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Update 9/5/10: Our Bike the Barns pledge goal has been met and then some. Thank you, pledgers (especially the tweeters)! You're the best!

There's still time to contribute to MACSAC's goal for fresh food for all - pledges for the Carrot Cruiser and other riders will be accepted for a few more days.

Dear readers, thank you for voting us second place in Isthmus' 2010 reader poll's "Local blog" (a.k.a. "blogger you'd most like to meet") category!

If you'll indulge just a little speechifying, we wanted to share a realization that struck us this summer, the 6th since we started.

In 2004 people didn't talk about food on the internet as much as they do now. Most collaborative restaurant rating sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon were but pixels in their designers' eyes. If today we were awaiting our crab rangoon from A8 China instead of scarfing something in the Ss, we might never have decided to make what's basically a food diary into a public internet project.

Our scope is very broad and shallow - we have neither the collective wisdom of the Crowd nor an expert reviewer's skill. Riding such a santoku-thin line is challenging in manifold ways. But we're glad we're still at it, chiefly because the insightful comments and encouragement from our readers hint that this site is bringing something valuable to Madison. We're glad you're along for the ride, and are brewing up some exciting plans this winter for your delectation.

Now. What would really pump us up would be 45 more $5 pledges to Bike the Barns to  match our $500 sponsorship. Last we heard MACSAC is less than $6000 from their goal. (And rumor has it some fabulous surprises may be in store at the after party, for which you can still register.)

Thanks again!

Comments

[Alyssa]

Love your blog! A wonderful community resource that I reference often. I will tip my helmet to you at Bike the Barns next week! Hope we have a beautiful day for it, and that you have a great and safe ride.

[Lauren]

I love your blog. When I lived in Madison, I read it all the time (2004-2009). Now that I don't, I read it when I am homesick for Madison, and to see if my favorite places are still around. Keep up the good work... it has made me think of doing something similar in my new location.

[Tracy]

Nichole and JM, congratulations!

Now I must reveal to you what you appear not to know: you may not be experts in food. You may not be making six incognito visits to the restaurant swathed in veils wearing sunglasses. Your order of restaurant visits may appear arbitrary.

But you can REALLY REALLY WRITE! Your blog is incredibly entertaining. You review some restaurants I would never ever go to, but I still read the reviews because the writing is so good. The tone is always perfect and the snark meter never redlines.

Luckily new restaurants keep opening in Madison so I can look forward to reading you for a long time!

[EiMAtZ]

@Alyssa - All right! See you in a week.

@Lauren - Thank you, and you should go for it, and let us know so we can link to it!

@Tracy - JM's getting his Geekkon at the moment so I don't know if he's read your comment yet, but I'm sure he'd join me in a heartfelt thanks. And hat-tips to our high school English teachers and our parents for doing a good job.

[Ken]

Congrats on exceeding your donation goal.
Now lets try to get Carrot Cruiser's goal exceeded too :-)