Monty's Blue Plate Diner, Madison, WI - Review

Link to Yelp Review


Part of the Madison based Food Fight Inc (16 restaurants currently?), Monty's was the first, or one of the first.  They are all different, yet are the same in one way.  They are good places to eat.

Monty's is styled after a 50's diner - counter, chrome, lots of "traditional" diner foods, and a lot that you never got at a diner.  Service is fast, food is good, prices are reasonable (but not cheap) and wait staff is friendly.  Feels neighborhood friendly, although they bring in people from all over the area.  Plenty of good vegetarian options also.

Food is interesting, with lots of things not found in your typical diner.   Coffee is from Just Coffee (that is a bonus feature people - if you like coffee, this is a great place) and many of the specials are made with organic foods.  Want a burger but don't eat meat?  Swap out the Walnut burger - which, as a meat eater, I can say is good.  Certainly better than their hamburger.  Speaking of which...

What is up with that hamburger?  First off, it comes medium well done - no burger should ever be cooked to that.  Second, it is heavily, and funky seasoned.  As in, if I ordered it, it would go back.  A good burger needs salt and pepper.  They add a bunch of stuff.  However my niece who ordered it liked it, so we kept it.

Deserts are very popular at Monty's, but that was our disappointment.  Cheesecake was rubbery and the carrot cake was dry - stale dry.  Really?  I am almost tempted to go to three stars just for that.

Overall, I have to stick with four stars.  Great coffee, mostly really good, and interesting, food, fast, good service.  Without a doubt I will be back if in the area.  But I will skip desert.

Mona Lisa's Restaurant - Eau Claire, WI -

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have named you...

Are you warm, are you real, Monalisa?

Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art?

Monalisa, Monalisa

What a great song by Nat King Cole

If only Mona Lisa's Restaurant would live up to the incredible charm and wit of the song.  Instead, it lands just short. Yes, it leaves you a little cold...

I have eaten here five times over the past several years.  Summary ? - Great atmosphere, good service, food of variable quality, in particular considering the cost.  

Mona Lisa's is probably the nicest place to go out for dinner in Eau Claire - certainly in the top three.  Nice ambiance, attractive decor, well trained wait staff.  Certainly a good wine selection, best that I have found in the area.  If you want a nice setting for an important dinner out, it is about the best you are going to get here.

However.....

Yes, it's the food.  The food can be very hit or miss.  Which is exacerbated by the cost issue.  If I am going to drop $300 on dinner and drinks for a group, I would like it to be consistently above average.  Nothing should be below average.  Yet it always seems like at least one entree deserves a failing grade.  I have had meals that are the equal of good places in Minneapolis or Chicago, and I have had meals that are out performed by a decent chain restaurant.  I mean not up to the standards of Olive Garden.  That is very disappointing.

So, you may ask, why do I keep going back?  Well, it really is one of the few higher end places in Eau Claire.  If you want the service, the ambiance, the quality wait staff, that type of experience for either a business associates dinner or important family event, you can get all those things here pretty consistently.  Unfortunately, someone will be disappointed with their food.  So for me Mona Lisa's is a four, but down to a three because for the cost, they really should have a more consistent kitchen.

Link to Yelp Review Here

Red Lobster Review - Pretty Good for a Chain

Sure, it is a chain. I think of Red Lobster somewhat like Texas Roadhouse - a themed chain restaurant that does what it does pretty well.  You would do better I am sure in a local place, but you get a consistent, good tasting meal at all the locations.  And for seafood in the midwest, very hard to do better.  Just don't order off the low priced options and expect to get the best meal.  

They have a limited selection of fresh seafood which can be very good. Not inexpensive. Great for a celebration dinner, as ours was.  We arrived early on a Friday (5 ish) - 10 minute wait - if you hold out till 6 or so, it is a 45 minute wait, so plan accordingly.  You can get a drink while waiting, but they don't have a bar area per se.

Dinner choices were the Pacific King Crab legs (off the fresh seafood menu), Maple Glazed Salmon and Shrimp, and the Steak Oscar, with Lobster and Shrimp.

All three dinners were prepared well, and were delicious.  I would say that they were just a bit overcooked - the steak ordered rare was served medium rare, the salmon was just a bit overcooked - you can tell when there is a little white "gunk" coming out of the fish - called albumen, it is a sure sign that it is overcooked.  But, it was still very tasty, and certainly not wrecked - just a little overdone.  Both the steak and the salmon were thin pieces, which are hard to cook correctly, although I suspect they overcook because most people don't really want rare steak or fish - even though they  should.

Conclusion - good place for a nice seafood dinner.  Especially if your in Wisconsin and most restaurants really don't have much of a selection after deep fried cod.  Link to Yelp Review Here

Lao Lang Zang - Restaurant Review

2098 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI

Nice place with good food.  I had lunch with my daughter - she the squash curry, myself the catfish curry.  Don't pass on the squash curry - very good.  The catfish curry tasted slightly metallic - no sure if that was from the coconut milk or what, but it was just a little off.  Still good - but ....

Also, they definitely under seasoned when it comes to heat - I ordered the hot (but not native hot) and it was mild.  Barely would of qualified as medium.  It was good, but I wanted more heat.

Good service, nice decor, good location.  They have a good selection of drinks, I definitely would try this out for dinner or a group of friends after work.  Good for lunch also - lunch is $8 ish, comes with salad, spring or egg roll - good value and you can get in and out quickly.  Nice enough to take a business colleague.  Nice enough for a date.

Also has free wi-fi.

For just food, 3 stars.  Add great prices, good service, free wi-fi, nice atmosphere - 4 stars.



Link to Yelp Review

This is how I would eat in Mexico City

The Grey Lady ain't what she used to be, but still is better than most newspapers.  From last Sunday's NYT, a great article on Tamales, Tortas and Tacos in Mexico City.

Most of what you get in America is not what Mexicans eat.  There are very few places where you can get that kind of food.  In Eau Claire, WI, that is pretty much limited to Taqueria Sandoval and Tacos Juanita  (which happen to be the top 2 rated Mexican restaurants in EC on Yelp, proving at least enough people have good taste).

Fun article.  Makes me want to both go to Mexico City and to eat real Mexican food - It might be time for a run to Taqueria Sandoval for some Tamales that they serve out of a 40 gallon pot by the front cash register.

Asia Pacific - Good Chinese Buffet, But...

New Chinese Buffet on the east side of Eau Claire, by JoAnne Fabrics/Office Depot/Office Max.

Excellent selection of food, Sushi Bar included, many seafood dishes for Friday Dinner (shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, squid,crawfish, salmon, very little of that fake fish stuff) and the food tends to be better prepared than your average buffet. Not sure on the selection during lunch, weekdays.

But...

The second time we were there (Friday night, not crazy busy), the restaurant was not that clean - napkins on floor, food spills in dining area not swept up quickly, entry way muddy (hey, it is wisconsin, but did you ever hear of a mop?)

Makes you worry about the food cleanliness. I will go again because of the huge seafood options and SUSHI BAR, but if it is not clean, I may leave.

Arnie's Dog House - Nothing to Bark About

Arnie's in Munster, Indina - not the best place ever for a dog

When in the Chicago area I like to get a dog - hot dog that is. Preferably a double dog (2 dogs, one bun) with everything. AKA Chicago Style. And then Cheese Fries.

I often hit Arnies's, but my last visit was disappointing, to say the least.

Now a real chicago dog has some very specific ingredients - and Arnie's was missing some, replaced others - not good. It should be a steamed all beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun, with:
1. Yellow Mustard - pass
2. Bright Green Relish - fail (not florescent)
3. Fresh Chopped Onions - pass
4. Two Tomato Wedges - fail
5. A Pickle Spear or Slice - pass, but it was on the side, not on the dog
6. Two Sport Peppers - FAIL - they used peperoncini
7. A Dash of Celery Salt - fail

They use Vienna All Beef (or so the sign says), but the overall - pathetic.

And the fries were no hot shakes either.

Good Coffee, TERRIBLE food

Cattails Coffee - Marshfield, WI.

They serve Alterra Coffee - perhaps the second best coffee you can buy (just behind Just Coffee), but if you reversed the two I would not be offended.

Cattails brew it alright (could use more coffee) but the food - a crime what they sell

How do they make scones - 4 easy steps

1. Open Freezer
2. Take out Box
3. Place premade scone on serving tray
4. Sell

$2 for a dry, tasteless, nasty scone.

Free Wifi. Good Coffee. Terrible Food.

Old Fashioned (the Restaurant, not the drink)

Although you can get an old fashioned there, the restaurant in Madison is a great place.

Lunch visit with the daughter - I had the House Burger, she the special (Italian Sausage)

Great food - House Burger is a burger cooked the way you want it - woo hoo - ordered medium rare and got it -- over a wood grill - with bacon, garlic sauce, fried onions, aged chedder and a fried egg - also cooked perfectly - bottom not burnt, yolk perfectly runny but no snot on top (you know what I mean - that runny clear stuff that most of us go for easy over for). Comes with fries or salad, 8.95. A burger that anyone at Red Robin could only dream of being served.

Place is busy, even on a slow day. I understand the wait can be 3 hours for the fish fry on Friday, so go early or late, or expect to try one of their 150 beers

Need to fine it? Try This

Karabalis Restaurant - Hayward Wisconsin

Karbs in Hayward Wisconsin - ate there after Labor Day - so it was fairly empty

6 oz Sirloin with potato and salad bar

Sirloin was decent, although cold in the center (rare should be cool, not icy). Hash Browns were good - Salad bar was above average for a northern wisconsin super club.

Price - $9.95 - excellent value. Good service, although limited beers on tap.

Draganettis - Eau Claire Edition

Dinner for 6 on a busy Friday night in Eau Claire, WI at Draganettis. Google Maps location is here

Server was new (I hope). Mistakes, in order:

1. Left pepper shaker on nearby table rather than offering it to us
2. Did not clear salad plates before serving main course
3. Ordering multiple glasses of wine, couldn't be bothered to serve ordered refills - that costs the restaurants money and the servier, as the tip is based on total meal cost
4. Coffee ordered came late, no offer of refills till we were checking out.

Food Commentary:

Bread was ok, olive oil for dipping is on the table (not good quality). Butter was mixed with garlic, pimento, spices - ok.

Salad was so so, served with the dressing in a little plastic cup on the side - this is a linen napkin kind of place - dressing in a plastic cup?

A wide variety of dishes were ordered, three with cream sauce, three with tomato sauce. I ordered the special of the day, .Seafood Pescatore (fruits of the sea). Plates (bowls, depending on your order were large.

Cream sauced dishes were the best, tomato based not so much. The Pescatore was disappointing. Swordfish (overcooked), shrimp (2, ok), clams (not in the shell), cod (cheap filler), sauce was acidic, had heartburn all night, and I don't get heartburn. If I am going to not an inexpensive restaurant, ordering the special of the day, I expect a good meal, not merely an edible one.

I have had good meals/service here, and the pizza is good, but this meal - below average for sure.

Flores Mexican Restaurant - Gas City Indiana - Possibly the Worst Mexican Food I Have Ever Choked Down

I was hopeful going in. Plenty of small towns have Mexican families open up restaurants and serve great food.

Peeked in the kitchen - no mexicans. Not a good sign for Flores Family Mexican Restaurant.

Food was plentiful, but tasted like a bad buffet. The "steak" in the steak taco's reminded me of the old Cheers gag - beefalo, the fake beef. Processed and formed bits of some type of meat with soy vegetable protein. Insanely bad.

Beans were ok, rice was that nasty spanish rice the lunch ladies served you.

Staff was nice, place was clean, food was TERRIBLE. Any positive review of this place is either from the owner or from someone who has never had decent mexican food.

Culverized - The New Eau Claire Culvers

Very nice - They took the old Pie Place and converted it, but made it far nicer than any other Culvers I have been in. They have multiple seating areas, 46' flat screens - one CNN, one ESPN, one infomercials in front, and the same Culvers food (which is far better and far more diverse than any other FF place

I had the pork tenderloin (breaded) for the first time - very nice. They have also added real tea and real "sweet tea".

If they had wi fi it would be perfect, but they probably want to flip tables.

Hipster Coffee in Downtown Eau Claire (Campus side)

Racy's a little hidden - on the river side of water street (go south on 4th then turn west, you will see it) with a great location on the Chippewa River for sipping you coffee on the bike path along the river

Good coffee - not sure where they get it from (likely Fair Trade if I remember correctly). Free Wi-Fi. You can get food from the attached restaurant. Not the best coffee in the valley (try the 4:30 in Chippewa Falls), but good, and free wifi (take that starbucks!)

Coffee Grounds Eau Claire - local roaster, but....

still not my favorite coffee in the valley (which would have to be the 4:30 in Chippewa Falls.

While roasted on site, the roaster likes it either lite roast or burnt roast - nothing choclately brown, all nice and oily. As such, most of the roasts are best drunk without half and half (my fav) or you have to pony up for the shot of espresso to give it enough heft to hold up to the cream.

Food is ok - sandwiches fair, soups good, muffins and scones good.

WiFi is a pain - three people here online and it is so slow I have to downgrade to Gmail dial up option.

For a coffee shop - just average. However, they do have the areas best selection of wine and beer, and a decent selection of cigars.

A & W - Neilsville, WI - America's Root Beer Stand

Minus the stand part.

Older A&W, without the drive in, just the drive through, like most fast food restaurants these days. Clean, but old. Skate Park Next Door. Still serves that fine AW Rootbeer. Ordered a single papa burger combo, they charged me for the double.

A decent place for a meal, but clearly the owners are not interested in bringing their store into the 21st century, and neither is YUM brands, owner of the franchise.

Cancun Mexican Restaurant - Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire

The Short Story - Mexican Food For Americans - edible, but not that much up from Taco Johns.

Located in both Eau Claire and in Chippewa Falls, Cancun is a decent American Mexican restaurant. Nothing too special, nothing too spicy, with generic sauces. The staff is attentive, food served fast (straight from the heating table, into a tortilla, onto to your plate), it is a good place for a business lunch - in and out in 30 minutes, but it doesn't feel like they are pushing you out the door (even though they are in working hard to flip tables).

The ubiquitous chips come with a decent, although mild (err, american style) salsa and this odd ranch dip, that has this gluey nasty consistency and odd taste (although surprising ok on top of the generic burrito you ordered)

Ok if you need a decent looking place (think a smaller chi chi's) with generic american mexican food (think chi chi's)

If you want real mexican food - go to where the staff at cancun eats - Tacqueria Sandoval, 2824 London Rd. - Now that is great mexican food -- real mexican food.

Texas Roadhouse - Eau Claire Edition

Texas Roadhouse is largely a steak place that has a gimmick - it is "modeled" after a roadhouse - hot waitresses, line dancing, peanuts (toss the shells on the floor) and beer. Well, the wait staff are not dressed like Hooters girls, the beer special was Sam Adams (what roadhouse would serve a beer from Boston?), and the only dancing is the wait staff doing line dancing every once in a while (but not always loving it).

For a chain, the food is good, the staff friendly, and lots of country music played loud. While sam adams boston lager might of been the special ($2.25 for a 12 oz tap), you can order Shiner Bock in bottles for that true road house draught. Sides are decent (I love the sweet potatoes). Steaks tend to be a little over seasoned (too much salt), but good quality, and cooked correctly (i.e. rare is rare). I tend to get the 12 oz Ribeye, which is plenty of food. The baby blossom onion is 3.99 - a good value, and tasty, if you like deep fried onions, that is

But don't think this is a real roadhouse - no drunks throwing bottles at the band. For that, see this Roadhouse

Overall - good steakhouse - for a chain.

Best Breakfast Burrito? The Eau Claire Showdown

Taco John's advertises it's breakfast burrito as the "best in town". Well, is it?

Up against the Tex - Mex Fast Food Chain - McDonald's and Sonic

The Verdict? Yes, they are the best.

The Why?

Worst first - McD BB is an abomination, with the nastiest chipolte sauce splashed on it. Per their website, composed of sausage, potatoes, eggs, peppers and onions, cheese and fire roasted salsa. For something approaching edible, order it no sauce, then get two hot sauce packets and put them on instead.

Next..... the SuperSonic BB - an ok item, with the advantage of being available all day. Sausage, Scrambled Egg, Cheese, Tater Tots, Onions, Tomatoes and Jalapenos. Needs salsa (they serve a nasty generic salsa on the side), but it does have Jalapenos.

And the Winner - and even good - the Taco John Sausage Scrambler BB. Sausage, eggs, cheese, seasoned hash pellets (better than the tots at Sonic), onions, tomatoes, green peppers, nacho cheese sauce. Actually tastes good, but what puts it over the top is the salsa bar - add your own - my choice, pico de galo and jalapeno's. Love that salsa bar.

So yes, TJ's does have the best breakfast burrito in town.

Smokey Jon's - Excellent Ribs

Excellent for Wisconsin, that is. Excellent Ribs, when they are not overdone, great brisket, but they put too much sauce on the orders - I like their sauce, but does everything have to swim in it?.

Sides are ok - good fries, beans good, but no meat in them, corn doesn't taste much like corn, but decent spice.

Careful on the to go menu - if it says serves 4-8, it serves closer to 4 than 8

Smokey Jon's - East Side of Madison, WI