More and more restaurants in Madison seem to be serving brunch, which also means that restaurants need to be more innovative to compete for those weekend meals. The Wise, inside HotelRED, now has a New Orleans-style brunch, and I accepted an offer to try it.
The menu is split into chapters, with the first representing appetizers. I know this is sacrilegious to say in Wisconsin, but I didn’t feel like eating cheese curds ($6), creole cream cheese dumplings ($8) or a butcher’s board with artisan cheeses ($18) at the moment. That’s because I was craving beignets ($5), but unfortunately, the Wise was already out by mid-morning (they’re popular!).
From Chapter 2 I had the quiche lorraine ($12). Despite its small size, the quiche was enjoyable because the homemade shell was buttery and flaky, and the mixture of the grand cru cheese, bacon lardons and onions was bursting with flavor. I also tried the two eggs your way ($10), which came with toast, fruit, fried potatoes and your choice of bacon, sausage or ham. This was a perfect breakfast plate, especially if you’re not an adventurous eater or you’re nursing a hangover.
In the final chapter of the menu, I picked the shrimp and grits ($18). You’ll appreciate the eight meaty pieces of shrimp accompanied by wonderfully creamy grits, all of which pair well with the saltiness and firmness of the bits of andouille sausage and demi-glace. Next time, I’ll probably order the shrimp goat cheese crepes ($12).
The Wise serves brunch on weekends from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
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To celebrate its new location on the first floor of the Boulevard apartment building on University Avenue, Potbelly Sandwich Shop invited me to try the new turkey club sandwich ($7.10). It’s got hand-pulled turkey, cheddar cheese and Nueske’s bacon in it, which differs from the turkey breast sandwich that has sliced turkey, swiss cheese and no bacon.
You don’t often see hand-pulled turkey on menus, and that’s too bad, because Potbelly’s was juicy and tender and actually tasted like turkey. There was a good amount of bacon, but not so much to overpower the sandwich.
Potbelly introduced the sandwich in June to celebrate National Turkey Lovers’ Month. Also worth noting is the return of the popular frozen raspberry lemonade. It and the turkey club will be available through Sept. 25.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop on University Avenue is open every day from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. and will soon offer delivery.
Casetta Kitchen and Counter
Breakfast is the other meal served here. The radish toast ($5) is pretty to look at, but it’s not enough to overcome the fact that you just paid $5 for one slice of toast and a handful of sliced radish. At least the radish was fresh and crunchy, the toast was buttery and the various seeds (e.g. sunflower) gave the dish a little more depth.
A long-time Arby’s on Gammon Road closed and turned into 
I was pleasantly surprised by the pulled pork sandwich ($2.99) because it uses a Carolina (mustard-based) sauce. It’s actually quite good–the meat is super moist, and the bread does a good job of keeping its structure.
