Archive for the ‘Restaurant and Bar Reviews’ Category

The Thirsty Goat

Sunday, December 11th, 2016

20161210_162719The Thirsty Goat replaced the former Casa del Sol in Fitchburg. The menu features typical American fare and some smokehouse items and reminds me of Tony Roma’s, which used to exist a few blocks away.

Although it’s not a destination restaurant, the Thirsty Goat does help fill the restaurant void in Fitchburg. According to a server, it will start brewing its own beer next year.

As expected with a smokehouse menu, your table includes homemade BBQ sauces. All four were essentially the same, but I found myself using the chipotle one the most. One way to try all the smokehouse items is the sampler platter ($22.99).

  • The meat came off the ribs easily and had enough flavor that it didn’t require any sauce.
  • On the other hand, the brisket was mild in flavor and a bit dry, requiring sauce.
  • The sausage was dense, had a good snap and had a slight heat.
  • You get one each of pulled pork, brisket and chicken in the smoked sliders appetizer ($10.99). The chicken really stood out by being moist and smoky.

20161210_162617The rest of the menu has burgers/sandwiches, entrees, salads and a Friday fish fry.

  • The Atlantic cod ($12.99) was a bit soggy–I prefer my fried fish crunchy. I’m glad I didn’t get the all-you-can eat version ($17.99).
  • The broasted chicken (2 pieces for $8.99, 4 for $12.99) perfectly combined crunchy and tender textures. It’s a hidden gem on the menu.
  • The salmon fillet ($16.99) was a pleasant surprise. The menu doesn’t describe it, but the salmon is heavily seasoned and was bursting with flavor.
  • As for the sides, the beans are slightly sweet and spicy but the red peppers overtook the flavor. There was good heat in the corn but it was otherwise bland. The corn bread was like spongecake and served at room temperature. The mac and cheese was creamy but average.

The Thirsty Goat is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

***

See more photos in our Thirsty Goat Flickr album.

The Thirsty Goat Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Sconniebar

Sunday, December 4th, 2016

20161123_181359Regent Street looks a little different these days. Lucky’s moved down the street to the former Foreign Car Specialists building (yay! what an eye sore that was) and became Lucky’s 1313, while Sconniebar took over the building where Lucky’s was.

Sconniebar follows the trend of other bar and grills by focusing on what I term “better bar food.” (See my reviews of Augie’s Tavern and World of Beer for examples.) And that’s nice, because you’re likely coming here to fill up before or after a game at Camp Randall, the Field House or the Kohl Center, and you don’t want to eat just a plain burger.

Good selection of shareables. In addition to the expected chicken tenders, wings and nachos on the Bar Bites menu, you can a few unique items.

  • The jumbo walleye-stuffed tater tots ($9) are indeed huge. Some tots had more walleye packed into them than others. Without any seasoning they were bland, so you’ll need to use some ketchup or tartar sauce.
  • The zucchini fries ($8) are another unique appetizer. They look like mozzarella sticks, and because the zucchini flavor is not strong, the fried breading is what you will taste (not necessarily a bad thing).

20161123_181012Hope you like sandwiches. The rest of the menu contains pub sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers. There’s also a Friday fish fry and a few salads.

  • The cheese curds on the curd burger ($11) were solidified instead of melty/gooey, making for a fairly dense burger. The jalapeño ranch added a slight heat to this hearty burger.
  • Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Favorite burger ($9) is best described as a standard cheeseburger, making it a safe choice for non-adventurous eaters.
  • The Northern pike fish fry sandwich ($10) is surprisingly large, with the fish 25 percent larger than the bun. I appreciated that there was not too much breading, yet the fish was still crispy and moist. The lemon vinaigrette added a bit of sweetness.
  • Other items include the BBQ corn and cheese ($8) and the Sheboygan Badger brat ($6).

Sconniebar is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

***

See more photos in our Sconniebar Flickr album.

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

Miko Poke

Sunday, November 20th, 2016

20161118_114841According to Eater.com, poke bowls–essentially raw fish served on top of rice or leafy greens–was the “dish of the summer” in the United States. Thanks to the folks at Food Fight, Madisonians can enjoy this trend at Miko Poke, which sits in the former Vodkatorium of Bluephies.

Ordering is done assembly line style. The regular size poke bowl ($10.50) seems about right in terms on quantity, while the small ($7.50) allows you to order a couple of poke bowls and/or add a side. The large is $14.50.

Although I only personally ate two poke bowls, I sense the theme is that the restaurant does an excellent job of combining flavors and textures into a tight area.

For example, the sliced cucumber brightened the Hawaiian Style bowl, while the edamame added density and the avocado brought creaminess to the super fresh, diced tuna.

Meanwhile, in the Spicy Albacore bowl, I appreciated the sweetness of the melon, the crunch from the fried garlic and the heat from the serrano peppers, which were the only thing that made the dish spicy (the spicy aioli was a misnomer).

20161118_115518Other bowls include the Coco Curry (yellow squash, carrots, tahini and toasted coconuts, among other ingredients) and Banzai Shrimp. You also can build your own.

Miko Poke also serves Hawaiian shaved ice ($3.50). I really enjoyed an alcoholic version, the passion fruit punch ($6), which is bursting with flavor that masks the Tito’s Handmade vodka.

On each table are bottles of poke sauce and volcano sauce. The former has a slight sweetness and goes well with fish and rice, as expected. The latter was vinegary, and similar to the aioli, it wasn’t spicy at all.

Miko Poke is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

Miko Poke Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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