Cranberry Creek

In a word: Noodles & Co. for people who don't like pasta.

The specs: #0145
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; review at Isthmus;

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JM ate the Sweet Home Alabama chicken sandwich with a fountain drink.
Nichole ate the cranberry chicken with a fountain drink.
The bill was about $18, or $9/person, plus tip.
JM gave Cranberry Creek a B; Nichole gave Cranberry Creek a B- (see our grading rubric).

It looks like a chain, but isn't - yet. Another "fast-casual" addition to the dining scene, it's a notch nicer-looking than, say, Boston Market, and has more choices than the Qdoba/Chipotle nexus. When we moved to Madison in 2000 as newlyweds on a tight budget, we used to eat at Noodles & Co. as a special treat; if we'd got here in 2005, we might have latched onto Cranberry Creek instead.

As it is, we can see families liking this place. They've got a rather expansive menu, with several dinners and sandwiches (some with silly names). JM described his "Sweet Home Alabama" chicken sandwich as pretty dry. Though at this point Nichole wonders if JM always thinks chicken is dry. Dry is one thing; chicken's just chicken...aah, here we go, he likes his chicken heavily sauced and CC seems to have an aversion to mayo.

He wasn't a fan of the coleslaw, but Nichole relished its apple/celery seed/green and purple cabbage-ness over the usual bland mayo mixture. Her own meal listed too far to the sweet side, with a chicken breast doused in cranberry sauce with heavy orange overtones and a dish of sweetened cranberry butter for the too-soft roll. The meat and steamed veggies, when rationed properly, helped balance the sugar, but even the thought of a peek at the dessert case (so inviting when we arrived) proved too cloying to comtemplate.

We may not be back before the list is through, but its proximity to JM's work may mean a birthday lunch may be involved.

Comments

[geno]

Pot roast is the best I've ever had. (sorry grandma)