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Memorial Day Events

Sunday, May 19th, 2013

I find it amusing when I ask people if they have any plans for Memorial Day weekend, and they reply that they’ll be going to Bratfest. In other words, they have zero plans, but they don’t feel like they’re completely wasting their weekend if they at least go to Bratfest.

Granted, it’s a great event, with the live music, carnival, Friday morning drive-thru and run/walk, but there’s so much more happening in the area, especially if you prefer day trips.

For example, the annual ChocolateFest in Burlington runs Friday-Monday. You can take part in the chocolate eating contest, visit the petting zoo and check out the Nascar exhibit.

While we’re still on the subject of festivals, the New Glarus Music Fest runs Saturday-Monday. Bands include Little Vito and the Torpedoes and The Jimmys.

The Mad City Ski Team starts its season on Sunday. Will it win yet another national championship this year?

On Monday, Monona will have its 58th annual Memorial Day parade, starting at 10 a.m. on Monona Drive. And while you’re in town, Monona’s community pool will be open for the season.

Finally, if you’re looking for overnight trips, here’s my previous post on where to stay and dine.

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7 tips for your Super Bowl party

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Next Sunday marks the annual tradition of gathering with friends to sit in front of a TV for eight-straight hours, watch two teams most people in the room don’t care about and eagerly anticipate commercials like teen girls camping out to see a “Twilight” movie.

To make the most of your Super Bowl experience, here are seven tips for a memorable and enjoyable party:

  1. Get a TV at least 60″ in size, 100″ to be safe. Doesn’t it always seem like the person with the smallest TV always hosts the party? It makes watching a game like sitting in the nose bleeds.
  2. CBS will promote its shows unmercifully. Why not turn the annoyance into a drinking game? For example, every time you see a commercial for “How I Met Your Mother” or “Elementary,” take a shot of tequila. By the end of the first quarter, you’ll have passed out, saving you from watching any more of those crappy promos.
  3. If there’s ever a lull in conversation, start a discussion on how the recently deceased Pauline Phillips (Dear Abby) would have advised Manti Te’o on his imaginary-girlfriend problems.
  4. Gambling is an excellent way to motivate people into caring about this game. I like Football Squares, in which you pay out every quarter based on the last digit of either team’s score. Or, if you want to steal your guests’ money, just run a Keno board (house edge is a whopping 25-29 percent).
  5. Don’t invite kids. Otherwise, you won’t be able to yell things like, “Holy sh*t! How can that f*cking ref be so goddamned blind? F***********ck!”
  6. What you serve depends on how many bathrooms your guests have access to. One bathroom = safe items like pizza, chicken wings and pulled pork. Two = riskier items like bean dip, spicy chili and chips made with Olestra. Three = I’m-getting-you-back-for-making-a-pass-at-my-wife items like laxatives in a drink or malaria.
  7. To make sure your guests have enough time to sober up for the drive home, stop serving drinks when the game is over. Because of course, everyone’s going to stay to watch an all-new episode of “Elementary” that immediately follows.
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Terra Bean Coffee

Sunday, December 9th, 2012

Around these parts, you can support countless farms by buying their diverse products, whether it’s beef, honey, tomatoes or … coffee? That’s the goal of Madison-based Terra Bean Coffee, which partners with roasters who directly source their coffee and features a different artisan roaster and farmer each month.

“The reason that I am doing this is to build awareness of the origins of coffee amongst consumers to encourage them to place the same value on supporting small-scale coffee farms as they do on other agricultural products,” Founder Tamara Goldschmidt told me.

She invited me to learn more about her mission and sample this month’s coffee, La Colmena from Los Alpes, El Salvador. The coffee is excellent–good flavor, not at all bitter and something I could easily drink every morning.

But I don’t think that’s the point. This is a coffee I would probably never have heard about otherwise. Each coffee comes with a one-page flyer that includes background on the roaster and farmer (in this case, I learned how Mike Johnson of Johnson Brothers Coffee worked with farmer Luis Alonso Araujo to rebuild his farm).

Not all the coffee is fair trade certified, as Terra Bean Coffee’s objective is to “ensure that businesses that are truly creating sustainable relationships are being featured, regardless of whether they have the seal.”

You get a 12-oz. bag of coffee (ground or beans) each month with your subscription. Three months is $19.95/month and six months is $18.95/month.

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Food & Wine Festival shopping list ‘12

Sunday, October 21st, 2012

Whether you’re in search of some good food or need ideas for the holiday shopping season, here’s a list of items I purchased or will purchase from the Isthmus Food & Wine Festival held last weekend:

  • Mrs. Chippy’s Caramel Corn from Chippy’s Kettle Corn. I also enjoyed the Yumchata Oatmeal Cookie flavor and the Buffalo Wine & Bleu Cheese Dressing flavor.
  • Old Fashioned Malted Milk Powder Malt from CTL Foods. If you like Whoppers, you’ll love this. Try adding it to coffee.
  • Strawbanero jam from Blue Collar Cafe & Jams. Excellent combination of sweet and spicy. Loved the Bluebanero, too.
  • The garlic beefsticks and Teriyaki beefsticks from Otter Creek Organic Farm. These make a great snack!
  • The goat salami and Tuscan salami from Underground Meats. Makes me regret not signing up for its meat-CSA last year.
  • Plain 9-12 Gouda from Holland Family Farms. I had always ignored Gouda … until now.
  • Brick spread from Widmer Cheese Cellar. Why waste a cracker? I could eat this straight from the container.
  • Rob Abuelo 12-Year Rum. I doubt I’ve had a better rum. “Smooth” would be underselling it.
  • Dark Amber Organic Maple Syrup from Kickapoo Gold. You’ll never use Aunt Jemima again.
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Eat like an Olympian

Sunday, August 12th, 2012

During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the media made a big deal about Michael Phelps eating about 12,000 calories per day. Fast forward four years, and I don’t recall one story about this. I would have liked at least one story in which he talks about what he will eat now that he’s done with competition.

Anyways, I thought I’d put together a meal plan that consisted of 12,000 calories. You can see it’s an absurd amount of food, even with calorie-laden items like doughnuts. At six meals per day, a person would have to average 2,000 each sitting, roughly the entire calories an average person eats per day. All numbers are from MyFitnessPal.com:

Meal Item Calories
Breakfast Biscuits and gravy (3)
Corned beef hash (1 cup)
Bacon (4 strips)
Orange juice (24 oz)		 600 + 390 + 140 + 328 = 1,458
Mid-morning snack Jelly-filled doughnuts (2)
Chocolate milk (2 cups)		 580 + 416 = 996
Lunch Medium Chicago-style sausage pizza (four slices)
Breadsticks (4)
Blueberry pie (1 slice)
Mt. Dew (36 oz)		 1,120 + 560 + 390 + 510 = 2,580
Afternoon snack Poutine
Deep-fried cheese curds
Orange soda (36 oz)		 460 + 570 + 510 = 1,540
Dinner KFC extra crispy chicken (4 thighs, 2 wings)
Garlic cheese bread (2 servings)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Lobster bisque (1 cup)
Cream puff
Beer (36 oz)		 1,360 + 380 + 120 + 340 + 240+ 205 + 420 = 3,065
Late-night snack Gyro
French fries
Taco Bell Baja beef chalupas (2)
Gin and tonic (2)
Jack and Coke (2)
Vodka and Lemonade (2)		 450 + 380 + 820 + 180 + 270 + 270 = 2,370

Total calories: 12,009

Wanna see someone eat 12,000 calories in one sitting? Check out this video:

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The Brewery Tour

Sunday, August 5th, 2012

Got a craving for some beer? Maybe it’s because the annual Great Taste of the Midwest is this Saturday. In any event, here are some breweries that will satisfy those urges. Please consider this list part 1; I’ll keep coming up with sets of breweries to visit from time to time.

Stone Cellar Brewpub is worth a visit if you’re in the Fox Cities. First, I really like the historic building, which was built in 1858. The food is as stellar as what’s on tap, and the beer garden is a fun place to hang out.

Tyranena Brewing Company is located in Lake Mills, an easy drive from Madison. Besides the brewery tour, the bar has plenty of activities to you keep you returning. For example, play team trivia on Tuesdays in the summer, or enjoy live music on the weekends. I have a nice Tyranena souvenir pint glass from my last visit.

Minhas Brewery in Monroe has been the home to many beers, including Mountain Crest (nee Mountain Creek) and Wisconsin Club, a super cheap beer I had when I was in college (now discontinued). The brewery museum, especially the portion in the basement, is absolutely incredible (remember the Hamm’s Beer Bear?).

The Potosi Brewing Company beat out Milwaukee and St. Louis for the rights to host the National Brewery Museum–seriously! It’s cool to see the caves in which beer was stored. Sitting inside or outside really takes you back in time.

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Where to watch Rhythm & Booms

Sunday, June 24th, 2012

As mentioned in a previous blog post about Rhythm & Booms, I’ve gone several times to see the action at Warner Park, and while Madison’s annual celebration of Independence Day is a fun time for all ages, the traffic nightmares after the event keep me from going more regularly. For example, I’ve sat in traffic for two hours only to move a few hundred yards, and I’ve feared for my safety on a bike as pedestrians and cars continue to block your way.

That’s why I appreciate the alternate locations to watch Rhythm & Booms, and here are some suggestions:

  • Governor Nelson State Park. Beautiful view from across the lake. Read why I like this spot a lot.
  • Nob Hill/WEAC. A surprising amount of people know about this hilly area just off Rimrock Road. The high vantage point lets you see the fireworks despite being so far away.
  • Memorial Union Terrace and Observatory Drive. Can be extra fun if you plan on going out afterward. You’ll have to get to the Terrace somewhat early, though.
  • Lake Mendota. If you’re fortunate enough to have access to a boat, Rhythm & Booms is enjoyable to see from the water. Just remember that if you don’t have a private dock, you may encounter car traffic after you get off the boat.
  • James Madison Park, Tenney Park and Marshall Park. The first two get you a bit closer to the action, though it can be difficult to find parking. Marshall Park is small and worth it if you live right there, but otherwise I would just drive a little further to Governor Nelson.
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Buy your meat from GI Joe

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

I had a hankering for some salami the other day, and it reminded me of the time I met GI Joe.

Talk about a random night: My friend and I decided to check out some east side dive bars back in January 2009. At Packer Inn, we noticed most of the patrons were gathered around some guy in a lab coat. We come to find out that he’s giving out samples of his meat, which he’s selling out of his truck outside.

So we get a heaping sample platter, and everything was delicious. I ended up buying a half log of garlic beerwurst. The guy, by the way, is named GI Joe, and he totally looks like it. The company is called Perl’s All American Sausage Co., and you can order by calling 1-800-JOE-PERL (he’ll also give you a Perl’s All American Sausage menu that comes with his “Sausage Emergency Number”). I’ll never forget him towering over me and saying in a deep voice, “Thanks a lot, brotha!”

Apparently, he stops by the Packer Inn 1-2 times a year; most weekends, you’ll find him at various bars in Chicago, where he’s based.  Here’s a story that ABC Chicago did on him:

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Food & Wine Show purchases

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Just in time for the holiday season, here’s a list of the items I purchased at the Madison Food & Wine Show back in October. They were all so delicious that I’ve already finished most of the items.

  • Asian Spicy Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce from Penny Lane Farm. Try this on chicken or pork.
  • Bee Barf Honey from Hidden Oaks Apiary (608-235-5873). Wow, this stuff is fantastic! Great name, too.
  • Cured meat from Bolzano Meats. Warning, you will need floss or a toothpick after you eat their tasty products.
  • Sea Salt Caramel and Bacon Toffee from Christine’s Gourmet Toffee. It really is gourmet! In fact, these toffees were served in the 2011 Emmy Awards celebrity gift bags.
  • Pomegranate Cranberry Whey from Tera’s Whey. Mix this with milk for a healthy snack or breakfast alternative.
  • Milk Chocolate Truffles from Indulgence Chocolatiers. As they claim, it’s “truly exceptional chocolate.”
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Dining to-do in Chicago

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

It’s nice having a big city like Chicago only a couple hours away from Madison. You can make day trips, or when special events like the UW football team playing in Soldier field occur, you can make a weekend out of it. With that in mind, I thought I’d pull together a list of my dining to-dos in Chicago (this may take a few visits, actually):

  • Enjoy some fried chicken at the Seasons Lounge inside the Four Seasons Hotel. What a pleasant surprise at such a fancy place. Even better: this month it’s all-you-can-eat fried chicken for $35, which includes a wedge salad and peach pie. (Source: TastingTable)
  • Taste the Umami burger at BopNgrill in Evanston. The $8 sandwich is a beef patty topped with sun-dried tomatoes cooked with pork fat, mushrooms and mayonnaise seasoned with sesame and mirin. (Source: TastingTable)
  • Have some pizza and a microbrew at Piece Brewery and Pizzeria. This suggestion came from one of my Twitter followers. What caught my attention is that the pizza is thin crust, perhaps an oddity in the land of deep dish. Might be good with the Hefeweizen?
  • Savor the blueberry pie at the Rustic House. I love blueberry pie. This one ($10) is served in a cast iron dish and topped with a scoop of blueberry gelato. (Source: Chicago Tribune)
  • Sample the bunny bao at Saigon Sisters. It seems like bao are being served everywhere now (definitely becoming trendy in Madison). This one, in honor of the upcoming Year of the Rabbit, is rabbit confit, pickled vegetables, cilantro and jalapeno in a steamed bun ($2). (Source: Chicago Tribune)
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