Chico's Villa Tap
In a word: Above the norm. (Norm!)
The specs: #00815
2302 Packers Ave., 53704
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JM ate the international sandwich with a Mountain Dew.
John ate the grilled chicken sandwich with a diet Pepsi.
Nichole and Rose ate the cheeseburger with a diet Pepsi.
The bill was $25.25, or $6.25/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole gave Chico's Villa Tap a B+; John and Rose gave Chico's Villa Tap a B- (see our grading rubric).
Chico (short for Christopher?) took over at Villa Tap a little while back. Now, we're heavily into the A to Z weeds here, but separate listings exist that call this place alternately Villa Tap and Chico's Villa Tap. So why is it a C? When the name does not comport to a specified norm, the rule is 'whichever name would cause us to visit it first.' This sub-rule was originally developed for (Jordan's) Big Ten Pub and has not seen much use since then.
The other thing that it seems everyone knows about Chico's is that has fantastic fish fry, which has been documented extensively elsewhere, most notably Madison Fish Fry. That, and scheduling, is why we chose to focus on the rest of the menu.
The two burgers that alighted on our table had thick, handmade patties. A little seasoning in the mix could've gone a long way, but complaining seems besides the point. The sesame bun was light but a little burned from its toasting. The pickle spear was little to rejoice in and the cheese was equal parts good and sweaty.
The chicken snadwich was fine, though not exceptional. The sides of chips could have been better. JM's International Sandwich caught his eye because he hadn't seen such a thing. It turned out to be Italian sausage on Italian bread (maybe it was French bread) with fried onions, cheese, peppers on the side and marinara for dipping. Once the peppers were involved, the sandwich really hit its stride.
People-watching was good. It was a late football night and many among Chico's clientele seemed to feel that moving towards the TV would improve the quality of play thousands of miles away. They may have ingested some beer from the decent selection (House of Brews, Ale Asylum, Potosi etc.). Just Pepsi for those who don't can be a minus, and the place must be absolutely packed on a Friday night.
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