"Z" is for Zero to go
On February 3, 2012, after eating at 779 restaurants in 7 years, 8 months and 25 days, we finished eating Isthmus' Eats list.
We're going to take a break from posting for a while. We're still mulling over what to do next. We do need to keep eating and there are lots of places we haven't been to, so there's that... but we'll have to see how it feels not to have to feed the blog 2-3 times per week.
We'll keep up with daily links to food news, though, because there's a lot of good local food writing in Madison. So check back and/or subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified of new posts.
And now a little data for you:
Z was the best letter we went to, bolstered by the very nice Zuzu Cafe. Zuzu was also JM's 300th A or A-. He now has 300 reasons to not eat a Whopper Jr. add cheese.
Eating in Madison A to Z has written over a quarter of a million words about Madison restaurants (261,802) with an average post length (not counting In a Word and specs) of 336 words. (For comparison, our posts on Crave, Michelangelo's, Murphy's Tavern & Taco Shop are exactly 336.)
The longest post we wrote was Underground Kitchen with 1,404 words. Following that were 43 North (1122), The Icon (1111), Starbucks (1038) and L'Etoile (1015). The restaurant with the shortest write-up was Bennett's Meadowood (just 28 words). This was followed by Hunky-Dory Cafe (38), Cocina Real (40), The Bean and Cafe Zoma (43 each).
The shortest "In a word" was just three characters long: the departed Cleveland's Diner ("Go."). The longest was 193 characters: "Where can a young couple, who are having an evening out, not too much money, and they want to have a decent meal, you know, a decent kebab and a nice bit of donut, where can they go and get it?" for People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine.
The longest letter in its first pass was C (thanks a lot, alphabet) with 53 places, followed by S, M, B (hooray!) and P. The shortest was X (0), followed by Z, Y, U and Q. We went to 496 places on first pass lists and 283 on make-up lists.
The most we ever went to in any month was 18 in November of 2011. Both January and February of 2012 had only 1 each. We went to about 8.3 places a month for 94 months. If you add up restaurant visits across years, the Mays were the months we ate out the most (77 total) and the Julys the least (47), despite March and April having one fewer instance.
There were 36 double As, ten of which are closed. Longest gap between Double As: 88 restaurants between New Glarus Hotel in February 2009 and The Bank in January 2010. Shortest: Santa Fe Trailer followed only two later by Undergroud Kitchen in May 2011. Morels, restaurant #390, was the precise halfway point.
Finally, JM ate 66 ham and cheese sandwiches and drank 332 lemonades (42%) along the way (not counting generic fountain sodas that have been/included lemonade, or the pitcher that has a permanent place in our fridge).
Speaking of stats: are there any places whose names start with A that we haven't visited that we should? This is our attempt at a little crowdsourcing, so please check our list and tell us what is missing.
We know that with the recent short letters and all of the looking back, this has been like the long Midwestern goodbye. We just want to make sure that we really show gratitude for reaching this point, self-imposed as it may be.
Thanks to Jonathan Broad for sparking our interest in blogging, to the UW School of Library and Information Studies for providing our first platform, to Isthmus for maintaining the List, to the people who ate with us (and put up with us) and the restaurants that put up with us (and fed us), but most of all to our readers. Writing on the internet is such a crazy and novel thing; we could've done this without an audience and yet we wouldn't want to think of it.
Soupy twist!
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 332 43% |
300 38% |
| B | 314 40% |
394 51% |
| C | 115 15% |
80 10% |
| D | 16 2% |
5 1% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.32 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.22 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.23 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.05 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.27 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.20 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.38 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.09 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.24 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.19 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.15 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.20 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.12 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.23 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.19 |
| T | 3.19 | 3.19 |
| U | 3.03 | 3.08 |
| V | 3.48 | 3.52 |
| W | 3.21 | 3.21 |
| X | n/a | n/a |
| Y | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Z | 3.58 | n/a |
"Y" is for XY
There were no restaurants beginning with X on the List, and we only went to two beginning with Y. So for this and the previous "reflection" entry, we decided to give each of us our own post. Here's JM's.
Thanks to Redamte for the latte foam art!
First off, I need to thank my wife. Without her, this is all nothing. There'd be no function to this website. None of these words. None of this forum. None of this anything. Indeed, I'd be very much less if it were not for her.
Secondly, I'd like to thank those who've had to deal with this project in its manifold scheduling requirements and deferred and delayed gratification. For this too, I thank you.
My relationship with food was very bad 10 years ago. I treated my palate like a piñata. Occasionally something wonderful could emerge, but mostly I just exposed it to repeated beatings over and over again by fast food cudgels wielded randomly and without purpose.
It was finally the love of a good woman that put it all right and in ways I hadn't expected. The narrative of the blog for many folks is that JM is the one who doesn't like food and Nichole is the one who does. But that narrative has changed and shifted. Nichole nowadays spends less time having to focus on recreating meals after the fact, drafting, drawing conclusions and writing. This is not because she is less capable now, but rather that I am far more.
I understand the difference between the well-prepared and ill-prepared. I know what was made fresh and what comes from a plastic bag (not a judgment, per se). I know when a restaurant menu designer is taking time to make decisions vs. having an automatic chicken bacon ranch wrap that is the same as everywhere else's.
This is not to say that I am now a foodie. My taste buds are still egalitarian, but maybe now they recognize what went in beforehand. I respect preparation and quality ingredients as much as raw tastiness. I'm not saying I forego BK a couple of times a month... but I have other ideas too.
This may be a roundabout way of saying that A to Z was like a long food ordination process. I emerge from my eight years of schooling to evangelize, educate, and fellowship. Because of this, I now take a stronger hand in the blog. I hope that the combined writing of Nichole and I will shine through instead, as I feel, that this is Nichole's blog where I get to be funny occasionally. Indeed, I wish it to be my blog as much as I can so that we can truly be partners moving forward as we see fit. "Z" is not the end as much as it is the end of an era. Another era is forthcoming, and I want it to be more awesome than this one.
The day before we started the Bs, we had 1 pageview. On August 30, 2004, we first crossed 100 pageviews in a day. 1000 views were first crossed on Feb. 7, 2006. Our average these days is a little more than that, having peaked at nearly 8,500 on May 28, 2010 (the day after Lindsay's story dropped). And sure, we've made Isthmus' Favorites list multiple times. But all of that adds up to not really so many people. Which is to say both Thank You and You Can Do It Too.
Now allow me to address any haters. Angry? Please understand we haven't the money or experience to provide every restaurant with a full "review." Better than us? Pay us no mind, then. Jealous? Please understand that for every L'Etoile there are fifteen 'enh' bars, not to mention that all this fun eating out has been tempered by other personal struggles (which would be off topic and distracting).
Meanwhile, the blog landscape is littered with false start food blogs given up too soon. We didn't give up - even after it was really hard to continue and we wanted to stop. Whatever follows "Z" will have a way for us to stop when we need to, someday forever. But seriously, part of our success, such as it was, was just showing up. Do what you love, you'll build a readership. But please don't hate. Say what you want in your own way in your own space. The dialog across fora is much more interesting than the monologue from within.
If we've managed to touch your life, I'd like to hear about that, too. E-mail is fine. I only wanna know because my dreams for this blog have always been about connecting people to people and food, not because I want some victory lap back patting. Your stories are part of our story and, in the last analysis, they may be the best thing to result from this 8-year experiment.
Thanks also to our nation, which grants us these rights to speak. Thanks to our families who provided us these backgrounds to draw from. Thanks to our teachers, our friends, our spiritual guides. There is much to be thankful for. Peace and God bless.
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 331 43% |
299 38% |
| B | 313 40% |
393 51% |
| C | 115 15% |
80 10% |
| D | 16 2% |
5 1% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.32 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.22 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.23 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.05 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.27 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.20 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.38 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.09 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.24 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.19 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.15 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.20 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.12 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.23 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.19 |
| T | 3.19 | 3.19 |
| U | 3.03 | 3.08 |
| V | 3.48 | 3.52 |
| W | 3.21 | 3.21 |
| X | n/a | n/a |
| Y | 3.00 | n/a |
"X" is for XX
There were no restaurants beginning with X on the List, and we only went to two beginning with Y. So for this and the next "reflection" entry, we decided to give each of us our own post. Here's Nichole's.
Food blogging is the path to a career in professional food writing these days. At a 2011 UW Humanities panel-before-talk with Pulitzer prize winner (and our hero for beginning his food career by eating an entire street) Jonathan Gold, someone asked him how to break into the scene. It used to be by establishing a reputation on CHOW or other forums, he said, but now you pretty much have to start a blog.
I think this is true. The expansion of social media and its conflation with business has had a big impact on EiMAtZ since JM and I started journaling together in 2004.
When I used to tell people about the blog, they would ask "Which letter are you on?" or "Who makes the best crab rangoon?" or "What's the worst meal you ever ate?"
Now it's usually "How much money do you make?"
This is disheartening. Not because of the answer (pretty much "none"), nor because I won't talk about money, but because I'd rather talk about food. And yet, it's a smart and relevant question.
In 2009, the FTC cited the rise of blog/ad networks as one reason to revise its guidelines on sponsorships and testimonials, which hadn't changed in decades. Since then, when it comes to getting paid, it seems bloggers have been damned if they do (see the 2010 Milwaukee Press Club-winning article, "The Future of Journalism"), damned if they don't (see the 2011 She Posts GOOD READ-featured essay, "When it’s OK to Work For Free (Really!)").
The truth is, even if I had the talent to write about food for money, I don't have the hustle or the guts (ha!). I think JM has the talent, and he's the most trusting, generous, and brilliant collaborator and generator of good ideas that I've ever met (I might be biased). So when blogging changed, we had to figure out what we wanted to do. The answer for us was to stay amateur.
We decided to take the FTC guidelines very seriously and be as transparent about money as we could. We started posting a list of any freebies we got and gradually took fewer and fewer offers.
Partly to make myself look better, mostly to make myself feel better, and despite it being totally Pharisaical, I also started disclosing our hunger-fighting-related charitable giving. We joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation in case we should ever need legal aid - something we never worried about before bloggers were considered viable targets for lawsuits.
Plus, it just feels all weird now that there are publicly private dinner clubs and pop-ups and PR people PR-ing things and mixing it all up with social media and celebrity/notoriety appeal. The lines between customer, resource, colleague, and friend are blurrier than I can usually make out.
Somewhere in Letter O I looked around at these changes and my own reaction to them and realized the project wasn't as much fun as it used to be. But what was I going to do, quit?
Food writers, whether professional, aspiring, or amateur, rarely talk this openly about these peripherals (at least, I haven't had too many conversations about this stuff - so maybe it's just me). I do wish more food writers would share why they write. I loved reading Marcelle Richards' and Kate Hopkins' essays on that.
I also wish material connections were more transparent, because restaurants are businesses, with business-related interests and yes, politics, and I have this romantic idea that it's a good thing to be an informed consumer and to use my money in accordance with my values.
So what happens next? If we keep posting, we'll probably take down the Google ads because it's hypocritical to have them. If the perfect paid side project landed in our laps, we might go for it. If courteous professionals ask to re-use our stuff, in the future we might ask them to donate to a food bank for us. But the blog itself will stay free.
All that is to say, writing EiMAtZ has not been about money nor launching a writing career. It's about JM and me answering the where-to-eat question with the happy side effects of teaching us about where we live and providing opportunities to meet and eat with all kinds of people. I am here to make friends, or to try, preferably around a real table. So where friendship has truly begun to grow, I want to say thanks for all the presence.
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 328 43% |
296 38% |
| B | 310 40% |
390 51% |
| C | 113 15% |
79 10% |
| D | 16 2% |
4 1% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.32 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.22 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.23 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.05 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.30 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.20 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.38 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.09 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.24 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.23 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.15 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.20 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.12 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.23 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.18 |
| T | 3.19 | 3.17 |
| U | 3.03 | 3.08 |
| V | 3.48 | 3.52 |
| W | 3.21 | 3.21 |
| X | n/a | n/a |
"W" is for Whew
Well, we're almost done. After W, the longest new letters are only 3 restaurants each (Y and Z) and that's shorter than any letter we've seen yet. Indeed, if it hadn't been for a long bout of make-ups after W, we'd have been done eating by the time you read this.
As of now, as winter draws near (it's November 29, 2011 - "pay a blogger day" - who knew?!), it's time to reflect that our original goal was to be done with 600 restaurants by May of 2012. That looks reachable right now and it also looks like we'll land between 775 and 800 places visited. This is pretty good when you consider that only about 500 are on the list at any given time. On the first pass (not counting make-ups, that is) we ate at 495 restaurants, wethinks. But we'd also have a heck of a post-Z make-up list and we'd have missed out on a lot of interesting new places.
It's also time to announce that when we do complete the alphabet, we're gonna take a break from Eating in Madison A to Z. We don't know how long we'll be on hiatus or what we'll do next, if anything. If you have thoughts, please feel free to share them in the comments.
Our favorite W's were:
Breakfast: Willalby's
Lunch: Water House
Dinner: Weary Traveler
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 318 43% |
287 39% |
| B | 298 40% |
377 51% |
| C | 111 15% |
77 10% |
| D | 16 2% |
4 0% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.32 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.21 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.23 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.04 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.30 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.24 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.33 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.08 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.24 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.24 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.17 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.20 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.10 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.21 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.18 |
| T | 3.19 | 3.15 |
| U | 3.03 | 3.03 |
| V | 3.48 | 3.48 |
| W | 3.21 | n/a |
"V" is for Vendetta
This summer we went to three restaurants that started on fire.* The "curse" of our affection seems to be more active now. We just hope that y'all get out there to enjoy your own favorites while they're here, because we do not really have a vendetta.
So... look at this chart (and its methodology). Madison ranks #11 on total dollars spent eating out per household and #2, behind only Atlanta, in percentage of food dollars spent eating out vs. spent on groceries.
Let's think about that: Madison has generally good access to meat, fruit, vegetables, grains, and dairy and one of the largest farmers markets in the country. Yet rather than cooking at home,** it seems the average Madisonian is more inclined to go out. (Milwaukee, too, skews towards restaurant eating, though it differs from Madison in many factors related to food and money.)
Are groceries cheaper than average here? Are farmers market purchases and CSAs included in "groceries," and even if so, are they significant - and ditto prepped food from grocery stores? Does beer have anything to do with it?
What do you think when you see how much of our community's food money is spent eating out? What does it say about the supply side - what venues succeed and fail? What about the demand side - does Madison get what wants, or does it get what it needs?
Anyway, we liked the Vs a lot. They got the highest 1st pass score ever (take that, Q). Nichole gave none of them lower than a B+ and only Victor Allen's got anything like a low score. Our favorite Vs were Village Green and Vintage, both dinners.
*Underground, Umami and Caracas Empanadas (our next post); not to mention the westside JJ Fish and Chicken and Taqueria Marimar, also sites of recent fires; or the closure of beloved Bea's Bonnet, the clock that's probably ticking for Rossi's, and Dry Bean (long story).
**Speaking of home cooking, MACSAC's recipe contest is taking submissions until October 31, 2011. Send in a recipe and whether or not it's chosen for publication you get a discount on the resulting cookbook. Win-win!
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 304 43% |
278 39% |
| B | 289 40% |
361 50% |
| C | 105 15% |
73 10% |
| D | 16 2% |
4 1% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.32 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.21 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.27 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.04 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.30 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.22 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.33 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.04 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.27 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.25 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.17 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.25 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.10 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.21 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.17 |
| T | 3.19 | 3.16 |
| U | 3.03 | 3.03 |
| V | 3.48 | n/a |
"U" is for Underpromise, Overdeliver
There were only five U's, which is too few to pick three favorites. Of the two we loved, both caught fire and only one, Umami, has reopened. We have faith that Underground will resurface someday.
In the meantime, as we move through these last few alphabits, we're taking more opportunities to reflect on the experience of writing this blog. And, while we've come to understand Madison more (and we love it here, obvs) we sometimes feel the need to offer, um, constructive criticism. It might come across as mere ranting, but what we say, we say with love.
For this wrap-up, we got to thinking about promises and flakiness.
There was a time pre-A to Z when Nichole dragged JM to Peacemeal solely because she'd had some amazing lemonade there. She liked the food and though she knew he'd never eat a TVP burger willingly, maybe a salad and that great lemonade would be OK? He consented, we went, they were out of lemonade. In our tiny little world of the time, this was a disaster, and the kind of thing that eventually inspired us to use a list.
See, Madison's culture of idealism doesn't seem to give a disincentive for being flaky. (It's true that Peacemeal closed, but that's an extreme example - what a fantastic world we'd live in if a volunteer-run vegan place on State Street could stay in business.) We love free-spirited dreaming and even all-out weirdness. We've eaten at many a place that had weird hours, weird relationships with the customers, weird ideas about fusion cuisine, weird ways of ordering, etc.
This has nothing to do with tolerance and acceptance. Madison is so free you can almost be whatever you want. Which is why it's so frustrating (to us, maybe we're the weird ones) when self-definitions aren't lived up to. We're not talking about changing your mind or dealing with emergencies. But it's a good idea to keep things simple enough that they're within the reach of success. And it's imperative to always be honest and to stick to your word.
If you say you're going to do something, do it. If not, just don't say it.
Left: Hawaiian time, unpredictable but honest. Right: Madison time, just plain unreliable.
If you can't be open six days a week, don't run yourself ragged trying to be. If your delivery driver is also your only waiter, don't put "We Deliver" in your Yellow Pages ad. If you don't post a wi-fi policy, don't snark about customers for using your wi-fi "too much" (and customers, don't camp out at cafes for the wi-fi. Go to the library). If you put up a bus stop, stop the bus there. If you don't have the details set, don't send the press release. If you don't have enough money to tip well, don't order another beer. If you make a reservation, show up. If you didn't take that picture of a burger, don't use it on your web site. If you pay dues to restaurant lobbyists, know their whole platform and don't pretend to be apolitical. If you're not open all night, turn off the damn OPEN sign.
It's OK to be frustrated by these things. No restaurant (or other entity) has the right to expect continued attention when it continually disappoints. It is OK to expect promises to be lived up to and it is OK, after multiple disappointments, to shift your limited resources to entities that do not flake out, no matter how good the food is.
So, what to do? The schmuckiest thing to do when flakage happens is to complain about, but not to, the flaker-outer. The most golem-esque thing to do is buy what you're sold without a thought. The menschiest thing to do is to give second and third and seventh chances and talk to the flaker-outer before you quit trying (the table below shows we'd give at least 98% of the places we've been to a second chance, if we ever finish the alphabet). But we'd wager Yelp and Twitter (heck, the whole internet) would get a lot less traffic if everyone followed that model.
And hey, you kids! Stay off our lawn.
Thus endeth the rant. Now watch us flake out before we get to ZuZu Cafe.
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 295 42% |
270 39% |
| B | 279 41% |
353 51% |
| C | 104 15% |
69 10% |
| D | 16 2% |
4 0% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.32 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.21 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.28 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.04 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.30 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.22 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.33 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.04 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.27 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.27 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.16 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.25 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.10 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.19 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.15 |
| T | 3.19 | 3.19 |
| U | 3.03 | n/a |
"T" is for Taking stock
We'll be doing a lot of "reflecting" in the near future as we have six more summary posts coming up in less than 6 months. Being through with 20 of the 26 letters means that we're really in gear to finish strong and soon. With the longest remaining letter, W, only half as long as T (and no X list at all), it is easy to feel like we're on the home stretch. The summer won't catch us resting on any bay leaves, though.
Our favorite T's were:
Breakfast: Three Sisters Old Town Inn
Lunch: Tuvalu Coffehouse and Gallery
Dinner: Tagura Asian Grill
Many restaurants on the T list closed before we visited. So far the same appears to be true of the post-T make-up list (down at least 5 from the original two dozen venues due to closures and name changes) - to say nothing of the rest of the alphabet and the lands beyond the List. We think we're seeing a contraction of the market because of bad economic times. Places that were good enough to claw through the worst of it just didn't last long enough to see the rebound.
On the other hand, local food writing seems to be stepping as lively as ever. Particularly noteworthy and new-ish (by no means an exhaustive list, nor all about restaurant eating, nor just Madison) are Brownies and Zucchini, Mad City Eats, Mad Samplers, Madison Street Eats, Madison Wine Scene, A Sconnie Eats, A World of Flavors, and Tasty Lies. We try to keep our blogroll and news page up to date even if no one but us uses them - please feel free to let us know what we're missing.
A housekeeping note: commenters might notice that we've begun holding comments for approval. We found that we were greeting the day with spam for breakfast too often. Moderation seemed like a good way to manage that and increase our carefree away-from-keyboard time. We'll do our best to approve comments quickly, and have modified our comment policy accordingly. Thanks in advance for your patience.
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 286 43% |
261 39% |
| B | 269 40% |
339 50% |
| C | 100 15% |
67 10% |
| D | 14 2% |
4 1% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.31 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.19 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.23 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.26 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.07 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.26 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.30 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.20 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.32 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.04 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.27 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.27 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.16 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.25 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.12 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.19 |
| S | 3.14 | 3.14 |
| T | 3.19 | n/a |
"S" is for Something good
So, the S's we liked the most were also among Madison's favorites (Smoky Jon's, Sushi Muramoto, Swagat), with many memorable breakfasts (Stella's, Sophia's, Spring Green General Store) and a super fish fry.
Looking back it became clear to Nichole how getting buffaloed can make it difficult to enjoy a meal (Sardine, Springers, Stamm House), but also how biking somewhere can make already-great food amazing (Sow's Ear, Schoolhouse Cafe, and what the heck, Bike the Barns). Whatever Chris Berge is up to already has that going for it.
Looking forward it became clear to JM that make-ups will dominate the remainder of the List. Only the next letter, T, features an above-average number of restaurants. After that it is clear sailing to Z. (Knock on wood.)
Our favorite S's were:
Breakfast: Stella's Bakery
Lunch: Schoolhouse Cafe
Dinner: Seafood Center
The timing of this post couldn't be better. Madison Magazine's Winter 2011 Restaurant Week is coming soon, and the participants only go up to letter S. That means it's the first time we've eaten at (almost) every restaurant on that list.* And yet we've never been to a Restaurant Week offering.
So, dear readers, tell us something good about it, please - let us live vicariously in a world where most of the restaurants are on the Honor Roll, where all are putting their best foot forward for every guest, where no one says, as we often do, "we had to eat there." We love to hear what you think.
For what it's worth, this is our short take on the participants.**
- 43 North (menu): Sneak preview! Double A-
- Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano (menu): JM A-, Nichole B+
- Blue Marlin (menu): JM A, Nichole B+
- Bluephies Restaurant & Vodkatorium (menu): Double A, with a rim of salt: we went before it got re-visioned.
- Bonfyre American Grille (menu): JM A-, Nichole B+
- Brickhouse BBQ (menu): Double A
- Brocach Irish Pub (menu): Double A-
- Capitol Chophouse (menu): Double A-
- Captain Bill's (menu): Double B+
- Continental Fitchburg (menu): Nichole A-, JM B
- Daisy Café & Cupcakery (menu): JM A-, Nichole B+
- Dayton Street Grille (menu): JM A, Nichole A-
- Delaney's Charcoal Steaks (menu): JM B+, Nichole B-
- Eldorado Grill (menu): Nichole A-, JM B
- Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (menu): JM A-, Nichole B
- Fresco (menu): JM B+, Nichole B
- Graze (menu): Sneak preview! Double A
- Harvest (menu): Double A
- Icon (menu): Double B+
- Inka Heritage (menu): JM A-, Nichole B+
- Johnny Delmonico's (menu): Double A-
- Johnny's Italian Steakhouse (menu): JM B, Nichole C
- La Brioche True Food (menu): JM B+, Nichole C+, but nota bene, the bakery we visited on Midvale is much different than the current incarnation of True Food on University. So we hear.
- Liliana's Restaurant (menu): JM B, Nichole C
- Lombardinos (menu): Nichole A+ (!), JM A-
- Mariner's Inn (menu): JM A-, Nichole B
- Melting Pot (menu): JM A, Nichole B+
- Ocean Grill (menu): JM B+, Nichole B-
- Osteria Papavero (menu): Nichole A, JM A-
- Quivey's Grove (menus: Stable Grill, Stone House): Double A
- Ruth's Chris Steak House (menu): JM A-, Nichole B
- Sa Bai Thong (menu): Nichole A-, JM B+
- Samba Brazilian Grill (menu): JM A-, Nichole B+
- Sardine (menu): JM A, Nichole B
*Some are on the post-S makeup list, which we've eaten at and written up already, but haven't posted yet. Some are quite different now than they were when we went. Hence "almost."
**Please remember that our grades are entirely subjective and we know our limitations in writing about food on the internet. Our posts are based on one visit and mostly serve to indicate how likely we are to return. Your mileage will vary - that's why we love to hear your opinions.
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 261 42% |
243 39% |
| B | 256 41% |
314 50% |
| C | 90 15% |
61 10% |
| D | 13 2% |
4 1% |
| F | 2 0% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.30 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.19 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.22 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.29 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.06 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.25 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.27 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.20 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.32 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.10 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.17 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.29 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.27 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.11 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.24 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.13 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.19 | 3.19 |
| S | 3.14 | n/a |
"R" is for Ready Or Not
We noticed that the Rs were all over the map in terms of quality, but in most cases we got what we expected. This may end up being the upshot of the project: we've gotten slightly better at predicting how awesome a place might turn out. This will come in handy someday when we get to choose where to eat.
Our favorite R's were:
Breakfast: Roxbury Tavern
Lunch: Rising Sons Deli
Dinner: Restaurant Magnus
We're about to start the second longest letter, S, which is the biggest hurdle to feeling that we're getting close to being done. After S, the last seven letters come faster. Though the make-up lists be long, we firmly believe we will finish the letter Z in 2012.
So we want to thank you all again for reading and commenting, with a special hello to those who heard about us via the Wisconsin State Journal article back in May. And our heartfelt appreciation to those who have been going along the alphabet with us for years.
R is also for Reminder that Bike the Barns is coming this September 11. Last we heard the ride is more than half full. The afterparty is not to be missed and is open to all. Register to ride or party, or please consider pledging the riders you know, Nichole's ride, or the Carrot Cruiser. Proceeds benefit MACSAC's Partner Shares Program. This is a really great event for a really good, local cause. Thank you!
| Nichole | JM | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 237 42% |
222 39% |
| B | 237 42% |
286 51% |
| C | 74 13% |
51 9% |
| D | 12 2% |
3 1% |
| F | 2 1% |
0 0% |
| 1st Pass | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 3.11 | 3.30 |
| B | 3.15 | 3.19 |
| C | 3.25 | 3.23 |
| D | 3.20 | 3.29 |
| E | 3.03 | 3.08 |
| F | 3.24 | 3.23 |
| G | 3.21 | 3.27 |
| H | 3.16 | 3.23 |
| I | 3.40 | 3.32 |
| J | 3.13 | 3.14 |
| K | 3.08 | 3.19 |
| L | 3.23 | 3.29 |
| M | 3.32 | 3.27 |
| N | 3.15 | 3.15 |
| O | 3.23 | 3.24 |
| P | 3.09 | 3.11 |
| Q | 3.39 | 3.39 |
| R | 3.18 | n/a |
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