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Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano

June 1st, 2014

At the end of 2013, the owners of Cancun Mexican Restaurant shut down the operation and opened Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano in its place on the highly visible corner of Whitney Way and Odana Road. I like the menu and the decor, and other than a few glitches in service I experienced, I’d say it’s worth dining here.

This being an Italian restaurant, I had to try the spaghetti alle polpette (spaghetti and meatballs, $10), which turned out to be my favorite dish. The noodles were perfectly al dente, the meatballs had a nice, soft texture and the marinara sauce wasn’t overly liquidy like so many bad sauces.

From spaghetti and meatballs I moved onto another classic, pizza. The capricciosa ($10) is topped with mushrooms, black olives, artichoke hearts (too many), prosciutto, anchovies (too few) and oregano. Not surprisingly, the taste leans on the salty side, but nonetheless it’s a well-crafted pie for two to share. Note that the crust is actually closer to hand-tossed instead of thin as written on the menu.

Let’s look at some of the other entrees, of which there are many. I don’t recommend the penne e pollo alla genovese ($10), only because there was barely any chicken in it. On the flip side, I enjoyed the big portions of flaky fish in the tilapia al limone ($12).

I did try one salad, the innamorate ($8), which comes with strawberries, feta and toasted almonds; however, it was the fennel that gave this salad its signature flavor. I also enjoyed the golden brown calamari fritti ($8) with the spicy marinara, which is just marinara and crushed red pepper.

While the dark-toned restaurant has a small bar, it unfortunately under-utilizes it. I could see a strong happy hour being done here, but alas, the bar is an after-thought to the owners. Another area that could use some improvement is staffing; on my visits, I’ve felt it’s been under-staffed. I’ve had good servers, but they’ve been so busy that they’ve failed at simple things, like bringing menus (even upon request) and bringing the check in a timely manner (one time took nine min.).

Nonno’s serves lunch, dinner and carryout every day.

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See more photos in our Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano Flickr album.

Tags: Italian, west side
Posted in Restaurant and Bar Reviews | Comments Off on Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano

Ignite Madison hosts food event

May 29th, 2014

This post was submitted by Giovanna Couey and edited by EatDrinkMadison.com.

Photo courtesy of Ignite Madison

Ignite Madison hosted an All Things Food event that took place May 21 at High Noon Saloon. If you’re not familiar with Ignite, it’s a global movement connecting people in cities and exposing new ideas and people.

Ignite features five minute presentations by people who have an idea–and the guts–to get onstage and share it with fellow creative folks. Each presentation is composed of 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds.

At All Things Food, the audience heard stories from people from all different walks of life but connected by what we eat and why. Whether it was learning about living off the grid, being a “huntress,” connecting with family or focusing on sustainability, the 10 speakers all had engaging and inspiring stories.

All Things Food even featured a local celebrity chef, as Dan Bonanno from Pig and a Fur Coat was on hand to talk about how he translates his Italian past and Madison present into his delicious cooking.

With more than 200 guest in attendance, All Things Food also raised over $1,500 for the Community Action Coalition of Southern Wisconsin, providing food for families in the Madison area and beyond.

The next Ignite Madison will take place in September.

Tags: Ignite Madison
Posted in Holidays and Events | Comments Off on Ignite Madison hosts food event

Star Bar and Red Rock Saloon

May 23rd, 2014

Star Bar opened at the beginning of the year inside the Constellation apartments on East Wash, and Red Rock Saloon opened a month later in the space once occupied by Logan’s. While they are two vastly different bars, they both provide unique ambiances to the near east side and downtown, respectively.

I thought Star Bar would be bigger, but the inside capacity is about 80, according to co-owner Peter Gentry, who also runs One Barrel Brewing Co. Speaking of which, it seems like most of the same crowd from One Barrel is the one coming to Star Bar. Indeed, it’s a relaxed environment, not a place where you would find a bachelorette party.

I do like the cocktail menu here, with my favorite concoction being the O.G. ($10), a nice, stiff Manhattan made with Templeton rye. Contrasting that is the Honey Haze ($7), a lighter drink made from Rumchata and honey liqueur. A welcome surprise was the Devil’s Daug ($7), which is Bulleit bourbon, sweet and dry vermouth and orange juice.

Over at the high-energy and gigantic Red Rock Saloon, it’s amazing how many people can fit inside, yet there are always long lines to get in on the weekend. With the mechanical bull near the entryway and the music stage in the back, the country-themed bar fills a void that was created when the Bean closed.

There are definitely some hits and misses on the cocktail menu (the drinks are $5 during happy hour). I enjoyed the “caramel notes” in the Single Barrel Manhattan ($9), the sweetness of the Apple Pie Ole’Fashioned ($8) and the overall quality of the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Ole’Fashioned ($9).

Meanwhile, the Sarsaparilla ($9) was overwhelmed by the vanilla flavor, the Lynchburg Lemonade ($7) didn’t seem like it had any alcohol in it and the Into the Sunset ($8) was just too damn fruity. Note: since these drinks take a while to make, you would only order these drinks during a meal, not during at night when it’s two-deep at the bar.

I have to mention some of the gems on the food menu. Without hesitation I would re-order the immensely tender brisket ($14 as part of the two-meat BBQ dinner). I also loved the diversity of flavors in the Red Rock Burger ($11), which is topped with pulled pork, coleslaw, onion strings and cheddar & chipotle cheese. Finally, you can’t go wrong with the mega-decadent deep fried Oreos, drizzled with chocolate sauce and covered in whipped cream.

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See more photos in our Star Bar Flickr album and our Red Rock Saloon Flickr album.