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Gloria Jean’s Coffees

Sunday, January 10th, 2016

Gloria Jean’s Coffees is featuring its line of red velvet coffees for its current batch of seasonal flavors. I happily accepted an invitation to visit the store located in West Towne Mall, near the food court.

Here’s the lineup:

Red Velvet Cookie Chiller is an icy blend of GJC Cappuccino Base, red velvet powder, Oreo crumbles and vanilla custard sauce topped with whipped cream.
Red Velvet Iced Latte is an ice-cold medley of espresso, 2% milk, GJC Red Velvet Powder and vanilla custard.
Red Velvet Hot Cocoa is hand crafted with silky-textured milk and GJC Red Velvet Powder topped with whipped cream, chocolate flakes and red velvet powder.
Red Velvet Cupcake Whole Beans features rich buttermilk cake swirled with notes of chocolate and vanilla to create a perfect dessert moment.

I actually tried the red velvet latte hot instead of iced. The red velvet powder does wonders to make the coffee taste just like its cake counterpart without being overly sweet. In fact, this is a good beverage to sip on anytime of day. It’s just too bad you can only order it through February.

What you will find on the menu year-round is the Chocolate Caramel Turtle, which according to co-owner Mike Sokolowski, is the store’s No. 1 seller. You can taste every flavor–including the Oreos–equally, except the bitterness of the coffee, which is well-hidden. That’s what makes this beverage a crowd favorite, especially with non-coffee drinkers.

Although I didn’t eat anything, you should know that Gloria Jean’s also serves food, and the menu that launched last July is more robust than other coffee shops. Breakfast includes egg sandwiches and waffles, while lunch/dinner includes sandwiches such as the GJ Roast Beef and Grilled Triple Cheese. You also can order soups, salads and pastries.

If you like coffee, you should enter Gloria Jean’s “Free Coffee for a Year” sweepstakes, which ends on Jan. 31. The winner will receive a custom-engraved Gloria’s Gold Cup coffee tumbler and one free 16 oz. brewed coffee per day for a year.

Gloria Jean’s Coffees is open every day for lunch and dinner and breakfast Monday-Saturday.

Tags: coffee, West Towne
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Waypoint Public House

Sunday, January 3rd, 2016

Waypoint Public House is part of a growing number of restaurants located in apartment buildings in the Madison area, an almost unheard concept just a few years ago. This particular one is located in Treysta on the Water in Monona, right on the Yahara River. In fact, Waypoint fronts the water (and is easily visible from the Beltline) at the expense of being close to the parking lot.

The bar is huge and boasts an impressive list of spirits and beers. I tried three of the nine specialty cocktails, beginning with the Jim Beam rye-based Blinker ($8). This drink wakes up your taste buds, due to the bitterness of the grapefruit liqueur and sourness of the lemon. Meanwhile, I liked the Journeyman Featherbone bourbon-based Boulevardier ($10.50) for its resemblance to a Manhattan (though a bit steep in price) and the rum punch ($8.50) for its refreshing, but strong, taste.

As for the fare, you should be able to find something for every person in your party. For example, appetizers range from Waypoint nachos ($11) to tenderloin poutine ($14). I recommend the satisfying deviled eggs ($8), which are drizzled with sriracha and come with a piece of bacon in each egg.

The rest of the menu is comprised of soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers and a few dinner-only entrees, one of which includes the pulled pork mac & cheese ($15.5). The pulled pork is tender and has the perfect amount of BBQ sauce, and all of it sits atop big-shelled and creamy macaroni. The sprinkles of bread crumbs adds a nice little crunch to the dish.

Of the five burgers, I took a stab at the Brie Burger ($11). The house raspberry preserves were almost non-existent, and overall this burger, despite the brie and crispy prosciutto, was surprisingly bland. At least the bun from Batch Bakehouse was tasty.

I’m on the fence about the Walleye Po Boy ($13). The fried walleye is flaky and exactly the level of crispy it should be, but the terrible citrus slaw so overwhelms the flavor of the walleye that I ended up scraping all of it off. If it weren’t for the wonderful Batch Bakehouse baguette, I would have preferred the fish served by itself.

Waypoint serves lunch and dinner every day, plus brunch on Sundays. From the parking lot, head to the right side of the building as you’re facing it to find the restaurant.

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See more photos in our Waypoint Public House Flickr album.