Noosh

In a word: Somebody get the lights on your way out.

The specs: #00989   
920 S. Park St., 53713
Details at Yelp

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Barry, JM, Nichole and Patti ate the chopped liver, shakshuka, lamb brisket, brick chicken, kabob, matzoh ball soup, fava bean soup, and tea.
The bill was $70, or $17ish/person, plus tip.
JM gave Noosh a B; Nichole gave Noosh a C+; Barry gave Noosh a C (see our grading rubric).

We enjoyed Layla's, and thought a night out at Noosh with Barry and Patti would be a pleasant repast and it was, with a couple of exceptions. It seems we hit Noosh on their second-to-last day of business - thus, this post will be another posthumous one. It seems that the kitchen was, with some dishes, trying to use up some stock, and so some dishes were unavailable while others had substituted ingredients. And, for whatever reason, the heat did not seem to be on in the dank, underlit Taco Bell building, which wasn't doing any favors this close to the winter solstice. We hope that if Noosh lands somewhere else, these problems will not follow it. The dining room showed lots of ingenuity with frugal decor, but the ghosts of Nachos Bel Grande past haunted this place.

On to the food! We passed around some dishes. Among them, a brightly acidic plate of shakshuka of tomatoes and poached eggs with lightly toasted bread, all on a classic Wisconsin supper club steak plate. Also served on a pretty plate (the same pattern as at Heritage) was the chopped liver, with pickled onions on white (not rye) toasts. Another appetizer, burekas of phyllo stuffed with kale and cheese, were pretty dang delicious. The brick chicken was probably the best dish, juicy and tender. This didn't make up for a painfully dry kabob, though, on a bed of disappointingly cold rice. You'd think we'd learn.

Two of the dishes were real puzzles - the lamb "brisket" seemed more like a shank, though it was tasty, with lots of meaty juices suffusing the rice underneath. The fava bean soup had none (they looked more like kidney beans), which was understandable if it was time to use up supplies, but it would have been nice to know not to expect fava beans. Finally, the matzoh ball soup was unique indeed and "not your bubbe's." The broth was substantial and cloudy, with an almost mineral aftertaste, and the matzoh balls themselves were in the "sinkers" category, though quite dry inside, and heavily flavored with saffron.

Noosh offered a lot of food that you simply cannot find on other menus in Madison and for that, we hope to see them opening up again soon. Sadly, our visit was marked by things that would not likely go this way under other circumstances.