Great Taste of the Midwest

The Weekend Ahead Aug. 7-9, 2026

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GM Banh Mi

GM Banh Mi

On a busy stretch of W. Johnson Street sits GM Banh Mi, which opened last fall. It can be tough to find parking nearby, but the bread is worth the effort ...
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 ...

Hong Kong Station

March 7th, 2015

It’s easy to drive or even walk past Hong Kong Station without noticing it, but there it is, just a few storefronts away from Lucky’s on Regent Street. If you’re seeking non-Americanized Cantonese food, this is a good place to go.

(One word of caution: the restaurant is not heated (well). The times I’ve gone this winter, I’ve had to keep my jacket on, like most of the other patrons.)

What will get you coming back again and again is the cart noodle. First you select a type of noodle ($4), such as egg noodle, pho or udon. I enjoyed both the Japanese ramen noodle for its familiarity as well as the thick noodle Cantonese style for its ability to pair with other ingredients.

From here, you pick one of three soup bases. The pork bone soup and the beef bone soup are absolutely delightful–you can’t believe a broth can taste this good (not too subtle, not too powerful). The other base is pungent & spicy soup.

Lastly, pick a topping ($1 each), ranging from shrimp balls to Chinese sausage to bok choy. I thought the pork belly was flavorful and the beef honey tripe was tender. The portions are commensurate with the cost, so if you’re looking for a robust meal, pick several toppings.

Among the appetizers, I tried the five-spice beef shank ($6.25), which is thinly sliced beef served slightly chilled with some garlic sauce. This is a fairly bland dish, requiring heavy use of the chili oil that sits on every table. Meanwhile, the egg rolls ($3) were densely packed with meat (shrimp and pork, along with shredded taro) and perfectly fried.

Onto the entrees. The roast duck with mei fun noodles ($9.50) is bursting with flavor. The duck is plentiful and not overly greasy, and the vegetables actually complement the flavor instead of serving as filler. If it wasn’t for the cart noodle, I’d always order this dish.

The satay beef chow fun ($8.50) was delicious, too. The stir-fried beef and noodles are covered in a thick sauce (known as “wet-fried”). I recommend letting this dish “set” a bit before you dig in. Other entrees include beef, pork or chicken in a clay pot, braised eggplant & diced pork and sauteed cuttlefish.

Hong Kong Station is open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch, dinner and carryout. You can generally find street parking on Regent Street, especially on the north side.

***

See more photos in our Hong Kong Station Flickr album.

Hong Kong Station on Urbanspoon

OSS Madison

March 1st, 2015

OSS Madison took the simple premise of a hot dog/brat/Italian sausage and magnified it with delicious, well-crafted toppings. I’d eat there more frequently if it had more convenient parking and took credit cards, but those are the only two strikes against the restaurant that opened one year ago.

Let’s take a look at those toppings. The Gouda Mac Dog ($7) is smothered in smoked gouda porter mac & cheese–some of the best mac I’ve had in recent memory–as well as onions, tomatoes and Panko crumbs, plus the hot dog is wrapped in bacon and deep-fried. I almost asked if I could buy just a bowl of that mac.

A topping you can purchase separately is the chili ($5 bowl). It’s super meaty and has a slight sweetness to it. I only wish it came in larger sizes than the tiny “bowl.”

Back to the sausages. If you like banh mi, the pork sausage version ($5.50) is a close approximation. I appreciated the crisp, pickled vegetables and the fresh-cut jalapenos. That’s a similar feeling I had for the Korean BBQ ($6.50), which is a pork sausage paired with a not-too-sour and a hint-of-spicy kimchi.

One last item I had was the doner kebab ($7.50), comprised of Turkish lamb and chicken sausage, slaw, chili-mayo and cucumber yogurt sauce. As you can tell by the ingredients, it was a excellent mashup of flavors and textures. On my next visit, I’ll probably order the Swedish meatballs ($6.50) or the Drunky Ducky ($8; made with maple bourbon duck sausage).

If you are looking for more simple fare, the all-beef hot dog ($4) is a good bet, although the bun-to-hot dog ratio is high. I also highly recommend the cheese curds ($4), which melt in your mouth, and the hand-cut fries ($2), if only so you can use the Sriracha mayo dip.

OSS Madison is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout. Depending on the time on day, you can find street parking on Regent Street, Brooks Street or College Court.

***

See more photos in our OSS Madison Flickr album.

O.S.S. Madison on Urbanspoon

Copa Di Vino

February 21st, 2015

I watch “Shark Tank” from time to time, and I saw the episode in which the founder of Copa Di Vino–single-serving wine in a glass–was on for a second time. What a great concept–no more do you have to open an entire bottle of wine if you only want just one glass (I know, that’s unheard of for some people).

(As an aside, the founder, James Martin, turned down money twice from the sharks. They would have helped him license his technology and make boat loads of money, but he stupidly said no each time.)

I purchased mine for $3.49 each at Metcalfe’s; Copps and Woodman’s also carry Copa Di Vino, and you can order it online. The flavors are Moscato, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and White Zinfandel.

The glasses are made of recyclable plastic, which make transportation easier, and tally 187 ml in size (1/4 the size of a bottle). After you remove the cap, peal back the seal and started drinking.

I am highly impressed after trying four of the varietals. Each one is exactly the middle-ground on the flavor scale. For example, the Riesling has a perfect level of semi-sweetness with a nice fruity aroma.

Meanwhile, the Moscato is light, sweet and crisp–just like a Moscato should be. I would describe the White Zin as a crowd-pleaser–easy to drink without the cheap flavor found in many of the budget wines.

I’m not a fan of Merlot, so I bought the Cab. Even without a lot of accents, it is still full-bodied and has a nice dryness to it.

Copa Di Vino is a great concept. It’s now a matter of time until competitors spring up, and then the founder will regret the opportunities he turned down.

    Madison Symphony Orchestra Urban Air

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