The end of the P's brought us to the threshold of 500 restaurants and also coincided with the end of the Oughts. Such landmarks inspire reflection and gratitude, so here are some pleases and thanks, dear readers.
Please keep sharing your experiences. It's especially cool to read comments from a unique perspective, say vegan or gluten-free, and/or to learn about a menu's hidden gems. Since we're just two people with our own proclivities and no particular dietary needs, we're not qualified on the basis of one visit to speak to all the facets of a restaurant.
Thank you for remembering we don't get paid for this.* We can't afford the time or money for do-overs, and that's another reason we love your comments. Just don't insist that we go back because we missed the best thing about a place. That makes us sad, which makes those less charitable among us feel schadenfreude and/or ressentiment, for which they will be damned to a lonely, tormented perdition of their own making. Nobody wants that. So thanks for understanding that we can't do repeats. ("You missed the XYZ? How could you? You must go back and try it." = bad. "I have eaten the XYZ many times and it is awesome!" = better.)
Thank you for voting Eating in Madison A to Z your favorite local blog. We had no idea that anyone would want to read anything we wrote -- which may explain the lack of detail in any post numbered 50 or less -- let alone keep reading almost six years later. With over 150 places still to go on the list as it stands today, we're still looking at a long climb ahead. Which leads to: Please don't tell us your favorite restaurant starts with S or T. We'll get there soon, we promise.
Most importantly, Madison:
Please don't let another minority-run business go under. During our pass through the alphabet, we've seen plenty of restaurants close for plenty of different reasons. However, we're not the only ones who have noticed a pattern of neighborhood complaints shutting down places run by or for people of color (the most recent being Africana, but similar sanctions have troubled A Place For Friends, Con Safos, and the Goodman Center's youth events).
For the record, we don't visit many places when they are in party mode. However, the only place we have ever encountered serious misbehavior was at Grid Iron after a home football game, when a white female Badger fan apparently wanted a piece of Nichole. Don't be like that, Madison. Please keep the civil and positive dialog about concert venue best practices going, eschew double standards, and educate yourselves. Dane101's ALRC reporting and Emily's Post are great places to start.
Thank you for keeping this blog lively. Finishing the P's may have felt like hitting a double, but we know we were born on second. Madison and its environs is a great place to eat. We've said it before, but for that, we're very grateful.
Our favorite P's were:
Breakfast: Pat O'Malley's Jet Room
Lunch: People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine
Dinner: Plaza Tavern & Grill
Our grades thus far:
|
Nichole |
JM |
| A |
213
43% |
196
39% |
| B |
210
42% |
255
51% |
| C |
62
12% |
45
9% |
| D |
12
3% |
3
1% |
| F |
2
0% |
0
0% |
GPA by first letter:
|
1st Pass |
Cumulative |
| A |
3.11 |
3.30 |
| B |
3.15 |
3.18 |
| C |
3.25 |
3.25 |
| D |
3.20 |
3.29 |
| E |
3.03 |
3.06 |
| F |
3.24 |
3.25 |
| G |
3.21 |
3.28 |
| H |
3.16 |
3.23 |
| I |
3.40 |
3.48 |
| J |
3.13 |
3.12 |
| K |
3.08 |
3.09 |
| L |
3.23 |
3.27 |
| M |
3.32 |
3.29 |
| N |
3.15 |
3.15 |
| O |
3.23 |
3.23 |
| P |
3.09 |
n/a |
*The fine print, because the FTC, Jay Rath, and Robert Sietsema are watching: in 2009 we took up with Google and Amazon ads and have earned about $25 after one year. Since the inception of the project, we've had a few pieces published in local papers for about $150 total. Publishers occasionally and inexplicably send us free cookbooks. Often a companion picks up the tab or shares a coupon, for which we give thanks in the specs. We have had nothing comped except for two desserts and a cup of ginger juice, both unsolicited, and have not once sent a dish back to the kitchen. If we're forgetting something, and you find it in one of our posts, we owe you a soda.
In a word: No longer under a cloud.
, Eat Drink Madison; official web site.
On this night, Nichole had a cold that left her unable to taste anything, but for that the chicken noodle soup was fine. She didn't even ask if it was homemade (and didn't care). The consistency was somewhat thick, whether from lengthy simmering or insufficient water added is anyone's guess. But the soft noodles, big pieces of chicken and bits of carrot were what you want in a remedy. Bonus points for the clever use of crockery.
The brat reuben didn't fare so well. It sounded interesting, and might have tasted amazing, but in texture and construction didn't quite work for a catarrh-head. The smoked brat was split and grilled, then put on a cloudlike white hamburger bun with Swiss cheese and heavy kraut. The dressing came on the side by request only. So basically, the cook's vision was to take a brat, swap the bun type and add cheese. We wondered if there was no love left for rye, or what. 
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