Eating in Madison A to Z

Mirch Masala

2011-12-08T12:00:00-06:00

In a word: Don't know Mirch, but I know Masala.

The specs: #0773
Address, hours & details via Isthmus;

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Alyssa, JM, and Nichole ate at the lunch buffet.
The bill was $11/person, plus tip.
JM gave Mirch Masala a B-; Nichole gave Mirch Masala a B (see our grading rubric).

Mirch Masala opened where Flavor of India was, next to Coopers on the square, under the direction of staff from Chautara and Taste of India. Alyssa summed it up with, "it's good if you don't like spicy, but still like Indian."

The buffet offered about two dozen hot items in steamer trays, plus two kinds of naan, daal, and the standard relishes. Two standouts were the strawberry frozen yogurt dessert, and the "Manchurian chicken" - morsels of light meat, very lightly battered and seared, beautifully arranged with sliced onions and hot peppers and kept warm on a huge, round platter over a flame.

We tackled five big plates and several smaller ones between us. Appearing in this meal were fish pakora, samosas, onion bhaji, tikka masala (mushroom and chicken), tandoori meats, tofu and vegetables, dosa, naan (plain or aloo with potato), rice (plain or with caraway and peas), gulab jamun ("milk balls," which tasted like "pancakes with too much syrup") and halwa (very good: warm, with lots of butter, and spicy as gingerbread). Some things were not very warm, and some items were overfished vats of sauce, but the flavors of each dish were varied and good.

Water was attentively refilled, sans ice. We noticed that soft drinks were served fast but chai took some time - and was worth waiting for on a cold day.

Beyond that, we got nothing special; it's a good Indian buffet. The correlation betwixt that and their also standard nightly menu is unknown to us.

Metcalfe's Market Hilldale Cafe

2011-12-07T18:00:00-06:00

In a word: Shades of Robot Odyssey, this Sentry wants me to keep out.

The specs: #0772
Address, hours & details via Isthmus.

JM ate the cinnamon roll and two milks.
Kat ate the spiced chickpea and spinach wrap with a banana.
Nichole ate the Monte Cristo with a banana.
The bill was about $8/person, plus tip.
Nichole gave Metcalfe's Market Hilldale Cafe a C-; JM gave Metcalfe's Market Hilldale Cafe a D+; Kat gave Metcalfe's Market Hilldale Cafe a D (see our grading rubric).

Last time we were at Metcalfe's Market Hilldale Cafe, nee Sentry Hilldale Cafe, their oven was broken so we got cold food. This time we learned that "All Day, Every Day" and "Open 6:30AM-6:30PM" somehow doesn't conflict with their policy of shutting down their oven before 6pm. It wasn't so bad last time, on a warm Labor Day, but on St. Nick's Day, we would have been grateful for some toasty sandwiches.

So Nichole nuked a Monte Cristo with pesto (no. just, no) and JM got a flaky cinnamon roll (yes please, ok).

The spiced chickpea and spinach wrap was the only item designed to be served cold, which made the disappointment of its groutlike texture all the sharper. It was more or less a highly peppered-hummus sandwich, and sounded better than it tasted.

That the sandwiches came with fruit was a plus; that the fruit offered was a green banana meant we had a snack for later.

It was another unremarkable meal saved by good company.

Be open, dammit. That's all we got.

Lakeside St. Coffee House

2011-12-05T18:00:00-06:00

In a word: For coffee shop food, there are few places better.

The specs: #0771
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; official web site,

Brooke ate the spicy peanut tofu sandwich special with a pumpkin steamer.
JM ate the turkey-bacon-brick sandwich with a Sprecher root beer.
Nichole ate the Reuben.
The bill was about $12/person, plus tip.
JM gave Lakeside St. Coffee House a B+; Nichole gave Lakeside St. Coffee House an A- (see our grading rubric).

Six weeks after we went to Washington Hotel Coffee Room, their name (but not ownership or theme) changed, so we went back. It turns out that the Washington Hotel in Door County, where the coffee house used to get its bakery, is being sold. According to the staff we asked, it was a good time for a change that would help anchor them to the neighborhood. They've chosen many excellent local suppliers, too - Sassy Cow, Clasen's, Madison Sourdough, Porchlight Products, True Coffee, and YumButter among them.

Brooke's sandwich special was a spread of mashed firm tofu, YumButter Asian Jazz, and shredded vegetables. She noted that the tofu and PB combo had a good texture - the tofu cut the stickiness of the peanut butter and added volume. The sesame seeds on the crust of Clasen's multigrain bread went well with the tofu.

JM's turkey-bacon-brick cheese sammie on Madison Sourdough white bread was very filling and fulfilling, but he still feels it's a little too pricey. The sandwich was well-assembled, though, and made a good cold sandwich choice for when he wouldn't want that grilled cheese from last time.

The Reuben here is unconventional but pretty great, mostly because of the Porchlight slaw in lieu of kraut. They didn't have rye bread, so multigrain stood in. The corned beef slices were thin, homgeneous and somewhat rubbery, but the Swiss cheese and Russian dressing were good.

The thing about the Porchlight slaw is that it includes not just vinegared red cabbage and carrots, but whole cloves of pickled garlic that were not only crunchy and mild but somehow kept their garlic integrity. There were three cloves on the sandwich, and Nichole offered them to her companions, but lucky for her they demurred.

The chips are standard; the green salad is a better value. It's fresh and lightly dressed, with real flaked Parmesan. The more intensely flavored sandwiches might overpower a salad, however.

We didn't get much in the way of beverages this time, though Brooke enjoyed a pumpkin steamer that was "like a big marshmallow." JM appreciated the many non-coffee options.

We'll be back. Again.