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.

Restaurant Review: Sujeo

Sujeo is Tori Miller's newest enterprise after the success of L'Etoile and Graze. He is letting his Asian pride fly in his newest venture.  Graze has long had some Korean flavor throughout the locally sourced menu: Bibimbap, a Korean stone bowl cooked rice dish, and Kimchi gracing its Ruben for a garlic-y spice kick.

Sujeo is a complete departure into Pan-Asian flavors. All created with local fresh and extremely high quality ingredients. Chef Miller is straying into some seriously deep Asian waters for the Cuisine at Sujeo.

With a single visit to Sujeo with a few dining companions we visited China, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Chef Miller has cherry picked some of the best dishes from the wide Asian World and made them his own. Each dish is well prepared, using the highest quality ingredients from around Wisconsin and the US. Each dish has been refined to the point of culinary masturbation. Can great food be so rich and flavorful that it makes you feel dirty?

Madison Restaurant Review: Wendigo

The Wendigo is an Algonquian mythological beast. They believed that people who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk of becoming a Wendigo. This is the new restaurant from the owner of Yeti's Pizza. Bigfoot Sandwiches can't be far in the future!

I was impressed by Stoughton's newest restaurant. This suburb is definitely taking some cues from Madison's foodie scene. Wendigo's menu features poutine (the best I've had in the US), house made sausage, pork jowls, SarVeccio and Sriracha. This is not your mama's bar food!

We shared a poutine with mushrooms which was so darn good it was all eaten before I could take a picture! The gravy was very flavorful and delicious; the cheese curds were fresh and well sized for a proper poutine. And the mushrooms added a nice salty-meaty kick. It was overall the best poutine I've had in the US. 

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: Honeypie (Milwaukee)

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I'm a terrible photographer, I'll admit that upfront. I  get so excited about a tantalizing plate of food that appears in front of me that I'm scraping the plate clean before I grab my phone with greasy fingers... I'm not necessarily a bad photographer, I'm a bad taker of pictures, and a bad photographer.

This happened to me a Honeypie. I have took no pictures of the food I ate. I am a failure both as a food blogger and as an Asian person.

Honeypie is in the Bayview neighborhood of Milwaukee. I went for pie, but got so much more then that.

PORK!

Restaurant Review: Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar

Let me give you a little background. I have been to Umami twice one year apart for a yearly large group.

I want so very much to like this place. I used to live in Japantown in San Francisco where there are amazing ramen joints cheek by jowl. I have high requirements for my ramen.

The first time I went, one year ago, when I sat down the table was quite sticky. Like, this hasn't been wiped down in a few days sticky. In a place where long noodles are slurped, and everything comes with a dipping sauce, good deep cleaning with a towel is required between every patron. This should really be done at every restaurant everywhere. I will admit, some of the stickiness could be due to the incredibly thick lacquer on the table reacting to hot dishes being placed on it. If that is the case you definitely shouldn't have those tables in a restaurant without tablecloths.

One year later I was hoping to give them a second chance.

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: 

Restaurant Review: Liliana's

Welcome to my Restaurant Review corner! The first thing I think I need to make clear is that I have not taken a single free item or money from any restaurant that I have reviewed. Not that I am against it, it's just that no one has offered. Some people just don't understand good food critic service...

Liliana's is a New Orleans style restaurant in Fitchburg. See their website here: Liliana's Restaurant

Charlie's bar is named after the Chef's Son, Liliana is his daughter.

My biggest complaint is that this restaurant is not 15 paces from my house. I've implored the owner/Chef Dave Heide to move his well appointed restaurant to my remote outpost on the west side, but he politely declined. Some people just don't understand good food critic service...

On one visit for lunch when we requested the blackened catfish po' boy, we were told that they were out. Not 5 minutes later the waiter came back to tell us, the truck had arrived! Blackened catfish for all! Talk about fresh seafood...

Blackened Catfish Po' Boy

I have been to Liliana's many times over the last 2 years, it's one of the most consistent and tasty restaurants in Madison. This is one of the keys to a great restaurant: if the chef takes the night off you should never be able to tell. I have never once been disappointed in a single dish. From the hot, sweet cornbread and jalapeño butter that is served when you order, to the decadent desserts, it's all amazing and is always tastes the same each time you order it.

Things which aren't to be missed: