I’m really digging Madistan, a Pakistani and Mediterranean restaurant located in the Aberdeen Apartments on campus. If it wasn’t so difficult to get there by car, I’d eat there more regularly.
You can’t go wrong with the shawarma ($5.99). The tender, seasoned bits of beef are complemented, not buried, with veggies, and the diced pickles add a slight sour flavor. The room-temperature pita was surprisingly thin, but it held the contents without fail.
Also worth ordering is the chicken tikka roll ($4.99). The shredded chicken was surprisingly moist and had a nice touch of spice to it. The sliced onions add a contrast in texture to this otherwise simple yet delicious roll.
The tater tot-shaped falafel (6 for $2.49, 12 for $4.49), a little smaller than the “average” falafel ball, had a higher ratio of crunchiness to softness, which I liked a lot. They’re flavorful enough on their own, but they are further enhanced with the sauces, including the thin, liquidy tahini.
The ground beef in the samosas (3 for $5.99) was a bit bland, but no matter, you’re going to taste primarily the perfectly fried shell. Unlike most meat-based samosas, Madistan’s version was 90 percent meat and 10 percent filler (e.g. potatoes, peas) instead of the other way around. Nice.
Other items on the eclectic menu include cheeseburgers, fried chicken and gyros, plus daily specials. The only negative for Madistan is its relative difficulty in getting there by car. Try for meter parking on Broom Street or Gilman Street.
Madistan is open Monday-Saturday for lunch, dinner and carryout, and late-night Friday-Saturday.
Recently, I happily accepted an invitation to try Qdoba’s new Loaded Tortilla Soup ($7.80-$8.40). Here’s the formula: Take a naked burrito, stick it into an edible tortilla bowl and add soup.
I have to agree. In one version I had steak, pinto beans, sauteed peppers and (free) guacamole. In the other, I had chicken, black beans, cheese and sour cream. The soup binds these toppings and takes the dish to another level. In fact, I plan on ordering this instead of the naked burritos from now on.
Let’s take a look at two new items from Burger King. A few months ago, the burger chain introduced the Flame Grilled Chicken Burger ($3.79). The tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and onions make this sandwich mimic the flavor of a Whopper to some extent (though this is not the old Chicken Whopper).
I’m glad we have finally have a restaurant to take over the space long abandoned by I’m Here. That restaurant would be 
Nachos, quesadillas and tortas comprise the rest of the menu. Get a beverage with the torta ($7.50). Meat (in this case, the very tender pulled pork), black beans and Mexican rice centering a large bun–while tasty and filling–will make you pretty thirsty.
