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Valentine’s Day 2017

February 11th, 2017

valentine-candyObviously many restaurants are having Valentine’s Day specials. Beyond dining, here are some V-Day-related events–running the gamut from parties to family-friendly–going on in Madison today through the 14th.

This Weekend

  • Valentine’s Day Celebration, 9:30 a.m. Saturday at DreamBank. Arts and crafts for the kids.
  • 22nd Annual Valentine’s 5K, 11 a.m. Saturday at UW Natatorium. The course runs along the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path.
  • Will Zoo Be Mine?, 6 p.m. Saturday at Vilas Zoo. This is billed as an intimate evening of wine, local cheeses and learning about mating behaviors of animals.
  • Encore Studio’s “To Love or Not to Love,” Saturday and Sunday (also Feb. 17 and 18) at Mary Dupont Wahlers Theatre. A play that explores issues of sexuality, power, abuse, desire and relationships.
  • Speed dating, 8 p.m. Saturday at Lucky’s 1313. Includes apps, Stella Artois and chances to win prizes (besides a date).
  • 8th Annual Valentine’s Underwear Party, 9 p.m. Saturday at Plan B. Dance in your fancy undies with music from DJ Tim Walters.
  • Lil Red Dress Affair, 10 p.m. Saturday at Lagartos Night Club. Multiple genres of music, plus $100 for the woman in the sexiest red dress.
  • Constellation Valentine” Paint Night, 5 p.m. Sunday at Sprecher’s. Local artist Lindsey LaPlant will explain how to create the landscape “Constellation Valentine.”
  • Strangers in the Night – a Singles Soiree, 6 p.m. Sunday at VOM FASS University Avenue. Enjoy food, drinks and games while listening to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and more.

Valentine’s Day

  • Madison Eats Food Tour, 6 p.m. on Atwood Avenue. Exclusive love-filled food and beverage offerings on this special “Brew and Chew” tour.
  • Valentine’s Day Boomer Bash Dance, 6 p.m. at Brink Lounge. For the 55+ crowd, dance to ’60s and ’70s music.
  • Romance Under the Stars, 7 p.m. (also Feb. 17 and 18) at Memorial High School Planetarium.  A flower and Candinas Chocolates will be given to each couple as you take a tour of the universe.
  • Les Cougars Valentine’s Day Show, 7:30 p.m. at High Noon Saloon. A loving tribute to the favorite fallen icons of 2016.

I Love Tacos

February 5th, 2017

20170202_114255It seems I’ve been making regular trips west on University Avenue to Mexican restaurants, from Lupe’s to Lalo’s to now I Love Tacos on Branch Street. If you add Cocina Real to the mix, you have three better options for Mexican cuisine in that area than what’s presented at I Love Tacos.

While I usually dine at a restaurant 2-3 times before recapping the experience, I didn’t need more than one lunch visit to make up my mind about the place. I was surprised that tacos only make up a small percentage of the menu, and you have to ask for an exception to get them individually instead of as a plate.

That taco plate gives you three for $9.99, and fortunately you may mix and match the toppings, and you may choose between corn or flour tortillas. The diced steak was well-seasoned but tough. After a few bites, I had to add salsa to soften it a bit. The pork also was well-seasoned, but as can often happen with pork, it was very dry. On the menu, it’s called “Taco Love,” and it comes with fried onions and bacon, though no bacon came with mine.

According to a waitress, the new menu removed tzatziki sauce from the gyro taco, which was too bad, since the lamb was–guess what–dry as heck. In fact, some pieces snapped in half like a rye chip you would find in a bag of Gardetto’s. At least the portions of steak, pork and lamb were plentiful.

Since I was underwhelmed by what should have been the best items of this restaurant, I had no inclination to try anything else on the menu. But just to let you know, there are fajitas (e.g. fajita chilanga is $16), seafood (crab tostada is $8.50), burritos (burrito cheesesteak is $8.99), chimichangas (chimichanga autenticos is $10) and lunch specials.

I Love Tacos is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

I Love Tacos Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Morris Ramen

January 29th, 2017

20170120_120821I’ve had some great meals at 106 King St., including at Kushi Bar Muramoto and The Haze. The recently opened Morris Ramen is carrying the mantle now, and it’s worthy of the location.

The short menu leads off with four choices of ramen–including spicy and veggie–plus a daily chef’s special, which was never offered in any of my visits. The namesake Morris ($14) has a very meaty flavored broth, and I loved that you can see the grease in it. I see why additional toppings are priced out, as you only get one slice of pork, which was tender and had the right amount of fat. Meanwhile, the fermented bamboo shoots provided a nice sour crunch, and the egg carried the flavor of its own marinade.

That same pork was in the pork bun ($4.50); beef, chicken and squash are the other options. The pickle was mildly sour and slightly crunchy, which was a good contrast to the soft and moist mantou. Inside was a drizzle of hoisin sauce that complemented, not overwhelmed, the flavor of the pork.

20170125_111756“Not Ramen” is actually a section of the menu. The chicken wings (six for $8) were thick and moist. The Kimchi Ranch sauce was surprisingly muted in flavor, and it doesn’t stick to the meat, so you will likely do a lot of smearing.

Another item on this list is the chashu donburi ($8), a rice bowl that comes with either chicken, pork belly or beef short rib. That beef was a perfect medium rare. I just wish there was more juice from the beef or a sauce with this bowl because of the high rice-to-meat ratio.

My only disappointment at Morris Ramen was its use of those disposable, flimsy chopsticks common to Chinese takeout restaurants.

Among the cocktails, I tried the Starburst Sunrise ($8). The lychee stands out, and the drink has just enough orange vodka flavor to keep you honest. You’ll also find a small sake selection on the menu.

Morris Ramen is open for dinner Monday-Saturday and lunch on weekdays.

***

See more photos in our Morris Ramen Flickr album.

Morris Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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