Great Taste of the Midwest

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GM Banh Mi

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The Great Gatsby

The Weekend Ahead July 31-Aug. 2, 2026

Here's a curated list of the major Madison, WI events happening this weekend ...
ActivatedYou

ActivatedYou

I am a proponent of anything that can improve health and wellness, and thus I was happy to accept an offer to try products from ActivatedYou ...

Sliced Deli

November 6th, 2016

20161028_121212A long-time Arby’s on Gammon Road closed and turned into Sliced Deli in August. It’s not actually a deli; instead, it’s a reasonably priced sandwich shop that shares similarities with its predecessor.

For example, the drive-thru still exists, and the curly fries ($2.75 large order) here taste exactly like Arby’s version. Even the bread tastes the same.

The majority of the sandwiches are hot sandwiches. The fish filet sandwich ($3.99) sports a pretty sizable cod filet for its price. The deep-fried fish sort of resembles McDonald’s filet-o-fish, but it’s much meatier, a bit crunchier and more flavorful, plus it’s topped with a smear of tartar.

I found the smoked brisket sandwich ($4.99) to be satisfying. It’s got tender, fairly smoky brisket, gouda cheese and fried onion strings, and the somewhat sweet BBQ sauce complements the flavors.

dsc02302I 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.

My only disappointment was the Philly cheesesteak ($4.99). The sandwich had barely any meat, and the green peppers and onions were under-cooked. Next time, I’ll try either the gyro ($4.49) or the buffalo chicken sandwich ($3.99).

The rest of the menu includes build-your-own sandwiches ($4.99), sides (e.g. mozzarella sticks) and two salads.

Sliced Deli is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

Sliced Deli Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Pat’s, Geno’s and Primanti Bros.

November 3rd, 2016

pats-genosIn honor of National Sandwich Day, I thought I’d take a look at some of the nation’s most famous sandwiches, coincidentally all from the State of Pennsylvania.

If you have ever watched Travel Channel or Food Network, you may have seen a segment or two on the Philly cheesesteak sandwiches from Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks, located kitty-corner from each other.

I was warned by several Philadelphia residents not to go to either because they’re tourist traps, and their cheesesteaks are overrated. I regrettably ignored this advice.

I got the standard “steak wit [onions] cheez [whiz]” at each stand. Both versions had similar issues, including bland and chewy steak, tasteless cheese sauce (we have standards here in Wisconsin) and under-cooked onions. Frankly, the sandwiches at Steak Escape are immensely better (and less expensive).

***

20161023_120240In Pittsburgh–as well as in cities east of our state–you can find Primanti Bros. Its crown achievement is its “Almost Famous” sandwiches that are packed with cole slaw, tomatoes and french fries.

There’s usually a line to get in the original Pittsburgh location, but fortunately seating is not a challenge in Indianapolis where I went.

My corned beef and cheese sandwich tired my jaw from having to repeatedly open it so wide. The massive amount of slaw gets to be too much after a while and dominates the flavor. The fries were not crunchy to begin with, and they got unbearably soggy adjacent to the slaw and tomatoes. The thin white bread eventually fell apart.

I am willing to give Primanti Bros. another try, hopefully in Pittsburgh next time.

Haldi Masala

October 30th, 2016

20161025_120014New management closed Kangchen Indian Cuisine, located in a strip mall between West Towne and the Beltline, in August and quickly reopened it as Haldi Masala. The focus here is south Indian cuisine, which focuses primarily on rice, lentils and stew.

The sizable menu includes southern Indian specialties such as nellore kara dosa ($6.99, crepe coated with chili paste), royyala iguru ($13.49, shrimp cooked in onion, tomato and spices) and Haldi special biriyani ($16.99, Basmati rice with chicken, herbs, spices and pepper gravy).

The buffet only is available at lunch time. While it seems small, the buffet does offer a representative assortment of items from the menu.

Vegetarian items

  • The hot and sour vegetable soup slightly resembles the soup you would find at a Chinese restaurant, except this version is heavy in carrot taste.
  • I keep seeing cauliflower on more and more menus. Here, the gobi is lightly breaded and sauteed. The chili flavor is prevalent, but you can still discern the cauliflower.
  • Similar to the gobi, the fried lentils let you still taste the lentils in addition to onion and cilantro.
  • The biryani seemed dry and lacking in ingredients.
  • The Daal fry (loose lentil stew) is best complemented with the naan that is served at your table.

20161025_121416Non-vegetarian items

  • Hope you like your eggs spicy. The guddu fry consists of hard-boiled eggs in a sauce that is heavy in onions and jalapenos.
  • I really enjoyed the chicken 65. It’s fairly meaty and breaded in corn flour and spices, then deep fried and tossed with jalapenos.
  • The tilapia is very tender from sitting in its own  stew, which has hints of eggplant flavor.
  • Usually tandoori chicken is too dry for me, but here it was juicy, a pleasant surprise.
  • The baby goat is tender, just be careful of the numerous pieces of bone in the dish.

Haldi Masala is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

Haldi Masala Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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