Great Taste of the Midwest

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GM Banh Mi

GM Banh Mi

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The Great Gatsby

The Weekend Ahead July 31-Aug. 2, 2026

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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 ...

KJ’s Curry Bowl

March 2nd, 2014

I had to experience for myself KJ’s Curry Bowl‘s diverse menu, which boasts Asian, Mexican and American cuisine. I mean, where else can you get chicken Marsala, a chipotle chicken burrito and  Bourbon Street chicken in one sitting?

First, a note on the service. The servers are all extremely friendly and eager to help patrons navigate the menu. I was curious why they all wear Bluetooth earpieces, but I didn’t ask.

Let’s start with the appetizers. I enjoyed the meaty potstickers (six for $6.95), and even  more so with the spicy teriyaki sauce on the side, though I thought the price was too high. Compared to other restaurants, you should be able to get six for about $5.

Another appetizer, the Baja BBQ Chicken Quesadillas ($6.95), also was a hit. Lots of meat, lots of flavor, and it comes with a side of rice, for some reason. You also can choose four-cheese, teriyaki chicken, cajun chicken and chipotle chicken quesadillas.

Heading to the “Southwest” portion of the menu,  the Award Winning Chili Cheese Burrito Bowl ($9.99) sounded good. It’s steak with smoked sausage served over rice and a tortilla, but surprisingly, the ensemble was bland. I couldn’t discern much seasoning, such as chili powder or cumin, and I had to douse this dish with hot sauce to get any flavor. Other items in this section include fajita bowls and burrito bowls.

You can get any of the curry dishes mild, medium or spicy. Do yourself a favor and order the white rice, not the brown rice, as it absorbs the curry much better. The chicken and potato curry ($13.99) is certainly a dish I would order again. It had a tantalizing aroma and all the ingredients were well balanced.

If you visit KJ’s on the weekend, you also have the option of getting the “weekend special,” which on one particular weekend was the Sri Lankan Authentic Lump Rice ($15.99). It’s yellow rice, chicken, fried onion, a fish ball, plantain, egg plant and a fried-boiled egg baked in banana leaves. Although these items are separated, it’s best to eat them together. For example, the caramelized onion complemented the chicken well, and the chili flakes piled in one corner added a nice kick to the plantain.

Other weekend specials include the Idiyappam Kottu (steamed noodles with vegetables and chicken) and the chicken biryani (tandoori chicken over rice).

KJ’s Curry Bowl is open for lunch, dinner and carryout Monday-Saturday. Visit KJ’s Facebook page for its weekend specials.

***

See more photos in our KJ’s Curry Bowl Flickr set.

KJ's Curry Bowl on Urbanspoon

Where to celebrate your birthday in Madison

February 23rd, 2014

happy-birthday

**Updated for 2020, now with direct links to the promos**

Happy birthday! You’re out and about in Madison, wondering what restaurants and bars to go to on your special day. Here are some ideas: Read the rest of this entry »

Brews Brothers Pub

February 16th, 2014

Before I walked into Brews Brothers Pub located on the far west side on Junction Road, I was envisioning a huge space, a comprehensive menu and walls filled with TVs. I was wrong on all accounts.

However, sitting in the recently opened establishment, I realized it’s similar to many strip-mall restaurants/bars I’ve visited in smaller cities and suburbs, and if you keep that in mind, the place meets all expectations.

Capacity is only 80, the bar only serves beer and wine and really the only items on the two-sided menu are burgers. Let’s start with the Brothers’ Original Burger ($5.39). It’s pretty plain, but the nice thing is you can add some “extras,”  such a fried egg (49 cents), a brat patty ($1.79) or even pulled pork ($1.29).

The other 11 burgers, all made with 4.5-oz patties, have more excitement to them. The Weston Burger ($6.89) comes with bacon, cheese and BBQ sauce. The bacon was some of the best I’ve had on a burger, but the sauce was too tangy. Next time, I think I’ll try the Philly Cheese Burger ($6.39), which includes grilled peppers, onions and provolone cheese.

The special of the day was too tempting to resist. Called the Bourbon Burger ($6.39), it was topped with bacon, cheese, onion straws and a bourbon mayo. Again, the bacon was awesome, and I adored the slightly sweet mayo on this overall satisfying sandwich.

All burgers are served a la carte (hence the empty-looking basket in the photo above). Side choices are fries, chips, shoestring fries and sweet potato fries. I had an order of hand-cut fries ($2.39), which were a little soggy. I would have enjoyed dipping them into bourbon mayo if that was available.

A larger side item is Pub Grub ($5.29), consisting of hand-cut chips topped with beer cheese, chopped bacon and chives. Super delicious, but the cheese could have been more melty to make it easier to spread around the plate; instead, the cheese had solidified into several large clumps.

Regarding the beer, you have two pages of beers on tap, available in pints and 20-oz glasses, from which to choose. The beers come from all over the country. For reference, I had the New Belgium Snapshot ($6 pint), the Boulder Nitro Shake ($5) and the 3 Sheeps Baaad Boy ($6).

Brews Brothers is open every day for lunch and dinner, and it has happy hour from 4-7 p.m.

***

See more photos on our Brews Brothers Flickr set.

Brews Brothers Pub on Urbanspoon

    Madison Symphony Orchestra Urban Air

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