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Caffeine Crawl

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

This post is guest-written by Allison Wallner.

Being that caffeine is the substance of my mornings, I happily accepted the invitation to The LAB team’s Caffeine Crawl – Madison. This was the 52nd crawl for the LAB team and consisted of five routes and an after party. I held off on my morning caffeine ritual and chose the last route, which took place from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27.

We started out at Infusion Chocolates at Hilldale. In need of caffeine, I was glad to be greeted with a selection of iced coffee drinks. The Maya Iced Chocolate had a smooth, velvety chocolate taste followed by some spice. Meanwhile, a honey lavender chocolate caught my eye and did not disappoint.

Madison Sourdough stole the show for me with a demonstration of how coffee can be used within desserts. The stop included three samples for guests to try.

The Chocolate Espresso Opera Cake’s beautiful and precise design grabbed my attention right when I walked in. The layered dessert consisted of white cake, espresso powder and layers of chocolate all made in-house. It blended together wonderfully without being too sweet and having that kick of espresso. This is their most popular dessert, and I can now see (and taste) why!

The Caffeine Crawl also hustled through 5th Element Coffee, Cargo Coffee, Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier and Crescendo Espresso Bar & Music Café.

It was recommended to bring along water, and I can vouch for that. I took part in the route with the most chocolate tastings, and it turned out to be too much sweet for me. Still, I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at some of Madison’s local businesses. Be on the lookout, The LAB team hopes to return to Madison next year.

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Field Table

Sunday, August 28th, 2016

I’ve gotten to know and respect former Isthmus food writer Andre Darlington through the Madison food event circuit, and thus I was rooting for him when he announced the opening of Field Table on the Capitol Square.

In addition to having a restaurant and full bar, you also can do some light grocery shopping here. Unlike Merchant, which failed miserably in its attempt to sport a mini-market, Field Table sells items that people actually want (including grab-and-go lunch items).

Does this place ever close? There’s no excuse for not having time to come here, since Field Table serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinner and late-night.

The trout filet ($23) featured an artic char, in this case a wonderful juxtaposition of tender, flaky fish and crispy skin enhanced by mild onions and a garlic-y sauce.
The bowl of mussels ($18) hit the spot. The bits of chorizo added a hint of spice, and the broth was extremely tasty, like a tomato bisque. In fact I wish I had a spoon to slurp it up.
A great small plate is the pork belly ($14). It’s two big hunks of meat with good flavor and just the right amount of fat. The charred broccolini added a nice contrast.

Wait, there’s a lot more. I’ve made some of the drinks from Darlington’s cocktail recipe book, and my high expectations for the bar at Field Table were met. On the other end of the day, you must stop by for breakfast, too.

The La Bella Pellogrina ($12) does a good job of not letting the gin overpower the drink, probably from the Liquore Strega liqueur.
Rum, coconut milk and watermelon liqueur are some of the main ingredients that make a refreshing drink in the Rumful Purpose ($10).
Get your pastries here: The almond scone ($3) = flaky goodness, the cheese cretzel ($4) deftly balances all the flavor components and the straw-blackberry-glazed doughnut ($2) was perfectly moist and sweet.

Field Table is open as an espresso bar Monday-Saturday and serves lunch on weekdays, dinner and late-night Monday-Saturday and brunch on Saturdays.

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See more photos in our Field Table Flickr album.

Tags: American, downtown
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Me & Julio

Sunday, August 21st, 2016

Fitchburg has so few restaurants, especially south of McKee Road, that it’s no surprise Me & Julio has seen big crowds almost every night since opening in May.

When you walk in, it feels like a chain restaurant, perhaps a cross between Texas Roadhouse and Chili’s. An awkwardly positioned host stand is to the left of the entrance, and a giant bar sits in the middle of the restaurant.

Drinks and apps. You could be fine just having some specialty cocktails and eating off of the lengthy appetizer list. Me & Julio crafts its own margaritas, martinis and Bloody Marys.

My favorite was the passion fruit margarita. It’s sweet, not too dense and not too tequila-y.
The tequila old fashioned is an interesting spin on the classic Wisconsin cocktail. In fact, it really does resemble an old fashioned, though a bit stronger.
The walleye fingers ($11.99) were pricey for the portion size, but I was pleasantly surprised by how fresh the fish tasted and the fact that it wasn’t overly breaded.

American and Mexican. You’ll find both American and Mexican cuisines on the lunch/dinner and breakfast menus. While you wait for your food, you can munch on some free popcorn that comes with your table.

I enjoyed the heat and multitude of flavors in the Julio Burger ($11.99) coming from the poblano peppers, ghost peppers and chorizo patty.
The plate of fish tacos ($12.99) is pretty filling. Unlike the walleye, the cod in the tacos did not taste fresh, but they were semi-saved by the thick, flour tortillas that tasted like grilled pita bread.
I look forward to returning for breakfast to try the cajun hash ($11.99), which includes andouille, chicken, shrimp and cajun Hollandaise.

Me & Julio is open for dinner every day, lunch Monday-Friday and brunch on weekends. Tuesdays feature half-price classic margaritas.