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Holiday parties, shows, races and events 2017

December 2nd, 2017

We sure like to celebrate the holidays here in town. Following is a guide to some upcoming holiday parties, shows, races and events in Madison:

Shows

A Madison Symphony Christmas runs Dec. 1-3 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $18-$90.
“A Christmas Carol” runs Dec. 9-23 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $28-$58.
“The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 9-26 at the Overture Center. Tickets are $15-$65.
“Guys on Ice” runs Dec. 20-29 at the Barrymore. Tickets are $30.

Parties

The Magnet Flannel & Fizz Holiday Party is held Dec. 8 at the Madison Club. Tickets are $25-$39.99.
The Madison Holiday Soiree (formerly the Mad Men Holiday Soiree) is held Dec. 9 at the Majestic. Tickets are $30.
The OPEN Annual Holiday Party is held Dec. 14 at the Century House. Tickets are free.
An Ugly Holiday Sweater Party is held Dec. 15 at all Nitty Gritty locations. No cost.
The SMB Madison Jingle and Mingle Party is held Dec. 20 at Madison Turners. Tickets are free.
The 80s vs. 90s Christmas Sweater Ball is held Dec. 22 at the Majestic. Tickets are $5.
Hippie X-mas is held Dec. 22 at the High Noon Saloon. Tickets are $8/advance, $12/door.
The Freezy Steezy Holiday Ball is held Dec. 29 at the Majestic. No cost.

Races

The Santa Swimsuit Run and Beach Party was not scheduled for this year.
Run, Santa, Run 5K takes place Dec. 2 on the Capitol Square. Fee is $12-$50.
The Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis is held on Dec. 9 at Verona High School.

Other Events

The Holiday Fantasy in Lights runs Nov. 18-Jan. 2 at Olin Park. Admission is free.
Tudor Holiday Dinners with the Philharmonic Chorus of Madison take place Nov. 29-Dec. 3 at the Memorial Union. Tickets are $50-$65.
Holiday Express runs Dec. 2-31 at Olbrich Gardens. Tickets are $3-$5.
The Holiday Shopping Extravaganza runs Dec. 9-10 at the Alliant Energy Center. Admission is $5.
Breakfast with Santa is held Dec. 17 at Henry Vilas Zoo. Tickets cost $10-$20.
Christmas Brew ‘N View with the movies “Elf,” “Die Hard,” “Home Alone” and “Christmas Vacation” showing respectively Dec. 21-23 at the Majestic. Tickets are $5.

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Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant

November 26th, 2017

20171109_121253 The food at Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant is good enough that I would order it for take-out, but it’s not good enough that I would dine in again.

When you first walk in, you’ll notice right away how much space is wasted. There’s no feeling of intimacy here; in fact, the stark-white decor makes you feel like you’re in an Apple store. Meanwhile, the service is a bit spotty–on one visit, I was brought an uncleaned cloth napkin, and it took several minutes for me to get a replacement since the staff left the dining area.

I did say the food was good, so here’s a recap.

20171122_121720 You’ll find four types of montadito, which is basically sliced baguette with grilled meat on top. The Spanish sausage ($4.50) is tender and has a bit of heat to it. The lightly toasted bread maintains its texture against the sauce, and the onions and black olives add a bit of breadth to the flavor.

Paella can be portioned for one or two people. Of the four varieties, I tried the valenciana ($16/$38). The paella itself is comforting, and I appreciate that the veggies were cooked through. If the dish only had the Spanish sausage, I would have been satisfied. However, it also had chicken, which was so overcooked, I almost gave up chewing it. The mussels similarly were dry.

Some of the best shrimp I’ve ever eaten came in the gambas as ajillo ($9). The shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the broth in which it sat was garlicky but not in an overpowering way.

The Spanish tortilla ($7) is actually an egg and potato pie. The potatoes were soft but firm enough to keep their form, and they were the primary flavor, ahead of the quiche-like eggs. The onions and bell peppers were not prevalent.

Among the Latin Fusion entrees, I tried the pan con chicharron ($10). The salsa criolla adds a subtle tang to the tender roasted pork, and the bolillo bread held up to bind all the ingredients together.

Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

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See more photos in our Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant Flickr album.

Tags: downtown, tapas
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The Lone Girl Brewing Co.

November 19th, 2017

20171112_124847 Waunakee harbors a gem in its downtown called The Lone Girl Brewing Co., a worthwhile destination for grabbing a bite as well as watching a game.

Let’s start with the beers. I applaud Lone Girl for not doing what every brewery does these days, which is having IPAs represent 80 percent of the selection. Instead, you’ll find a welcome breadth, including a stout, a porter and a cider. My favorite was the Towhead ($5.50), a Belgian blonde with a subtle sweetness. Meanwhile, the Pipe Dream ($5), a wheat beer, is a perfect companion to basically any entree here.

The appetizers list has some unique items such as the Albondigas ($10; meatballs with beef, pork and chorizo) and the Bloody Mary Board ($12.50; cheese, sausage, etc. over a spicy bloody mary mix reduction). In the same vein, the hush puppies ($10) aren’t your average hush puppies. Inside a perfectly crispy shell are crab, shrimp and risotto. The hush puppies are moist enough that you don’t need any sauce.

20171112_124855 I appreciated that the main menu has a wide array of items instead of 10 variations of burgers like other brewpubs have. For example, Lone Girl has a vegetarian ravioli ($14.50) and a beef stew ($14.50). I’m glad I tried the Get In My Belly ($12.50) entree. The mac & cheese portion (actually corkscrew cavatappi) is creamy–although it wasn’t at all spicy as the description says–and the stout-infused pulled pork is slightly sweet and quite tender.

The OG patty melt ($13) has all the right components: lots of cheese, the right amount of tangy sauce, buttery toast and a juicy patty. The only part of the meal I didn’t enjoy was the house fries, which were soggy, flimsy and tasteless.

Although I didn’t order any bar snacks–such as the wasabi-spiced cashews & peanuts–I thought it was clever that they’re served in mason jars. This brewpub also features a signature cocktail menu and a Friday night fish fry.

The Lone Girl Brewing Co. serves dinner every day and lunch Tuesdays-Sundays.

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See more photos in our The Lone Girl Brewing Co. Flickr album.