OSS Madison took the simple premise of a hot dog/brat/Italian sausage and magnified it with delicious, well-crafted toppings. I’d eat there more frequently if it had more convenient parking and took credit cards, but those are the only two strikes against the restaurant that opened one year ago.
Let’s take a look at those toppings. The Gouda Mac Dog ($7) is smothered in smoked gouda porter mac & cheese–some of the best mac I’ve had in recent memory–as well as onions, tomatoes and Panko crumbs, plus the hot dog is wrapped in bacon and deep-fried. I almost asked if I could buy just a bowl of that mac.
A topping you can purchase separately is the chili ($5 bowl). It’s super meaty and has a slight sweetness to it. I only wish it came in larger sizes than the tiny “bowl.”
Back to the sausages. If you like banh mi, the pork sausage version ($5.50) is a close approximation. I appreciated the crisp, pickled vegetables and the fresh-cut jalapenos. That’s a similar feeling I had for the Korean BBQ ($6.50), which is a pork sausage paired with a not-too-sour and a hint-of-spicy kimchi.
One last item I had was the doner kebab ($7.50), comprised of Turkish lamb and chicken sausage, slaw, chili-mayo and cucumber yogurt sauce. As you can tell by the ingredients, it was a excellent mashup of flavors and textures. On my next visit, I’ll probably order the Swedish meatballs ($6.50) or the Drunky Ducky ($8; made with maple bourbon duck sausage).
If you are looking for more simple fare, the all-beef hot dog ($4) is a good bet, although the bun-to-hot dog ratio is high. I also highly recommend the cheese curds ($4), which melt in your mouth, and the hand-cut fries ($2), if only so you can use the Sriracha mayo dip.
OSS Madison is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout. Depending on the time on day, you can find street parking on Regent Street, Brooks Street or College Court.
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See more photos in our OSS Madison Flickr album.
