The Old Fashioned - Big Wisconsin Flavor

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The Old Fashioned House Burger

This stunning burger is grilled over a live fire and topped with fried onions, Bavaria's hickory-smoked bacon, aged Cheddar, garlic sauce and a soft-cooked egg served on a buttered and toasted roll.  With you choice of side salad or fries, or substitute onion strings, chips, potato salad, or cheese curds for extra, your meal is complete.  The Old Fashioned House Burger packs big flavor; each bite reignites the intense flavors of the succulent patty and crispy hickory-smoked bacon.  The aged Cheddar had the perfect amount of rich and sharpness that sneaks up on you at the end of each bite, wrapping all the big flavors in one mouthful.  Great burger, you gotta try!

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

If Wisconsinites can have it their way, the Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup is the choice of liquid they would swim in.  Creamy-slick and sharply-smooth is the amusement your tongue goes through when sipping a spoonful of delightfulness.  And to top it off, they garnish popcorn of all things.  Little do you know that this is the best ingredient to add for texture and also for flavor.  The popcorn soaking up the soup becomes a flavor of its own.  Somehow the combination just works.  I really wished they had added more popcorn.

Green Bay Chili

The Green Bay Chili contains an Old Fashioned secret recipe of seasoned beef and red beans served over spaghetti with shredded Cheddar, onion and sour cream.  I love the ingredients but unfortunately, the flavor lacks a bit.  I wanted more toppings; more cheese, sour cream, even spaghetti.  And also some basic ingredients like salt and pepper.  Otherwise great quality and quantity of beef; in this dish you won't have to ask "Where's the Beef?"

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder Sandwich

Wood-grilled and slow roasted pork shoulder, hand pulled and topped with pickle relish, Muenster cheese and smoked paprika sauce on Texas toast; a smart formula for great flavor.  Again, the Old Fashioned packs their sandwich with a ton of flavor; melt in your mouth juicy, bold buttery, cheesy and absolutely yummy. 

http://theoldfashioned.com
23 North Pinckney Street #1, Madison, WI
(608) 310-4545

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AJ Bombers - Fun, Creative, Wisconsin Burger Joint

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Mad Sconnie Burger

Uniquely Madison. As a Wisconsinite, it's only right to try the amazing Mad Sconnie Burger built with Gahnzo patty (grass fed beef blended with Nueske's bacon), frickles (fried pickles), signature bomber sauce (house creamy ketchup), lettuce, tomato all cradled in yummy spicy cheese bread made by our local Stella's Bakery.  Do I really need to say more to have you go out and try this colossal ingredient packed burger?  If that doesn't convince you, think about the tangy crispy fried pickles giving more crunch texture and flavor to the already unique combo patty along with a savory smooth sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls

Creative.  Yup that's right, AJ Bombers found a way to differentiate themselves from not just burger joints, but from many other food joints by redesigning a traditional menu and keeping it local.  An example of their uniqueness is found right away in the their appetizer, the Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls.  Chopped buffalo chicken and cheddar cheese wrapped in a crispy eggroll wrapper with a side of ranch or blue cheese.  The crispy wrapper adds a great crunchy texture and something more, stepping outside of the usual soggy breading of a boneless chicken wing.  A fun way to start out.

Brunch Burger

Morning Delight in a Bite.  Imagine your morning with eggs and bacon, turkey and gravy, and pancake with sweet syrup.  Where do you get that in one sitting?  AJ Bombers has your perfect brunch burger on Saturdays and Sundays.  This amazing brunch contains turkey patty, bacon, eggs, gravy mayo and peanut hollandaise on cranberry focaccia bread.  Your first bite will take you to a golden summer morning on a fresh green field.  And the bites after, you'll be twirling in the winds in slow motion.  Yup!  It's that good.

Black Bean Burger

Become a vegetarian for a day.  I said it, VEGETARIAN.  With just black beans mixed with seasonings and panko formed into a patty, layered with lettuce, tomato and Bomber Sauce; the Black Bean Burger packs a surprising amount of flavor and satisfaction.  This is probably the one time something good for your actually tastes good.  Crazy to say, but this burger could be the murderer of my carnivorous days.  For a burger joint, AJ Bombers actually have a great variety of vegetarian options: Veggie Burger, Stuffed 'Shoom and of course the Black Bean Burger.

Mac -n- Cheese Eggrolls

Special Eggrolls Saturdays.  I don't mean the ones stuffed with cabbage, carrots and pork.  Try their specially designed eggrolls on Saturdays.  Ever had Mac -n- Cheese wrapped in a wonton wrapper, or how about chili cheese or BBQ?  Try something different, you'll be amazed how tasty and creative AJ Bombers' staff can wrap things up.  But don't hesitate, these awesome eggrolls won't last.

Poutine

A little different, eh?  To change things up, AJ Bombers goes beyond to bring back the Poutine, a Quebec dish with cheese curds, fries and gravy.  Poutine has made it on my list of comfort food.  The cheese and gravy with fries has all savoriness that makes you feel like you don't need anyone else in the world.  But once you ate all the cheese curds, you will want to your friends.  The simple three-ingredient dish is lovely, but needs all three together to have that perfect bite.  Unfortunately, the only complaint about this dish is that there are not enough cheese curds.  Fries and gravy alone just don't cut it.

Grilled Cheese

Basic to Delicious.  A great combination of Wisconsin cheddar, muenster cheese, bacon, tomato and Bomber Sauce on Panini bread.  The warm ooey-gooey cheeses and crispy bacon makes you melt more than the sandwich itself.

Barrie Burger

Not for everyone.  Another unique burger on their menu is the Barrie Burger, which is layered with a quarter pound burger, lots of bacon, American cheese and natural chunky peanut butter.  Unfortunately, the burger overall tasted identical to a plain peanut butter sandwich.  Although the bacon cheeseburger tasted great together without the peanut butter; the flavor was masked by the peanut butter where the stickiness and dryness had me dipping the burger into a ranch sauce crying for moisture.  And believe it or not, the PB also suppressed the tangy ranch flavor.  I appreciate the idea; unfortunately, the PB didn't work for me.

Peanut Bomb

Peanuts! Heads up! Kaboom!  As you walk in to the restaurant, you'll notice the unpolished floor decorated with peanut shells and beams stretched across the ceiling.  And shortly after you're seated, you'll realize why it's called AJ Bombers.  The bartender dumps a handful of peanuts into the bombshells and launches them.  As it sores towards your table, an exploding sound wakens you and a rain of peanuts drop down a tube into the bucket at your table.  The majority will make it into the bucket, though the combustion can cause peanut debris to fall on the table and floor.  Since the floor already has peanuts sprinkled all over, you are welcome to add to the decor and toss your peanut shells where ever.  A different menu, atmosphere, and vision; I recommend you to try it out and have "AJ Bomb" good time.

ajbombers.com/
201 West Gorham Street, Madison, WI 
(608) 305-4474 

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 ajbombers.com/
1241 N Water Street, Milwaukee, WI 
(414) 221-9999 

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The Cheesecake Factory - More Than Just Delicious Desserts

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Strawberry Shortcake

 If it weren't for my sweet tooth, dessert loving friends, I would have missed out on a ton of deliciousness The Cheesecake Factory has to offer.  Of course your first impression on the name itself is sweet rich dessert, so why are there so many people dining outdoors for brunch early Sunday morning at this restaurant?  Well, you just have to make it out there.  The second you enter through the grand doors you'll notice amusement theme feel where the size is grand, the decor is grand, and best of all the food is grand.  To give you an idea, we held up a dollar next to their delicious Strawberry Shortcake.  This simple dessert of shortcake with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and whipped cream was just the perfect touch to complete our meal.  Each strawberry had the perfect sweetness and tartness that complemented the soft flaky cake and creamy dairy.  As grand as this dessert was, the fresh deliciousness had me wishing I didn't have to share.

Miso Salmon

The grand theme is repeated in their menu.  You'll find dishes influenced from all over the nation and world.  You'll find American, Spanish, Italian, Caribbean, Asian, and so on.  The Miso Salmon is served with snow peas, white rice and surrounded by a pool of delicious miso.  The salmon was tender and flaky, cooked with great color and flavor and is enhanced to exquisiteness when touched with the sweet savory miso sauce.

Shepherd's Pie

And even with a grand ceilings, grand furniture, and grand dishes, you can find a homey comfort with their Sheperd's Pie.  Made with ground beef, mushrooms, carrots, peas, zucchini and onion in a savory sauce covered with a mashed potato-parmesan cheese crust.  How much more comforting can that be?  The delicate veggies sits in a spa of savory brown meat base warming you with comfort in each bite.  The mashed potato takes it to another level of comfort as the creaminess of the mashed potato works your taste buds and massages you to tranquility.

www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Bonfyre American Grill - And Then Some...

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Miso Salmon

Miso Salmon served with sticky rice, sake butter, asparagus, and cucumber relish.  One of the all-time fav, can't go wrong, lick your plate Bonfyre dish.  The tender flaky salmon was cooked to perfection. This dish was full of flavor with a nice dressing of the cucumber relish over the salmon but most importantly the sake butter; a sweet smooth butter that turns the rice and salmon to a silky savory combination of happiness in your mouth.

Ahi Tuna

Ahi Tuna served with sticky rice, Asian slaw and vegetables.  The tuna was amazing, very meaty with nice clean flavor.   Unfortunately, the Asian slaw was more of a vinaigrette salad that didn't really complement the tuna.  The flavor was good, but there could have been more creativeness of bringing the elements together.  An okay meal I would still try again because of the great quality tuna.

New York Strip - Wood-Fyred Specialties

A 12 oz hand cut New York Strip with rosemary butter served with mash and fresh green beans.  Bonfyre has a wood fire oven and only a hand full of their dishes are under the Wood-Fyre Speciality menu.  The wood-fyred New York Strip is definitely not your usual steak; there's more flavor, more succulent juices, and great tenderness.  A great place to go for steak done a bit differently.

http://www.bonfyregrille.net/
2601 W Beltline Hwy # 110, Madison, WI  
(608) 273-3973 ‎ 

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Capitol Chophouse

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Capitol Chophouse Dinner Restaurant Week

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

I first must apologize for the quality of the photo - my cellphone does not have flash and the restaurant had a very dark setting.  I tried to brighten the photos without loosing the image of the dish.

The Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder contained cherry tomato, kalamata olive, fingerling potato, and mint pesto.  The lamb was very tender; usually the shoulder is tender part of a lamb, and with the slow cooking, this lamb shoulder practically melted with each bite.  The shoulder and tenderness of the lamb was great though it was easily overpowered by the mint yogurt and kalamata olives. Unfortunately the ingredients did not play off each other well.  Great clean tender meat but not much of anything else to complement the lamb.

Grilled N.Y. Strip

Grilled N.Y. Strip contained celeriac mashed potato and Cabernet demi glace.  The demi glace was dark and sweet for the Strip though the celeriac mashed potato was a bit more of a puree than mashed and had a very clean flavor from the celery root when I would probably prefer a regular mashed potato.  The dish had very little contrast in flavor though it wasn't necessary with the tasty tender N.Y. Strip.


capitolchophouse.com

9 East Wilson Street, Madison, WI
(608)255-0165

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Mariner's Inn Restaurant Week Dinner

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Mariner's Inn Restaurant Week Dinner 3-course meal for $25

Classic Surf & Turf

Classic Surf & Turf - An 8 oz. center cut top sirloin steak paired with a 6 oz. lobster tail.  An amazing dish Mariner's Inn choose for their Restaurant Week.  The steak was so tender and sweet you would think you had the filet mignon.  How did they do it? I don't know, but it was flavorful and absolutely juicy.  The lobster tail was great, the size was unbelievable for the price and also to be in the MidWest.  Just a little butter needed to break the abit over salted seasoning.

Admiral's Salmon

Admiral's Salmon - Fresh salmon filet stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat, and fresh vegetables baked and glazed with a lobster cream sauce.  This dish captures the essence of the sea.  Every bite of salmon, crabmeat, and shrimp with the lobster sauce was so creamy and lovely, you find yourself swimming in sea of deliciousness.  Absolutely wonderful!

marinersmadison.com
5339 Lighthouse Bay Drive, Madison, WI
(608)246-3120

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Ocean Grill Restaurant Week Lunch

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Ocean Grill Restaurant Week Lunch $15 (Oysters, Baked Sole, & Fruit Sorbet)

Oysters

Baked Sole

Fruit Sorbet

The best part of this meal is the wonderful butter silky smooth flavor of the beurre noisette of the Baked Sole.  The Sole was cooked perfectly and was accented with herbed bread crumbs.  With it's delicate flavor, the cooked asparagus and beurre noisette came together as a delicious delightful light dish.

oceangrillmadison.com
117 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, Madison, WI  
(608) 285-2582

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High Rock Cafe - Wisconsin Dells

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Calamari like you've never had before.   This sweet and spicy calamari was first fried till golden brown then tossed in sweet and chili sauce.  The fried rice noodles served on top added a very unique texture to the calamari.  They were airy and crunchy with not much flavor but went perfectly with the sweet chili calamari.  No lemon necessary.

Jumbo Crab Cakes.  The crab cakes were served in descent quantity and size.  This appetizer contained jumbo lump crab meat seared and mixed with diced vegetables served with a spiced remoulade over a bed of greens.  The spiced remoulade was key to this dish.  The crab cakes were beautiful; unfortunately, the crabmeat did not have much flavor.  This dish had a very clean taste, but was delightful to have experience.

Scallops.  Pan-seared jumbo scallops with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and smoked tomato compote.  The scallops were amazing in flavor, texture, size, and quality.  Best dish I've had so far at High Rock Cafe.  The scallops were seasoned just enough to appreciate without over powering the natural delicacy.  I can't compliment this dish enough about taste and quality.  You must try it.  Typically, they would serve this over a celery root puree, though they were out of at the time.  I do wonder how much more wonderful the dish could have been if served with the puree.

Teriaki Salmon.  Grilled with steamed broccoli, jasmine rice with a candied pineapple salsa.  The idea of this dish is great.  The pineapple salsa made this dish absolutely wonderful.  You can tell the freshness of the fruits and ingredients especially how they blend well together; a sweet crisp flavor for the salmon.  Unfortunately, the salmon was a bit over cooked as you can see the charred marks.  The salmon was a bit dry and did not have the flakiness it should have.  Everything else was very well put together, just needed the cook to pay attention to the fish.

Mahi Mahi Special.  Like the salmon dish, the fish itself wasn't too pleasing though the salsa was great.  For the Mahi Mahi, they used their "tropical salsa" which contained pineapple, mango, and kiwi.  The salsa was perfect very necessary to give their dish some flavor.  The fish was slightly over cooked though again, with the crisp fresh salsa, I was able to overcome the issue.

Lasagna Special.  For their lunch menu, the selection was minimal and not as exciting as the entrees for dinner though we had a unique Portofino Lasagna made with asparagus, goat cheese, spinach, roasted red bell peppers, with mushroom, lemon and thyme cream sauce.  Need I say more?  This veggie lasagna was wonderful in all ways; the great choice of vegetables, fresh and cooked perfectly; the goat cheese, giving this lasagna another unique flare, mild yet tangy which complemented the lemon and thyme cream sauce.  I normally like meat lasagna but this dish was wonderful with the plentiful amazing ingredients that worked perfectly together.

highrockcafe.com
232 Broadway, Wisconsin Dells, WI
(608)254-5677

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McCormicks and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant

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Grilled Swordfish

Seafood expectation in the Midwest wasn't too high for me. I missed the real deal of fresh seafood until I ran into McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant in Milwaukee, WI. Their menu updates twice daily to keep up their fresh reputation by making sure they serve seafood that is in season. My girlfriends and I went for lunch on a Saturday and loved their dishes so much, we had to do lunch again the following day. And yes, the menu was different from the day before.  They do have a few dishes that are available year-round, seasoned seafood such as their delicious grilled swordfish served with roasted tomatoes dressed with delightful herbs and beautifully placed on a creamy buttery bed of fettuccine.

Oyster Tray

I had their variety oyster tray that placed 8 seasoned oysters, and not one was disappointing. It was surprising to find that all the oysters were succulent, fresh and clean, and absolutely luscious.

Mac n Cheese

And being in Wisconsin, I had to try the mac and cheese dish which totally changed my mind about simple pasta. The complexity of the dish contained rock shrimp and spicy andouille in Wisconsin cheddar cheese sauce; the cheese variety were distinct and complimentary at the same time; from creamy, rich, and smooth to tender and smokey with a slight kick.

Coconut Fried Shrimp

Another wonderful attribute of McCormick & Schmick's is that they serve seafood all ways. You'll get to choose from multiple styles from Italian to American to Asian. Along side of the pasta dishes and burgers and sandwiches, you'll see on the same menu sushi & sashimi, even a Banh Mi Asian sandwich and coconut fried shrimp with sweet Thai chili sauce.  McCormick & Schmick's is a great place for wonderful, fresh seafood and can satisfy people of all tastes.

McCormicks & Schmick's 
2550 North Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, WI 
(414) 475-0700

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