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Double S BBQ

Sunday, November 15th, 2015

Double S BBQ moved from Cambridge, Wis., to Monroe Street a few months ago, and unfortunately the Madison Plan Commission isn’t allowing an outdoor smoker on premise. As a result, food is cooked off-premise, and because of that, I felt some of the menu items weren’t as good as they could have been.

You can still get a decent meal, though; I recommend you start with the Texas Sausage Dog ($9.25). The giant, delicious link reminded me a bit of a salumi-Chinese sausage hybrid. It’s very filling, too.

The ribs ($13.50 as a one-meat plate, $23.99 as a whole rack) are tender (but not fall-off-the-bone tender) and have a nice, mild-smoky flavor. You can easily eat these ribs as they are (without sauce), though I couldn’t get enough of the regular and spicy BBQ sauces here.

I thought the brisket tamales ($3 each), served on Thursdays, were creative and generous with meat. Unfortunately, my tamale was really dry, and my plastic fork couldn’t cut into it. At least the side of Sriracha sauce helped.

Speaking of dry, the Chuckwagon cornbread ($1.75 for a slice, $12.99 for a pan of eight) was missing the warmth and moistness of what I would consider good cornbread. Other sides on the menu include smoked bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers ($2 each) and cowboy pinto beans ($2.25).

You also can find a selection of baked potatoes on the menu, including the Texas Two Step ($12.99), which has butter, sour cream, cheese, brisket, beans, corn and hot sauce on top.

Double S BBQ is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout.

Tags: BBQ, near west
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Cafe Hollander

Sunday, November 1st, 2015

With two locations in the Milwaukee area, Cafe Hollander expanded west and opened at Hilldale Mall in mid-October. First thought: this place is huge! Two stories with a second-floor outdoor eating area and bay doors for walls–it’s just too bad Cafe Hollander didn’t open in the warmer, summer months. Still, I’m sure the robust menu and bright atmosphere should draw plenty of new and repeat business.

It’s hard not to order an appetizer with such an appealing list. During my first visit, the Sriracha cider wings ($10.95) called my name. I enjoyed the hint of smokiness and Sriracha flavor and appreciated that the wings weren’t too messy. I thought the accompanying Sriracha ranch sauce had way too much fennel, so I didn’t use much of it. I also wish the order came with more than just six wings, making it close to $2 per wing.

The Dutch Bitterballen ($8.95) also is a tasty app. The cooks did an impressive job with these croquettes, maintaining a fried, crispy exterior with the soft, gooey interior of cheese mashed potatoes, leek, red pepper and sausage. You won’t need to use either of the two accompanying sauces, as the curry ketchup overpowered the flavor and the aioli was incredibly bland.

I’m a fan of duck, so I couldn’t resist ordering the Duck Duck Egg Burger ($14.95). The juicy patty, the duck-fat fried egg (over-easy, of course), the nicely portioned duck confit and the chewy duck bacon (which resembled turkey bacon) made for quite an ensemble. Although I typically prefer chewy bacon over crispy bacon, with this burger, crispy bacon would have provided some needed contrast in texture.

In addition to the long list of burgers, there’s a sizable number of sandwiches, most of which are quite creative. Take for example the BBQ Boar ($11.95). The shredded boar, which strongly resembles pork, is made with a unique Sriracha ginger BBQ sauce. I appreciated the crunch and slight sweetness provided by the sweet pepper relish and the crispy onion straws.

Many of the entrees, known as Grand Cafe Plates, are priced similarly to the burgers and sandwiches. Of course, that didn’t stop me from ordering the second-most expensive dish, the crab- and brie-stuffed salmon ($17.95). The salmon was tender and flaky, but the brie was on the verge of being too rich and the crab was nearly non-existent (I actually received a few pieces of baby shrimp).

I look forward to returning for breakfast or brunch (the menus are similar), especially for items like the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Butter Waffle ($8.95) and the Pretzel Breakfast Sammy ($10.95). Plus, any of the specialty Bloody Marys, including the Frenchie ($8.50, comes with Dijon mustard and haricot vert), seem like a great way to start the day.

Cafe Hollander is open for lunch and dinner every day, breakfast on weekdays and brunch on the weekends.

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See more photos in our Cafe Hollander Flick album.

Tags: American, near west
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Freiburg Gastropub

Monday, September 7th, 2015

I still don’t understand the resistance residents of the Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood had when Freiburg Gastropub was first proposed. It’s a restaurant, not a bar, and patrons won’t be puking outside of it like they do at the Essen Haus. In other words, Freiburg is a nice addition to Monroe Street, and other than its lack of parking, it’s a great restaurant all-around.

But first, let’s talk about the bar, which is somewhat segregated from the main dining area. You’ll find a large tap selection, including Krombacher Pils ($5) and Schneider Aventinus ($5), plus specials like the Reissdorf Kolsch. Most beers range from $5-$7.50. There is a requisite TV on both ends of the bar, but in no way is this a sports bar.

Like most restaurants, Freiburg focuses on sandwiches at lunch and entrees at dinner. A similarity between the two menus is the appetizers. Give strong consideration to starting your meal with the creative brat stickers, which is bratwurst inside a potsticker ($8.95). You can easily knock back the entire plate by yourself.

Another appetizer worth ordering is the schweinebacken ($10.95). Don’t be afraid that it’s pork cheeks. These are super tender with a slight beefy flavor, and the accompanying lentil salad combines well multiple flavors and textures.

For a less adventurous eater, try the schweinbraten ($11.95). It’s a juicy pulled pork (shoulder) sandwich sans BBQ sauce and topped with cole slaw inside a toasted bun. You can really taste each component of this sandwich equally.

Other items I look forward to trying on subsequent visits are the rinderbraten ($17.95), which is mustard roast beef with mashed potatoes and apples, and the Friday night trout schnitzel ($15.95).

Brunch is served on the weekends. The potato cakes ($12.95) consisted of crispy hash browns–not potato pancakes as I had thought–a pretty flower-like structure of lox and poached eggs … yum! I also enjoyed the hopple popple ($10.95), which was a hearty serving of scrambled eggs and fluff, apple pancakes.

Freiburg Gastropub is open every day, with lunch and dinner daily and brunch on the weekends. After 5 p.m., you can park for free in the nearby dentist office, but otherwise, you may have to circle for a while to find street parking, which can be time-consuming.

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See more photos in our Freiburg Gastropub Flickr album.