Adventure 63: Noodles and Co.

Noodles and Company (website)
232 State St.
3 Adjectives: Mediocre, fast, bland
Price: entree (4-7)
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Other Opinions: yelp, madisonatoz, ...
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Noodles and Company (known as Noodles in these parts) started in Madison as one of those nicer than fast food joints that served a decently tasting giant bowl of pasta. Unfortunately, since those glory days when I was in high school, Noodles has slowly but perceptibly declined in quantity and somewhat in quality (depending on which restaurant you go to). Thankfully, the Noodles at State still tastes decent but don't expect delicious Italian or ethnic pasta dishes.

The Noodles and Company at State has a fun layout as it is on the corner of State and Johnson and is therefore triangular. There is plenty of seating upstairs and downstairs with a convenient condiments bar upstairs. The best thing about Noodles is it generally fits a variety of people's tastes and can be easily customized i.e. meat or no meat? salad or no salad? etc. and tastes a lot better than Za's. Also, one can always default to buttered noodles or mac and cheese for those picky eaters.

The last time I visited, I ordered the Japanese Pan Noodles. Unfortunately, these noodles have been progressively "Americanized" and every time I order them it seems like they are less spicy and savory than before. Also, they now serve their noodles on plates giving the illusion that there is lots of pasta even though the portions used to be much bigger. Other more solid dishes are mostly in the "American" section and include the Mushroom Stroganoff and Wisconsin Mac and Cheese. Also, the trio can be a hit or miss depending on if they overdress the salad.

Overall, I would recommend Noodles and Company only if you have a large group of people who have a variety of tastes. If you are looking for a fancier or more specific cuisine, there are many better pastas and noodles in nearby places including, Pizza di Roma, Tutto Pasta, Rising Son's, and Wasabi.

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I have been to Noodles&Company many times. I am a little sick of noodles by now, so my review may be clouded by my tiring of it. However, I usually order the Japanese pan noodles, which content me. I like to order them with tofu, which is an extra $2--kind of a rip-off, since it's not very much tofu. But the tofu is pretty tasty. On less routines trips to noodles I have tried the Bangkok curry and Thai curry soup, which both would probably taste better at an actual Thai restaurant. Only once did I order the Pasta Fresca and House Marinara, requesting that the cheese the ommitted. I would not recommend doing this, since the dishes are not particularly flavorful. Besides, I make pasta with tomato sauce by myself at home all the time, so I am not content paying six dollars at a restaurant for someone to do it for me.

Noodles is good place to go with a large group of people, I suppose, since it's one of those "something for everyone" places. And the mere fact that it has more than three full entres for vegans to chose from should put it at least at a two on the veganness scale...but it's usually not my first choice.

Adventure 55: Asian Kitchen

Asian Kitchen (no website)
449 State St.
3 Adjectives: Cheap, large, greasy.
Price: appetizer (2-5) entree (5-20)
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Other Opinions: yelp, madisonatoz, yahoo...
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Asian Kitchen represents the usual Chinese delivery food available on campus; it's cheap but not anything special. Located in the mall that contains Wasabi, Asian Kitchen does not have much dining room space - but interesting bright yellow walls - and thus, I suggest getting the food delivered to you.

On our most recent Asian Kitchen delivery, I got to try the General Tso's Tofu (right) and Kung Pao Beef (above). The Kung Pao Beef tasted good, but I had to wonder how it differed in flavor from the ten or so other beef dishes that are served at Asian Kitchen. The General Tso's Tofu was a major disappointment considering it was just some fried tofu you can buy from the store coated in General Tso's sauce. However, I can see why it may be more appealing than other vegetarian dishes on the menu since it did taste nice. Additionally, the rest of the food - greasy fried rice, crab ragoon, wonton soup - tasted like pretty standard Americanized Chinese fare. Asian Kitchen is also one of the few places on campus that serves bubble tea, a milky drink with tapioca spheres and a fun extra large straw. The bubble tea is pretty good, albiet a bit oversweetened.

If you do order Asian Kitchen, I highly recommend ordering the lunch combo because it comes with enough food for two meals and is a good deal for $6. You can even order it at 3:59pm and eat it as an early dinner at 5pm. Else, because the prices at the restaurant are higher than its competitor, A8 China, and it only has marginally better food, I would actually recommend ordering at A8 China instead.


Tossy likes some things about Asian Kitchen. AK has some simple vegan dishes, like vegetable lo mein. AK will give you a lot of food for not a lot of money (one pint of lo mein runs about four dollars, one quart is about seven), and very quickly. But like many places that give you a lot of food for not a lot of money, AK has not very tasty tofu. And Tossy has a taste for good tofu. She recommends A8 instead for mass quantities of quickly produced, decently-tasting tofu.

Adventure 52: Glass Nickel

Glass Nickel Pizza Co. (website)

5003 University Ave.
3 Adjectives: harmonious, delicious, environmental.
Price: appetizer (3-9) pizza 10" to 16" (12-20)
Authenticity:
Atmosphere: depends on where you eat it
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Other Opinions: yelp, wisconsinfishfry, yahoo, madisonatoz ...
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Madison doesn't seem to have a shortage of delicious pizza places and Glass Nickel is up there among the best with Ian's, Pizza Brutta, Pizza di Roma and Roman Candle (to name a few). To trek to Glass Nickel is not suitable since it's further west than Copps on University but the environmental friendly (they run partially on used veggie oil) delivery trucks can make you feel at ease.

The pizza at Glass Nickel is superb if you stick to one of their many specialty pizzas. From the way the toppings go together in each specialty pizza, it is clear much thought was put into assembling complimentary flavors. Normally the devout meat pizza eater, I seriously can not get enough of the Fetalicious pizza. Their all meat pizza, aptly named Cardiac Arrest, is also tasty. Topped with bacon, pepperoni, sausage, and ham, this is a good compliment to the Fetalicious. Another tasty option is their appropriately spicy Border-to-Border which has a nice balance of spice throughout the Hawaiian-like pizza. In addition to the tasty pizza, Glass Nickel also has this amazing appetizer called Nickel Nuggets: soft and chewy fried pizza dough topped with parmasean and parsley for dipping in marinara. The only disadvantage to Glass Nickel is you can not get pizza by the slice. Before you order, check your coupon books or online since Glass Nickel generally advertises a lot of coupons.

Glass Nickel is a wonderful option for your next pizza night in the apartment or suggest it for your next student org kickoff/lunch seminar.

Adventure 48: Big 10 Pub

Jordan's Big 10 Pub (website)
1330 Regent St.
3 Adjectives: Friendly, tasty, cozy
Price: entree (5-11)
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Other Opinions: wisconsinfishfry, yelp, badgerherald, madisonatoz...
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The Big 10 Pub consists of your typical sports bar setting with some nice TV screens, a bar, a few tables and some booths on the side. The place is small enough that on a game night it feels crowded but on a slow night like the night I went it was not uncomfortable.

Our server was very nice and brought some menus almost immediately after we arrived. The Big 10 Pub also features a variety of beers on tap and cheap drinks. The menu consists of pretty standard sports bar food; I opted for the philly cheesesteak while my friend got a burger. The cheesesteak turned out to be okay, probably a tad better than a fast food joint and was a bit soggy. However, the accompanying wedge fries were great with the creamy chivy dip that was provided.

Despite being a sports bar and my initial low expectations, the Big 10 Pub actually stood out as a decent place. The friendly atmosphere really helped leverage the okay tasting food.

Adventure 47: Vientiane Palace

Vientiane Palace-Regent (no website)
1441 Regent St.
3 Adjectives: Flavorful, soupy, Americanized
Price: entree (5-13)
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Other Opinions: dailypageforum, ...
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After my trip to Campus Biryani, I noticed a new restaurant had opened next door after Trapani's disappearance. I was very excited about the opening of a new Vietnamese/Thai/Lao restaurant near my apartment and had to go quickly investigate with a friend.

The inside of the restaurant had a similar layout to that of the neighboring Campus Biryani. However, the quality of the furniture and decorations seemed to be slightly nicer.

For an appetizer, we decided to be adventurous and try the deep fried calamari wrapped sausage. The idea sounded appealing, but the result and the execution of the dish (above left) was mediocre. The sausage turned out to be wrapped in a dried and hardened layer of calamari and did not look especially appetizing. The dish turned out to taste okay minus the fact that it was a bit dry, even after dipping it into a ginger soy sauce.

For our entrees, I decided to go more standard and order the curry squash (above) while my friend ordered a spicy beef dish. I had pretty high expectations for the curry squash as I routinely order it at Lao Laan Xang, so I was greatly disappointed when out came a soupy curry with about five bite-size chunks of chicken. In addition, I really could not identify any distinct pieces of squash, but there was a great overabundance of onion. Luckily, all the favors seemed to go well and I had plenty of it left over. The spicy beef dish was also pretty average (but had more meat) and though it did not contain curry, had similar Americanized-Asian flavors as the curry (so much so that I was able to mix the two leftovers into a pan the next day and cook it with pasta and it still tasted fine).

I did not leave Vientinane Palace very satisfied. The over souped- little curry bothered me to the extent that I would apply the "less is more" standard where the restaurant should have simply reduced the amount of sauce and onion in the food. If you are looking for cheap Southeast Asian food, I would wholeheartedly recommend Rising Son's on State instead.

Adventure 46: Campus Biryani

Campus Biryani & Kebab (no website)
1437 Regent St.
3 Adjectives: quirky, cheap, fast
Price: entree (6-13)
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Other Opinions: yelp, madisonatoz, hobszeitgeist...
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Located across the street from The Regent, Campus Biryani is a quirky restaurant that boasts both Indian and Mediterranean cuisine. Despite the somewhat questionable interior, the restaurant serves some delicious cheap food.

My biggest problem with the layout of Campus Biryani is the haphazardly strewen fast food restaurant furniture and ketchup/mustard/napkin arrangement. Also I would not recommend using their bathroom. Considering the deliciousness of the food, the place could certainly use some refurbishment to bump up the atmosphere (I may not even mind the prices going up). What is kind of neat about the place is the cool Arabic tapestries and the BBC-like English/French news broadcasting in the corner (upon closer inspection it's Al Jazeera, a nice ironic jab at the news media that seems to constantly want to portray this TV station as extremist). If you get past the atmosphere at Campus Biryani (which is also generally devoid of other diners since this place does a lot of delivery orders), the food is actually quite good.

The cheap food at this restaurant is generally excellent if you know what to order. My favorite dish is the chicken tikka with rice. The chicken is very flavorful with many spices and it comes with a generous helping of biryani rice. If you are an adventurous seafood eater, I would also recommend the shrimp dish (photo above) which is a very flavorful cumin shrimp dish that is actually cooked with whole shrimp, something that is rarely done in town. The fries at Campus Biryani are also generally good and come with a tasty yogurt sauce. What I do not recommend at this place is the naan and the vegetable mango. The naan is simply warmed greek pita that simply does not work with the Indian dishes. The vegetable mango is very bland and appears to be cooked with a frozen veggie mix.

Campus Biryani adds a good ethnic addition to the south west side of campus. If you are really not comfortable with the sketchy layout of the restaurant, there is always the very fast delivery option.

Adventure 45: The Great Dane

Great Dane Pub (website)
357 Price Pl. also 123 E. Doty St.
3 Adjectives: fun, bustling, laid-back
Price: appetizer (4-18) entree (8-15)
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Other Opinions: tripadvisor, wisconsinfishfry, yelp...
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The Great Dane is a friendly Madison restaurant and bar with decent food. The restaurant has two locations that are close to campus: one is downtown while the other is located at the Hilldale Shopping Center.

While I have been to both locations, the downtown location greatly rivals that on the west side in atmosphere and food. At night the place is generally bustling with activity. After entering the packed restaurant, usually after an ultimate game, the place is great for chilling with a large group and ordering appetizers for the table. Even the menus at the Dane reflect its laid back attitude; it's on recycled newsprint.

As for food, most of the traditional bar food is pretty decent. Some of the better appetizers include the Dane's beer bread as well as their cheesy artichoke veggie dip. The important thing to remember about the Dane is not to get too adventurous: on my last visit I ordered the teriyaki tuna burger (above) and it was a disaster. The amount of ginger topped on my burger was completely ridiculous, and entire sandwich just simply did not go together. On the other hand, my boyfriend's reuben was delicious.

I would highly recommend eating at the Dane if you are with a large group of friends on the prowl around the capital for decent bar food.

Adventure 44: La Hacienda

La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant (website)
515 S. Park St.
3 Adjectives: Fast, tasty, spacious
Price: entree (6-16)
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Other Opinions: yelp, madisonatoz, dinedotcom, ...
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With very few Mexican options near campus, La Hacienda is much welcomed in the Madison dining scene. The restaurant is located within walking distance on South Park Street (near Inka Heritage) and is hard to miss. As the name suggests, the restaurant is shaped like a small Mexican ranch complete with faux-adobe walls.

The interior has a large dining area with fast-foodesque furniture that doesn't quite match the theme of the restaurant. Also the bright lighting and high ceiling makes the restaurant feel emptier than it is and the slightly rundown look suggests the place has seen better days. Contrary to the slightly-off decor, the food is fairly good. After being seated there is free chips and salsa like most Mexican restaurants as you peruse the menu. The salsa is okay, albeit a bit watery. The menu is expansive and inexpensive with some nice traditional dishes like chicken enchiladas with mole sauce (something I have not seen elsewhere in town).

One item I would recommend above all others is splitting the parrilladas chica (pictured above) with 1-3 other people (depending on how hungry you are). This is very affordable considering you end up paying $7-3 for a meaty meal. The dish comes with a mini fancy kerosene stove and a metal plate that is piled high with various meats, onion, potato, and cilantro. The meat is perfectly seasoned and flavored. You can wrap your own burritos fajita-style and the meat always stays warm! One note is to be sure to remember to blow out the flame when the meat starts to burn, lest you want a plate of blackened meat. The waiters are very nice and provided us with plenty of tortillas. To get the full-on experience, order the corn tortillas.

The cheap food at La Hacienda is certainly tasty enough that it beats the steep prices at other downtown Mexican restaurants. I would recommend checking out this restaurant if you have a group of friends eager for some inexpensive Mexican food.

Adventure 40: Rocky Rococo

Rocky Rococo Pizza and Pasta (website)
1301 Regent St.
3 Adjectives: Fast, greasy, filling.
Price: pizza slice and combos (3-7) whole pizza (9-18)
Authenticity:
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Other Opinions: tripadvisor ...
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Rocky Rococo's or Rocky's is a fast pizza stop for anyone who is hungry for some greasy pan pizza. The restaurant is located on Regent next to Greenbush Bakery.

The interior of the restaurant mirrors any other fast food establishment in that you order at the counter and sit at one of the booths in the restaurant.

The individual pizza slices at Rocky's are rectangular and come in snug cardboard boxes with a top flap that opens and sides that fold down, which kind of reminds you of opening a block of cream cheese (only marginally more caloric... but you are going to a pizza place so what do you expect?). The single slices come in regular, thin and super slice (which is about 1/3 larger than regular). These types are generally offered in the usual cheese, pepperoni, and sausage varieties, but there are daily super slice specials as well (see website). Also, you can order a combo that comes with breadsticks (cheese sauce is extra) and a drink. You can also get a one-trip salad bar with your meal, which doesn't mean much considering how the Chinese overcome this silly rule these days at Pizza Hut.

In terms of the pizza, Rocky's pan pizza is fairly similar to that of Pizza Hut but comes with a sweeter flavor. Whether you like it comes down to your preference for sweeter crusts, though Rocky's sauce is never sour which can sometimes be hit or miss with Pizza Hut. The single outstanding topping on Rocky's pizzas is by far the sausage. If you like sausage, this is a must-go. The sausage pieces are big and juicy and Rocky's generously gives 3 or 6 large sausages per slice of pizza. Also, be sure to show up during peak hours to ensure that the pizza is hot and fresh (you may need to wait an extra 5 minutes, but it is totally worth it). Sometimes the slices sit for awhile in their boxes and loose their crispiness.

I would recommend Rocky's if you are craving for some traditional thick and flavorful pan pizza that is difficult to find around campus.