Archive for the ‘Restaurant and Bar Reviews’ Category

Pizza Di Roma

Sunday, August 13th, 2017

20170731_121605New York-style pizza-by-the-slice is available outside of downtown, now that Pizza Di Roma has opened a location where Legends used to be.

The space is much brighter than Legends ever was but has an awkward set-up, primarily because it’s a counter-service restaurant integrated into a former sports bar.

In all the years I’ve eaten at the downtown location of Pizza Di Roma, I’ve never ordered anything but pizza, so in recent visits to the west side location, I explored the rest of the menu, which turned out to be bigger than expected.

A few appetizers lead off. The breaded cheese ravioli ($6.95) is massively breaded, but at least a lot of ricotta cheese greets you inside. You also can order chicken wings ($8.95) and fried calamari ($9.95).

You have lots of pasta dishes, including staples such as lasagna and tortellini, from which to choose. Among the more unique was the spaghetti putanesca ($9.95; should be spelled with two Ts). The black olive flavor is most prevalent, while the carrot shavings added an unwelcome texture. There were just a few pieces of anchovies, which were not overly salty.

Similar to the pasta dishes, the entrees will take 5-10 min. to prepare. The chicken arrabbiata ($10.95) sports an assortment of peppers, including jalapenos. The marinara sauce was average, the noodles were similar to sub-par ones found in a diner and the two thin chicken breasts were pretty tough.

20170804_115545Other entrees include shrimp marinara ($12.95) and eggplant parmesan ($11.95).

Among the subs, I got the sausage and peppers ($7.95). The slices of Italian sausage and strips of green peppers are topped with marinara sauce and cheese, then stuffed inside a huge roll. It’s a lot of bread, which turned out to be necessary to hold all the ingredients together.

The west side location of Pizza Di Roma is open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday.

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See more photos in our Pizza Di Roma Flickr album.

Pizza Di Roma Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Canteen

Sunday, August 6th, 2017

20170802_115917It’s hard to disagree with Food Fight’s description of Canteen as a “vibrant, fast-paced taqueria.” In fact, it’s even different enough from Tex Tubb’s and Eldorado–other restaurants in Food Fight’s vast portfolio–as well as other taquerias in town.

Canteen has a fairly robust selection of tacos, which are served a la carte. The green chile chicken ($3) draws a lot of its flavor from the serrano salsa and crema, both of which truly complement the tender, moist chicken. The slices of roasted tomatillo were a pleasant surprise.

Meanwhile, the pork belly tacos ($3.50) are now my favorite in town. The chunks of pork belly are slightly crispy on the outside and melt-in-your mouth tender on the inside. They are coated in a wonderful guajillo chile sauce that resembles mole in flavor.

The few entrees at Canteen include enchiladas ($10) and torta ($12). The Tijuana salad ($9) is a fresh mix of romaine lettuce, red cabbage and toasted seeds, among other ingredients. I wish there was more of the anchovy dressing, which was not too salty. I added Tecate-battered cod for $4, and the small pieces were very mild in taste.

20170721_121854I mentioned in a previous blog post that because of the prevalence of brunch in Madison, restaurants need to make their offerings more and more unique. Here, what’s unique is the time in which brunch is served: Saturday, Sunday and Friday. This menu has just five items. The brisket burnt ends hash ($11) wasn’t perfect: the brisket was a bit chewy, the poached eggs were overcooked, and the mix of potatoes, bell peppers and cojita cheese was bland enough that I relied heavily on the hot sauces (especially the mango) on the table.

The free order of duritos ($1 after your first bag) to start your meal was a nice touch. The puffed wagon wheels really absorbed the lime and tajin flavors, and they’re enjoyable to munch while sipping on a cocktail or margarita.

Canteen serves lunch and dinner every day and brunch Friday-Sunday.

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See more photos in our Canteen Flickr album.

Canteen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Koi Sushi

Sunday, July 30th, 2017

20170706_112748Koi Sushi, like its sister restaurant Chili King, combines multiple cuisine types into one menu. Thus, you’ll see a variety of lunch specials, teriyaki dishes, tempura dishes, “American” Chinese dishes and of course, sushi.

Sushi choices are comprised of regular rolls (e.g. California roll), sushi/sashimi (e.g. yellowtail), assorted platters and special rolls. The Crazy Roll ($12.99) has a good crunch from the shrimp tempura, creaminess from the avocado and a little kick from the spicy tuna. It’s all wrapped together in pink soy paper and drizzled with eel sauce.

The Godzilla roll ($14.99) is similarly large and decorative. You can really discern all the components, including the eel, cream cheese and tempura batter; other ingredients include crab and white fish. The spicy sauce and eel sauce combine to add more flavor than heat. Other rolls in this category include the Golden Dragon (salmon and white tuna, $15.95) and the Black Thunder (shrimp tempura and spicy tuna, $15.95).

20170706_113143As previously mentioned, the rest of the menu presents a robust selection from which to choose.

Hot appetizers include gyoza ($6.95) and beef nagimaki (thinly sliced beef with green onions, $8.95). The tempura squid ($8.95) is a nice alternative to fried calamari. You get giant chunks of squid that are not overly battered and go well with a little soy sauce. The dish also comes with tempura veggies.

Based on their size, the entrees are really meant for sharing, which means you should order several items for communal eating. Under the Famous Sauteed section, I got the spicy fried eggs ($9.99), which are simple but satisfying. It’s a heaping plate of scrambled eggs mixed with sauteed peppers, including jalapenos that give this dish some heat.

You can read about other entrees in my Chili King review (they have similar menus).

Koi Sushi is open every day for lunch and dinner.

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See more photos in our Koi Sushi Flickr album.

Koi Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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