Hmong New Year

The Weekend Ahead Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2026

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

Viet Town

One of the most delicious Vietnamese dishes I've had recently came from a little strip mall restaurant near East Towne called Viet Town ...
Brett Goldstein

The Weekend Ahead Oct. 23-25, 2026

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

Halloween in Madison 2026

Here's a list of major Halloween-related events in the Madison, WI area. Of note, State Street remains a popular place to congregate, even without an official event like Freakfest. Also keep in mind that many bars, such as Madison's and ...

Thoughts on gorging

April 21st, 2013

I laughed so hard after comedian Louis C.K. described his bad eating habits: “The meal is not over when I’m full! The meal is over when I hate myself.” Haven’t we all been there?

Not too long after that, I watched the L.A. Beast chug six bottles of syrup. Check it out:

For your reference, each bottle has 2,520 calories, 624 grams of carbs and 1,440 mg of sodium. So he actually consumed 15,120 calories–not 7,000 as he said–in about two minutes. L.A. Beast then joked that he would have to go to the hospital. He’s not too far from the the need.

A couple years ago, two ABC News reporters ate 6,190 calories in one meal to see what would happen to their bodies. The doctors showed how their arteries narrowed right after the meal and continued that way for six hours. Of course, eating like this regularly can cause heart attacks.

Meanwhile, Fit Watch says that a sudden spike in your blood sugar levels can result in the loss of lean body mass (muscle), and that overeating increases the size of your fat cells.

So basically, gorging yourself in one sitting is really bad for you. At least binge drinking is okay, right?

Flavors of Madison

April 14th, 2013

The second annual Flavors of Madison takes place from 5-7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21 at the Concourse Hotel. For $40, you get to try dishes from about 25 area restaurants, so come hungry.

I was wondering how this event differs from the Taste of Madison. According to Joan Herzing, marketing manager of the Concourse, “The restaurants are all local and independent, the serving sizes are smaller so you can taste from more places and the tastes are included in your (admission).”

That means no national chains like Little Caesar’s, Capriottti’s or The Melting Pot; rather, you’ll get Pizza Brutta, Brasserie V and Old Feed Mill. I’m looking forward to the diversity of cuisine types, from Blue Marlin to Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery to Quivey’s Grove.  And yes, there will be a cash bar.

Last year, all 400 tickets were sold out, and this year, thanks to the bigger venue, 500 tickets will be available. The purchase price includes a a $10 Madison Originals gift card, good for about 50 restaurants, and helps fund two Madison College culinary scholarships.

For those unfamiliar with Madison Originals, it’s a not-for-profit association of local, independently owned restaurants and affiliated businesses in the Madison area. It also publishes a quarterly magazine.

Chocolaterian Cafe

April 6th, 2013

Chocolaterian Cafe, which opened late last year on Atwood Avenue, seems to have something for everyone, with its wines, Just Coffee, a window into the kitchen and weekly live music. And of course, the main attractions–the “sweet” and “savory” items on the menu. Ready to indulge?

The Ugly Cookie ($2.25) is a fantastic mixture of toffee, pistachios, cocoa nibs and oats. Calories aside, I could have eaten 10 of them had it not been for the relatively high price for its size. I also tried the brownie ($3; moist and had the right sweetness), the lemon ricotta ($1.50; not much flavor), the lemon tart ($5; tasty because it wasn’t tart) and the Badger Bait ($2.50; a wonderful nexus of chocolates).

What came as a surprise to me was that my favorite item at the patisserie was salty, not sweet. I ate perhaps the best quiche ($8) I’ve ever had. The egg was perfectly fluffy, the crust perfectly flaky, and together they were harmonious. I also enjoyed the turkey panini with asparagus and morel ($9), though it was a tiny sandwich.

Some parting thoughts: Apparently it’s not much of a destination for the breakfast crowd, as the cafe was once open at 8 a.m. Tuesday to Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday, but now it opens at 10 a.m. those days. Also, the staff makes a big fuss if you try to pay with a credit card for any tab less than $20. At least there’s an ATM on site.

Chocolaterian Cafe is open Tuesday-Sunday. I’ve found more parking on the Winnebago Street side, where there’s also an entrance.

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