Indie Coffee
In a word: It's got its own groove.
The specs: #0262
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Dane101, WiSJ, The Daily Page, 77 Square, official web site,
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JM ate the buttermilk waffle with a strawberry-banana smoothie.
Nichole ate the multigrain waffle with a skim cappucino.
The bill was $14, or $7/person, plus tip.
JM gave Indie Coffee a B; Nichole gave Indie Coffee an A- (see our grading rubric).
The ambiance in Indie is quite pleasant, with clean lines, light blue and red decor, and good use of space. The music this sunny Saturday morning (Neko Case?) was incongruously gloomy, though. Maybe it had been a bad week for the staff.
They made a fine cappucino, however, very hot and with plenty of foam. (Nichole also noticed happily that Indie offers both drip and French pressed coffee.) The smoothie, on the other hand, was not JM's favorite kind. Made with just fruit and ice, he found it neither fruity nor sweet enough, even when he added sugar. More actual bits of fruit and a dash of dairy would have been more up his alley.
JM's buttermilk waffle was eggy, but good. It came with just one butter pat package, which wasn't quite enough for one quadrant (did someone not notice it was America's Dairyland out there?), and though Nichole offered to ask for more on his shy behalf, he figures that's not the point. He wishes they got the butter thing down pat. Hehm.
The multigrain waffle was great, and Nichole would go back for it anytime. It had a perfectly light texture and a pleasant nutty flavor. The only improvements she could suggest would be real maple syrple, but that might make it hard to maintain the price at $3 (a steal, especially since you don't have to drag out your own waffle iron and sticky up your kitchen).
Indie Coffee also offers live music, although we couldn't quite figure out where. But waffles served all day with good local coffee makes this a place that coffee aficionados will want to frequent.
Hi! Thanks for the kind words. J.J. here. Just wanted to make sure folks know that our smoothies are not just fruit and ice. That does indeed sound kind of yucky. In truth, our strawberry banana smoothie is made with strawberries, bananas, vanilla yogurt, cranberry juice, and just a touch of ice. It's creamy and delicious. We've wowed many people, but sorry we didn't for you! Our other smoothies are also made with real fruit and juices, which many people feel is plenty sweet. Please come back, and you can have as much butter as you want!!!! Since many people return their plates with the butter unopened, we made the executive decision to provide one each to avoid waste. But let it be known: there is more butter for the asking!
Posted by: J.J. | August 14, 2007 at 09:23 PM
Well, vanilla and cranberry were still somewhat unexpected flavors for me, but thanks for the reply. I'll make sure to avail myself of plenty of butter next time since Nichole is sufficiently enamored with your waffles.
Posted by: JmSR | August 15, 2007 at 07:45 AM
i ate at Indie this past weekend. i am from Kenosha and stopped there on my way up to Devil's Lake for camping. I ordered the Bollo panino( ham and salami with tomato on a herby square bun) and a vanilla iced latte. the panino was AMAZING!! very warm and earthy. the tomatoes played well off the salty meat. it was perfectly grilled. right amount of meat t bread ration too. the staff was also very friendly and helpful. highly recommended!!
Posted by: aj | July 15, 2008 at 08:58 PM