Gun shop, in the liberal bastion of Willy street, Pizza has replaced firearms. And I for one, feel fuller for it.

I've been in a few times since they opened and they have earned my loyalty. With star studded starters which specialize in seasonally sourced supplies they make succulent and seasonal dishes like this Shishito with Bonito starter.

Blackened Shishito peppers with Bonito Flakes

The peppers were slightly spicy, but not overpoweringly so. The bonito flakes added just a hint of umami flavor. It's an absolutely tasty dish with an interesting effect. Since the peppers are hot, the rising steam and hot air escaping from the peppers makes the razor thin shavings of Bonito dance in the currents! (look Ma I made a gif!). It's like heat distortions rising from the concrete in summer.

Restaurant Reveiw: Suwanasak

Hidden Thai Gem

Corner of a ethnic strip mall

There are a few great Thai and Laotian restaurants in Madison. Most of them aren't anything special. cooking Thai food outside of Thailand is difficult. There are ingredients that are all but impossible to source fresh, there are complicated and time consuming techniques. Also, whitey can be really lame when it comes to spicy food. (I can say that because I am ethnically half whitey)

I have some background in Thai food, I spent 5 years in the San Francisco Bay Area where there is a large concentration of Thai immigrants and some of the best Thai food in the US. I worked as a chef with a fabulous Thai chef in Berkeley. Also I have spent nearly 3 months in Thailand over the last 6 years. I have eaten street meals with Thai construction workers and in beautiful restaurants. I have been led and stumbled blindly into some of the best meals of my life in Thailand. I have also lost entire cameras full of pictures of amazing food in Thailand...

Now that I have established at least a little "street cred" (growing up in Shorewood Hills, this is the first "street cred" I've ever had). I need you to trust me when I say Suwanasak is the best Thai food I've eaten in Madison.

Now, let me order for you: