Lake Monona 20K

The Weekend Ahead May 1-3, 2026

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

Pink Heifer BBQ Saloon

After opening in Monticello a few years ago, Pink Heifer BBQ Saloon expanded to State Street this year. However, the new location doesn't have the full menu, full bar, ample dining space and charm of a historic building as the ...
Crazylegs race

The Weekend Ahead April 24-26, 2026

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

Beach Cocktails: Pours, Drinks, Sips, and Bites

I recently vacationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and enjoyed drinking fun, fruity cocktails throughout the week. Thus, I was happy to accept an offer to review Beach Cocktails: Pours, Drinks, Sips, and Bites ($21.99, Gibbs Smith), edited by Allyson ...

Three burgers I’d like to try

August 11th, 2013

How much can you vary the classic hamburger? Apparently, a lot. Here are three burgers that I’d like to try.

1. The Chop House Burger. This burger was featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” and comes from Chop House Burgers in Arlington, Texas. Beef brisket is actually mixed in with the ground beef to form a super tender patty, which is then topped with house made steak sauce, apple wood bacon and smoked cheddar cheese.

Photo from the Ramen Burger Facebook page

2. The Ramen Burger. I was alerted to this in an LA Times article. It’s mostly still in concept form (although 100 were sold at Smorgasbord on Aug. 3 in Brooklyn), yet ramen enthusiast Keizo Shimamoto has developed a huge following for this burger, which replaces the bun with ramen noodles.

Photo from the 666 Burger Facebook page

3. The Douche Burger. This burger, which comes from a NY food cart called 666 Burger, costs $666. It’s a Kobe beef patty wrapped in gold leaf and topped with foie gras, caviar, lobster, truffles, imported aged Gruyere cheese, a kopi luwak barbeque sauce and Himalayan rock salt. Rumor has it the burger comes with three $100 bills.

Cheba Hut

August 4th, 2013

You certainly don’t have to be high or drunk to eat at Cheba Hut, located on campus, but you’d probably feel right at home if you were, plus there’s beer if you want to keep partying. More on that later.

In following their theme, they sell “toasted” subs here. The three sizes for the sandwiches are Nugs (4″), Pinners (8″) and Blunts (12″), all of which come with the standard veggies and your choice of white, wheat or “herb” bread.

From the Old School list, the Endo (reuben) was fairly standard (8″ for $6.09). I ordered it without all the toppings to keep it pure. My guess is that the bland pastrami was not made in-house, but that wouldn’t be surprising. I probably should have gotten the Dank (pizza), filled with genoa salami, pepperoni, home-grown marinara, provolone cheese and parmesan cheese.

On a cashier’s recommendation, I got the Jamaican Red (4″ for $4.49). It comes with spicy grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and black olives. The chicken itself was tender and tasty, but it didn’t mesh well with the other ingredients–it was like a salad gone wrong. I think I would have preferred the Acapulco Gold, which is chicken breast, home-grown BBQ sauce and swiss cheese.

One I probably won’t order on a future visit but worth mentioning is the Schwag, which is bologna, chopped onions and cheddar cheese and described as “out of stock.” That just conjures up an image of a late-night food binge and you’re slapping together whatever ingredients you have in your fridge.

Besides the sandwiches, you can find salads, soups and “Incredible Munchies” on the menu. From that list, I enjoyed the Goo Ball ($1.99), which is Rice Krispies, peanut butter, honey and cocoa. Others include Sticky Icky (PBJ) and Hemp Brownies.

Cheba Hut is open every day for lunch and dinner and past bar time Thursday-Saturday. It also has happy hour from 4:20-6:20 p.m. at its beer-only bar ($2 taps).

Cheba Hut on Urbanspoon

35 years of Animal House

July 28th, 2013

The movie “Animal House” came out 35 years ago today (July 28). Sundance Cinemas had it playing last week, and the Majestic held a toga party on Saturday.

Since this is a food blog, I thought I’d commemorate the occasion by reminiscing about the cafeteria/food fight scene. How well do you remember it?

1. What song is played to start the scene?
a) “Shout”
b) “Louie Louie”
c) “Wonderful World”
d) “Earth Angel”
 
 
2. What type of ball does Bluto eat?
a) Ping-Pong ball
b) Golf ball
c) Tennis ball
d) Baseball

3. What item doesn’t Bluto put on his tray?
a) Apple
b) Doughnut
c) Banana
d) Fries

4. What actor is sitting to the left of Bluto, in the middle?

5. Finish this sentence. “This is absolutely gross. That boy is a ____.”

6. Bluto responds by pretending to be a what?

Upon re-watching the scene, which was filmed at the University of Oregon, I was surprised that the actual food fight only lasted a couple of seconds. For some reason, I thought it was a lot longer. According to IMDB.com, John Belushi’s performance in the scene was entirely improvised.

Answers: 1- c. 2- b. 3- d. 4- Kevin Bacon, who was making his film debut. 5- P-I-G pig! 6- zit.

    Madison Symphony Orchestra Urban Air

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