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 61: Opus Lounge

Opus Lounge (website)
116 King St.
3 Adjectives: classy, fun, overpriced
Price: tapas (2-15)
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Other Opinions: madisonatoz, yelp, ...
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Our trip to Opus Lounge was quite exciting as we got to go meet the writers of madisonatoz! It was quite an honor to meet and dine with Nichole and JM. Thank you both!

The inside of Opus Lounge reminded me of The Icon: a fancy dim lounge with mostly nicely dressed individuals and a tapas-style menu. Some of the odder menu items included spiced peanuts and bread and butter, which seem like things you could get for free at most restaurants.

For drinks, I got the Christina's XTC, Nichole got a Cucumber Press, and JM got the lemonade. The drink I ordered was colorful and fruity. Next, I ordered the spicy tuna roll (above), and Nichole and JM got the caprese salad and shrimp skewers, respectively. Tossy got the hummus plate (right). The sushi was nicely plated and came with an amusing cube of wasabi. The roll tasted pretty good but was neither warm nor had a whole lot of filling. I felt myself wishing that I was at the neighboring Restaurant Muramoto instead.

Overall the food at Opus Lounge leave much to be desired but the drinks are quite good. Thankfully, we went during happy hour (4:30-7pm) and got some nice half price deals for the appetizers. I would recommend Opus Lounge for anyone looking for a classy get together over drinks at a nice lounge before dinner at some other place.

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The drink menu at Opus Lounge is about seven times as long as the food menu. Most of the food is served as small portions of finger food--tapas, "fun" food (peanuts, etc), sushi rolls, and desserts (fondue), and range in price from $2 to $24. I ordered a pita platter, which came with sliced pita bread, hummus, a large garlic clove, and an olive spread. I enjoyed the hummus with the pita bread, but felt the olive and garlic were too strong. Other vegan options on the menu are vegetable tempura and a vegetable roll. It is possible to order non-alcoholic drinks, such as soda or juice.

Adventure 58: True Food (La Brioche)

True Food Restaurant (website)
2862 University Ave.
3 Adjectives: Elegant, fancy, tasty.
Price: appetizer (6-12) entree (10-30)
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Other Opinions: capitaltimes, thedailypage, ...
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The interior of True Food was certainly an interesting sight to see: the front of the restaurant is the bakery, La Brioche, while the middle involves a sitting area for bakery customers and the back, flanked by two wooden fences is the True Food restaurant.

Amusingly, much of the restaurant is decorated via the principles of feng shui, a Chinese custom of placement and design supposedly improving the qi, or atmosphere of the room. They even had a fancy little pamphlet on the table about this. Though this did result in a nice, paisley-infused dining room, we all collectively also felt that there was so much exposure to the front bakery area that it took away from the supposed enclosed space the area was supposed to represent. Additionaly, we couldn't really get past the fact that the signs for "La Brioche" and "true food" really clash both in font and color.

The menu at True Food was definitely on the pricey end, but did feature a few dishes that tasted good. I ordered the Fig-prociutto pizza (above) and we shared the mussels appetizer (right). Others at the table got gnocci, sausage pizza and the lamb chops (lower right).

The mussels tasted very good but the serving size definitely could have been larger. The pizza was excellent and the fig really balanced nicely with the prociutto. My friends reported that the lamb, sausage pizza and the gnocci were also excellent.

We also had a very nice waiter who was eager to help us with our order, even when one of the dishes came out wrong.

Afterward, we hung around the bakery area and scored some nice deals on $1 and reduced bakery items. The massive chocolate eclair I ate the next day was delicious.

I would recommend True Food restaurant if you are looking for a fancy night out with your family or for a romantic dinner. If you want to save a few dollars, go on Wednesday night when it's $2 off the pizza.


There are no vegan dishes here, unless you count the fruit salad. The bread rolls were nice, and came in three or four different varieties, of which the supply was unlimited. I attempted to order a meatless, cheese-less pizza, which was ultimately not worth the money I was required to pay for it. La Brioche is a nice place, but vegans ought to avoid it.

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 50: Maharani

Maharani Indian Restaurant (website)

380 W. Washington Ave.
3 Adjectives: flavorful,
Price: buffet (9) app (2-8) entree (8-16)
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Other Opinions: tripadvisor, yelp, madisonatoz, madisonmagazine...
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There is not much downtown competition for good Indian food and maybe it's because Maharani is among the best you're going to get around the city. Perhaps second only to Maharajah on the far west side, Maharani serves a delicious lunch buffet that will certainly satisfy any Indian food craving.

The restaurant is quite big for a downtown restaurant and has everything from booths to tables wrapped around the long buffet bar. I always go to Maharani around lunchtime to sample their varietal buffet (11-3). The single dish entrees for dinner are not as interesting to me as the buffet where you get to sample a variety of delicious foods and is cheaper than any of the single entrees. Most of the buffet dishes are those that are found in many Indian buffets such as dosa, palak paneer, and tandoori chicken. My favorites are the malai kofta (veggetable meatballs in tasty sauce) as well as the butter chicken. These are not to be missed and I always find myself wiping my plate clean with naan to savor the delicious sauces. Maharani also has several nice desserts with the mango ice cream and the kulfi (spiced ice cream) being the best. My only complaint about Maharani is that the food is not as spicy (hot) as I would like as they probably have tried to Americanize some dishes.

Overall, I would highly recommend the lunch buffet at Maharani as the Indian food stop and as a good place to bring friends who are vegetarian. Maharani lives up to its name and is definitely fit for royalty.


Basically the same as other Indian restaurant lunch buffets Tossy has been to in Madison, but it does not matter, because Indian lunch buffets are tasty. Tossy has no problem with another Indian place close to campus. Buffets offers many varieties of curries, tasty stuffed breads and samosas, and nan (best ethnic bread, in Tossy's opinion). Tossy's only complaint is the desserts, which are all dairy based.

Adventure 38: Chocolate Shoppe

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream (website)
468 State St.
3 Adjectives: Rich, filling, friendly.
Price: ice cream (2-5)
Authenticity:
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Other Opinions: badgerherald, madisonatoz, yelp, ...
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As a Madison native, I can assure you that the emblematic Chocolate Shoppe logo complete with cow happily licking away at an ice cream cone has been permanently linked to the dopamine/happiness pathway of my brain. To my great delight, throughout the years the quality of the ice cream at the Chocolate Shoppe has never faltered and to this day the creamy goodness remains one of the best in town.

The Chocolate Shoppe located on State Street simply has no competition when it comes to delicious traditional ice cream around these parts. Walk into the triangular shaped corner store on State Street into the white, turquoise and pink interior, and more than two dozen interesting ice cream, sorbet, italian ice, soy, "gelato," and frozen yogurt flavors greet you. There is everything from the simple strawberry to more inventive flavors like superman (crazy rainbow colored fruity ice cream). There are also seasonal flavors to choose from like egg nog and pumpkin depending on when you go. Finally, in the back freezer you can find ice cream cakes and larger containers for birthdays and other occasions.

What is most amusing when you walk into the store is seeing the large nutrition facts disclaimer on the wall declaring:
"Don't even ask. This is the best ice cream made in Wisconsin, and it tastes so good because it has globs of rich Wisconsin cream, tons of real ingredients for boat-loads of luscious flavors. That means it's not low-fat, low-calorie or low-anything, and that's why everyone loves it. You want nutrition, eat carrots."
Some sage advice for anyone stepping into an ice cream store. Indeed, the Chocolate Shoppe's flavors live up to the hype. Each ice cream flavor I have tried at the Chocolate Shoppe has been rich, creamy, and smooth and the servers generally give you a generous helping to whichever flavor you choose. My all time favorite that I urge everyone to try is the Zanzibar Chocolate. One item I would avoid having at the Chocolate Shoppe is their gelato. The flavors are not as inventive as their ice cream, and bland compared to the down-the-street Paciugo.

Most of the time, I prefer eating my ice cream outdoors, but during the winter months there is plenty of seating inside. Chocolate Shoppe has about half a dozen mini-tables that can fit about four people each as well as an interesting mini-park bench near the back presumably for children.

The Chocolate Shoppe is the perfect place to satisfy your ice cream craving whenever you are on State Street.

Something a lot of people probably don't believe: there are vegan flavors at the Chocolate Shoppe. These include gelato flavors (lemon, nectarine, raspberry lemon) and some soy-based flavors (espresso oreo, vanilla chocolate chip). However the "veganness" rating is difficult to gauge here...the nearby gelato cafe, Paciugo, is definitely a four. The Chocolate Shoppe carries more flavors, but the gelato at Paciugo is better than the Chocolate Shoppe gelato. But then again, Paciugo has never had nectarine gelato, as far as Tossy knows. On the other hand, the Chocolate Shoppe isn't always consistent in portion sizes, which can be annoying, but Paciugo generally is. The other thing that generally annoys Tossy about the Chocolate Shoppe is that the vegan flavors are located in the back of the cafe, along with the vain-attempt-at-something-healthy frozen yogurt and sugarless gunk for wimps, and vegans get pretty sick of being singled out after a while.

Adventure 37: Lao Laan Xang

Lao Laan Xang (website)
1146 Williamson St
3 Adjectives: Cozy, adventurous, flavorful.
Price: entree (9-16)
Authenticity:
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Other Opinions: yelp, madisonatoz, vegguide, ...
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Located slightly East of the Capital, Lao Laan Xang (pronounced: la-OW long zang - rhymes with 'dang!') is unique in that it is one of those restaurants that serves a cuisine found nowhere else in town. Despite the lack of pressure in competition, the restaurant shines in its specialty: Laotian.

The restaurant resides in a cozy house-like building decked out with Christmas Lights around the window on Willy Street nearly right across the street from the Willy Street Co-op. There are about ten tables in the restaurant so, if you have a larger than four or six party you might want to try their Atwood location about a five minute drive East.

The menu at Lao Laan Xang features a variety of curries, stir-fry-like dishes, rice dishes and soups. In addition, there is a four star spicy system from one star (timid) to four stars (native Lao). The system is definitely spicier than ones you will see at other restaurants in town so pick one star lower than what you normally have. Another tip is to go spicier on curry but less so on the non-curry dishes.

The singular dish that is a must-order is their curry squash (photo above). It is a delicious mix of creamy butternut and acorn squashes with eggplant and zucchini. After talking to the staff, we found out that their basement is actually chock full of squashes so they can prepare this high-in-demand dish all year long. If you are a little more adventurous, try out their house specialties. I had the Tom Som (photo) on my recent visit and thought the dish tasted very unique. The hot and fresh chicken breast was paired with a tasty crispy cold salad. It also came with a cute container of sticky rice that you could eat once the spicy salad got to you. Its a rarity a restaurant around here will go out on a limb and serve food with unique ingredients such as tamarind and unripe papaya rather than go with dull over-sweetened Americanized Asian food. One thing I would recommend avoiding at Lao Laan Xang is their stir-fry-like dishes. My few encounters with them have always been rather mediocre. If you are at a Laotian place, you might as well try something exciting rather than the run of the mill Chinese-like stir fries.

Lao Laan Xang gets four stars for it delicious food and its dare to be authentic attitude. I would highly recommend checking this place out. Both the 3 and 4 (and on weekends 7) go out there in case you don't have a car.

Lao Laan Xang has loads of delicious vegan dishes. Tossy has only had two or three herself, but is sure the rest are wonderful as well. Her favorite are the mock duck and whatever the tofu dish is with six billion different kinds of mushrooms. Actually, there are only three, but it is still delicious.