Archive for February, 2016

El Rancho Mexican Grill

Sunday, February 28th, 2016

I’m glad we have finally have a restaurant to take over the space long abandoned by I’m Here. That restaurant would be El Rancho Mexican Grill, which is one of six Mexican restaurants on or just off of South Park Street.

The format for ordering is similar to Qdoba and Chipotle. Pick your item, then the meat (barbacoa, carnitas, pollo, asada, ground beef and chorizo) and then the toppings (beans, rice, cheese, salsa; guacamole is 50 cents extra) as you move down the line.

The burrito ($6.95) was my favorite. With my selections of shredded beef, onions, cilantro and red (hot) salsa, it tasted just like a burrito from La Bamba. It’s pretty massive, too, meaning it can be a standalone meal.

For lighter fare, the oddly priced tacos ($2.25 or three for $6.95, which doesn’t make sense) are a good choice. You can get either flour or corn tortillas, and I recommend not going overboard with the toppings. I had mine with the Mexican sausage and steak, and I was happy that neither was dry.

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.

El Rancho Mexican Grill is open seven days a week for lunch, dinner and carryout. Park on the street or in the Dunkin’ Donuts lot.

El Rancho Mexican Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Underwood wine cans

Sunday, February 21st, 2016

Wine in a can?

After being pleasantly surprised by the single cup wine Copa Di Vino, I had an open mind about Union Wine Co.’s Underwood cans. Each of these 375 ml cans ($24 for a four pack) is the equivalent of half a bottle of wine (two glasses), so even one can be enough for some people.

According to Oregon-based Union Wine Co., the wine in the cans is the same wine found in its bottles. Your choices are pinot gris, rosé and pinot noir.

I did not notice a difference in taste between drinking the wines straight from the cans or from a glass. That’s a good thing, because now you have another way that you can bring your wine anywhere and not worry about breaking a bottle, packing a corkscrew or washing a glass.

The pinot noir is the only one that you don’t need to chill, obviously. On the spectrum of pinot noirs, this one fell right in the middle. It’s not at all dry, and it has a slight hint of chocolate flavor.

I thought the sweetness level of the rosé was perfect. This wine balances dryness with tartness, and I did enjoy notes of strawberry and peach.

For the pinot gris, I could detect the pear but not the peach and grapefruit listed on the can. The carbonation bubbles were prevalent, likely because of the can. Overall the flavor was light and dry.

In Madison, the only place I’ve seen these cans is Steve’s Liquor in Fitchburg. You also can purchase the wine online.

HopCat

Sunday, February 14th, 2016

HopCat is located in a huge (10,000 square feet!), two-story space downtown that once housed Quaker Steak and Lube and Bop. Equally large is the beer list,  which sports a whopping 130 tap beers, including 30 from Wisconsin. Since its opening in July, HopCat seems to be impressing as a destination for beer geeks, young professionals, families and people who live/work/shop downtown.

To be sure, the food is worth the visit, too. Take for example the five pepper beef chili ($4.75 cup, $5.75 bowl). It has beans in it but it’s not bean-y, and the jalapenos, chipotle peppers and bell peppers (where are the other two peppers?) add a surprisingly welcome sweetness. (In February, this chili came in a pretzel bowl.) Another satisfying way to start your meal is with the Meat Head Pizza Rolls ($10), which are basically pizzas stuffed inside egg rolls. It’s as tasty as it sounds, though skip the cold, paste-like marinara sauce that comes with it.

You’ll find quite the variety of entrees (even vegetarian), burgers and sandwiches from which to choose. I settled on the Angry Bird ($10.50), a crispy breaded chicken sandwich (I appreciated that the thick chicken is not buried in breading) tossed in a fire sauce (very similar to Cholula Hot Sauce). I also enjoyed the range of flavors in the Barnyard burger ($12.95), which was topped with cheddar cheese curds, bacon, ham, fried egg salad and cheese sauce on Texas toast.

All burgers and sandwiches come with a side of the famous Crack Fries, which mimic Arby’s curly fries in flavor, except these are straight and have more pepper on them.

Brunch is available on Sundays. The Hangover Cure ($9.50), a smorgasbord of scrambled eggs, bacon, red onion, jalapenos, Crack Fries and cheese sauce, is indeed a welcome meal after a long night of partying, though it was sorely lacking in cheese sauce, and the eggs were overcooked. I don’t recommend the Bloody Mary bar, as there were just a few ingredients compared to at least a dozen you find at other bars.

HopCat is open every day for lunch and dinner. You can rent the large upstairs area for private parties.

***

See more photos in our HopCat Flickr album.

Hop Cat Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

    Madison Symphony Orchestra Urban Air

  • Blog Home

    You are currently browsing the EatDrinkMadison.com blog archives for February, 2016.

  • Archives

  • Categories