Archive for the ‘Restaurant and Bar Reviews’ Category

Sandwich musings

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Over the past year or so, I’ve had some interesting sandwiches, and here they are collected in one blog post:

The Fat Magnum at Fat Sandwich Company. Please don’t tell me how many calories are in this sandwich, because I’ve now eaten it … twice. It is an eight-inch roll with a double cheeseburger, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, bacon, eggs, french fries, mayo and ketchup. Despite an unlikely combination of ingredients, it’s actually really good, especially with a beer.

The Bobbie at Capriotti’s. I received a coupon in the mail to try it, which was a good idea since I don’t know if I would have spent money on a sandwich that came with turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing, but boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I usually don’t mix sweet and salty, but the flavors in this popular item were perfectly balanced, and I definitely would recommend it to anyone.

The Aloha Slider at Fit Fresh Cuisine. Again, here’s my hesitation of combining sweet and salty–this burger had a slice of pineapple on it, plus a slightly spicy sauce.  But it was delivered to me while I was a judge for Taste of Madison, and I was impressed. The nice kick that you get as you bite in sealed the deal for me. (You still won’t catch me adding pineapple to pizza, though.)

Tropical Cuisine

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Tropical Cuisine opened quietly last month on Broom Street between W. Washington and W. Mifflin. It claims to be the “first authentic Puerto Rican restaurant in Madtown.”

With only a table of four as the only other diners during a recent lunch, I was surprised and annoyed that my order took 34 minutes. It’s probably why the restaurant has flat screens–which would otherwise be out of place–in the corners: so that you have something to do while you wait and wait and wait.

The appetizers list includes stuffed bananas ($1.75), cod fritters ($1.75) and rib tips (8/$4.50 and 16/$9). I tried the meat turnover ($1.75), and while eating it I couldn’t help but think that the meat patty at Jamerica is much more enjoyable than the bland counterpart I was consuming. It probably would have been better if it came with some sort of dipping sauce.

The steak jibarito, which is a sandwich that uses plantains, was better.  I liked the creamy sauce and the steak, though as a whole it was pretty messy. Note, if you don’t like plantains, which are much less flavorful than bananas, you may not like jibaritos.

The disappointment continued in my other sandwich, as I ordered the Tripleta ($6.25), which has ham, pork, pastrami and turkey, but instead I was given just a pork sandwich ($5.75). On top of missing several meats, there was very little pork; the sandwich was mostly just bread.

Other menu items include a steam table, which is one meat and two sides from the daily menu for $8.50; stuffed plantains, including one with octopus for $14.95; and soups, salads and a kids menu.

Tropical Cuisine is open Mon-Sat for lunch, dinner and carryout. There are metered spots in front, or you can park in the Metropolitan Place ramp behind it.

Stalzy’s Deli

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Hey Stalzy’s Deli: will you please open a second location downtown? I truly believe there’s a market for your presence around the Capitol. Ever since Jacobson Deli closed its shop across from the Bartell Theatre a few years ago, that deli niche hasn’t been filled yet (sorry Merchant, you don’t quite fit the bill).

In fact, Stalzy’s says on its website that it opened to “buff out Madison’s deli deficiencies.” To that, I say, great job so far.

When I stopped in at Stalzy’s, which took over for the space once occupied by Africana on Atwood Avenue, I was tempted to stock up on some cured meats. Instead, I concentrated on the sandwiches.

Both the Classic Club and the Stalzy’s Triple were quite nice. When Stalzy’s first opened in May, people complained on its Facebook page about the lack of meat on the sandwiches (sounds like Full of Bull). However, that problem has obviously been rectified, as both sandwiches I tried had generous portions.

The latter, which I somehow managed to finish despite its size (see photo), had corned beef, pastrami, turkey pastrami, swiss cheese and coleslaw. I thought it was dynamite, but I wouldn’t order it again only because it cost $15. The Classic Club, which featured turkey, bacon, cheddar, lettuce and tomato, was slightly easier to swallow (pun intended) at $12.

Just for the heck of it, I tried the House Burger ($6) as well, and I thought it was juicy and tasty. You also can double and triple the number of patties, and the sandwich comes with American cheese and fried onions preloaded.

Stalzy’s also serves various sausages, reubens and “the best pastrami in town,” according to my server. You can dine in or carryout, and there’s a parking lot adjacent to the building. Just beware: no credit cards are accepted.

    Madison Symphony Orchestra Urban Air

  • Blog Home

    You are currently browsing the archives for the Restaurant and Bar Reviews category.

  • Archives

  • Categories