Eating in Madison A to Z

Green Owl Cafe

In a word: "Hoo"s on First.

The specs: #0515  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at VegGuide, Merely the Moon, Yelp, Isthmus (and profile), Eat Drink Madison blog, Fearful Symmetries, , AV Club, 77 Square, dane101; listing at Eat Drink Madison; official web site, Facebook page.

JM ate the Italian "beef" sandwich with a green salad.
Nichole ate the caponata and Brazilian black bean soup.
We split the apple-maple crisp.
The bill was $25.
JM gave Green Owl Cafe a B+; Nichole gave Green Owl Cafe a B.

On a snowy February morning, when much of the city might have been burrowing into its couch cushions, we tried Green Owl. Inside it was anything but a barn, with warm green walls and a clean sort of seventies kitsch. The drinks looked tasty, but the speediness of our server barred us from ordering any. Still, we didn't screech, having spotted some lunches that looked good. When we got our order we shor teared into it.

Ahem.

JM got the Italian "beef" seitan sandwich, which was a little spicy for him but overall tasted fine. Nichole thought it had a bit of an anise flavor to it. The Brazilian bean soup was on the sweet side, as was the eggplant caponata and tender whole wheat bread. We splurged on a dessert, the apple-maple crisp, which came warmed through with a dollop of whipped soy and a rich crust of nuts. We left feeling a healthful 80% full.

We were the only pair of diners in the place, which is not to say it was empty. Three very large parties occupied the back room, and their wide range of ages, modes of dress, and visible range of dis/comfort seemed to indicate that there was some heavy intergenerational evangelizing afoot.

That's the thing about Green Owl: dining at a place with such strong vegetarian convictions is almost a matter of faith. As the latest (and only, as of this writing) vegetarian restaurant in Madison, Green Owl got more buzz than any other new restaurant in our recent memory, and there are some really excellent writeups linked in our "specs" above; so, not being vegetarians ourselves, we feel we have little new commentary to offer.

One angle JM wanted to explore that he hadn't seen anywhere else is the idea of sustainability. While some say that Green Owl's faux meat is the antithesis of why many people become vegetarian in the first place, JM thinks it may be possible that the owners of Green Owl are exploring the true Green aspect of their name. If humans are to survive sustainably, we cannot all eat meat as much as we'd like... and if there are things that taste like meat, but are made of things that consume less energy and are lower on the food chain, more's the better.

Perhaps this is indeed why Fakin' Bacon and tofu dogs are the order of the day. It will be interesting to see if Green Owl's menu will shift with the seasons, away from processed meat substitutes as fresh local foods arrive, and back again as the Wisconsin winters narrow our sustainable food options.

Fosdal Home Bakery

In a word: Makes any house a home.

The specs: #0514  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus;  reviews at Bountiful Cupboard, Yelp, ; official web site.

JM ate the small pulled pork sandwich and a chocolate donut.
Nichole ate the chicken salad croissant and a filled raspberry sugar cookie.
We also got a loaf of bread and some hot dog buns.
The bill was $15.
JM and Nichole both gave Fosdal Home Bakery an A-.

We did carry-out from Fosdal's in Stoughton so we could sample their lunch fare. The menu was small but not short on options. Each of a half dozen kinds of sandwiches can be made with a choice of bread, roll, or croissant, a side of chips and a pickle - not a crispy, garlicky dill, but the softer, sweeter, more Scandinavian-style slice. And the service was very friendly and chatty, full of good recommendations.

The chicken salad croissant had good meat, very fresh lettuce and wasn't overloaded or soggy with filling. JM's pulled pork sandwich was serviceable, and while he wouldn't necessarily make a special trip for it,he felt like his choice of the small size was virtuous but ultimately regrettable.

The sweets were another story, and very worth a visit. The chocolate filled donut was dreamy and dense. A raspberry-filled sugar cookie managed to make a very simple idea interesting: the top of the cookie, exposed to more heat, was more firm, while the same dough underneath had been shielded by a layer of tangy raspberry jelly and was pillowy and soft.

We couldn't pass up a loaf of bread and a few hot dog buns. The traditional, soft white bread made excellent toast and the buns made us look forward to summer grilling season all the more.

Fiesta Mexican Grill

In a word: Just fine.

The specs: #0513  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; 77 Square, The Ruppert Food Blog, La Netta, ; listing at EatDrinkMadison.

JM ate the taco and enchilada combo plate.
John Sams and Rose ate the molcajete.
John ate the fajitas.
Nichole ate the chicken mole.
We drank three margaritas and four soft drinks.
The bill was $39 plus tip after coupon.
We all gave Fiesta Mexican Grill a B.

Fiesta Mexican Grill sits across from James Madison Memorial High in the space once occupied by Rice Cafe. The place is brightly painted but dimly lit (daylight may change that), with high ceilings and the ubiquitous Fiestaware plates that in this case finally fit the bill.

There were complementary chips and salsa but no horchata, sadly. The salsa to us was too blandly tomatoey. The margaritas were plenty strong on this occasion, contrary to what we'd heard - but maybe that was just who happened to be tending bar.

The service was above average and we were served fairly quickly, and smartly too, since the fastest eater was served last (and that would be JM). His preference is for flour tortillas, so the corn ones used for his taco weren't going to be loved - but they were filling and satisfying. John's fajitas didn't impress him too much and he missed having a bit of pico de gallo or something fresh on the side. Otherwise, he found it to be standard Madison Mexican restaurant fare.

Nichole thought the chicken mole had a strongly metallic overtone (think pennies) that faded after the first bite but did border on unpleasant. John and Rose had the most fun, and most flavor, in their giant molcajete full of shrimp, chicken, chorizo, rice, beans, green onions and avocado.

With one outstanding dish, two average, and one iffy, and no creamy horchata to rise to the occasion, Fiesta passes - which, owing to grade inflation that leaks from the High School across the street, means Bs all around.