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Posts Tagged ‘east side’

Chocolaterian Cafe

Saturday, April 6th, 2013

Chocolaterian Cafe, which opened late last year on Atwood Avenue, seems to have something for everyone, with its wines, Just Coffee, a window into the kitchen and weekly live music. And of course, the main attractions–the “sweet” and “savory” items on the menu. Ready to indulge?

The Ugly Cookie ($2.25) is a fantastic mixture of toffee, pistachios, cocoa nibs and oats. Calories aside, I could have eaten 10 of them had it not been for the relatively high price for its size. I also tried the brownie ($3; moist and had the right sweetness), the lemon ricotta ($1.50; not much flavor), the lemon tart ($5; tasty because it wasn’t tart) and the Badger Bait ($2.50; a wonderful nexus of chocolates).

What came as a surprise to me was that my favorite item at the patisserie was salty, not sweet. I ate perhaps the best quiche ($8) I’ve ever had. The egg was perfectly fluffy, the crust perfectly flaky, and together they were harmonious. I also enjoyed the turkey panini with asparagus and morel ($9), though it was a tiny sandwich.

Some parting thoughts: Apparently it’s not much of a destination for the breakfast crowd, as the cafe was once open at 8 a.m. Tuesday to Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday, but now it opens at 10 a.m. those days. Also, the staff makes a big fuss if you try to pay with a credit card for any tab less than $20. At least there’s an ATM on site.

Chocolaterian Cafe is open Tuesday-Sunday. I’ve found more parking on the Winnebago Street side, where there’s also an entrance.

Tags: dessert, east side
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Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

Saturday, July 14th, 2012

Madison’s east side continues to be a depository of chain restaurants. Will it ever be like its crosstown rival and have a Delaney’s? an Otto’s? an Eno Vino?

Joining the fray recently was Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Since the Madison area hasn’t seen its likes, I thought I’d write a short review.

I’m a meat lover, and I appreciate being able to combine different types of meats, and that’s something you can do here. On one plate, I tried the brisket and polish sausage. I prefer brisket in slices, but this chopped version was good, albeit a little weak in flavor. It’s really dependent on the sauces, which I’ll get to in a bit. The sausage was actually my favorite item of the day–it was not at all bland like so many poorly constructed links.

On the other plate, I had the Fall-Off-The-Bone Pork Ribs and the southern pulled pork. The ribs were too smoky (re: dry) for my liking, and the pulled pork seemed to be missing the requisite fat. Just like in the case of the brisket, using either the regular, sweet or spicy BBQ sauces really helped the meats. I guess that’s okay when the sauces are good, and they were in this case.

You get two sides and a roll with every plate. I wouldn’t get the jalapeno beans again, as they weren’t at all sweet or spicy. Both the creamy coleslaw and the mac & cheese were fairly standard. The winner was the onion tanglers, which were deep-friend onion pieces (not in a ring) that reminded me of the parts of an onion blossom served at other restaurants.

A pleasant surprise was the free ice cream and pickles (pregnancy craving, anyone?). I added the soft serve vanilla (the only flavor) to my root beer to make a float.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is open every day for lunch, dinner and carryout. Catering is available, too.

Tags: BBQ, east side
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Papa Bear’s BBQ

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

Although I usually write about new restaurants, I wanted to give a shout-out to the oft-overlooked Papa Bear’s BBQ, which resides in a small strip mall on Cottage Grove Road. Madisonians tend to think of places like Smoky Jon’s when asked about barbecue joints, and that’s a shame because they’re missing a gem in Papa Bear’s.

It starts with the ribs. I ordered the full slab ($19 for the meal), which is served with the individual ribs pre-cut. The meat is extremely tender and there’s just the right amount of Papa Bear’s homemade BBQ sauce to enhance the flavor. In my opinion, that sauce is better than anything found at Smoky Jon’s, Fat Jack’s, Famous Dave’s or Brickhouse BBQ.

I also loved the corned beef brisket ($7.25 for small; $10 for large). The thin-sliced corned beef (misspelled as “corn beef” on the menu) works well outside its usual home inside two slices of rye bread, though I was tempted to stuff some inside the biscuit.

The flavorful pork shoulder ($6.95 for small; $9 for large) was sliced instead of shredded and again served on its own. There was just the right amount of fat on each slice, though that may be a turn-off to some people. I combined bites with the creamy cole slaw, which I also enjoyed. All meals are served with a biscuit and two sides.

My only disappointment was the hot links ($5.25 in a sandwich), not because they weren’t tasty but because they weren’t really that spicy hot. Other items on the menu include smoked chicken ($8.25), oven-fried chicken ($8.25) and the Papa Bear Burger ($5).

Papa Bear’s BBQ is open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. While there is space inside to dine-in, I would recommend calling ahead and carrying out.