POPWILLEATME.COM

Sunday, October 16, 2011

First Impressions: AJ Bombers

Few restaurants in Wisconsin can equal the social media buzz of AJ Bombers. I found myself following @ajbombers on Twitter a year ago. This would not be odd except for the fact that I had never been to the Milwaukee restaurant and that I lived in Madison. When word came down that their second location was coming to Madtown, I was already building up the hype and expectations in my head. Not only has Bombers met my expectations, but it has also had one of the smoothest opening months I've ever witnessed.My first trip came just a couple of days after they opened. Located in the former Crave space a block off State St., the space is open and features standard bar seating (booths and tall tables). I was one of the first through the doors for the lunch crowd and was impressed by the friendly service right off the bat. One of the owners sat me at the bar and walked me through the menu and ordering process. Each patron fills out an order slip that waitstaff retrieves. You can customize almost everything on the menu as well. Now one would hope that an owner would put their best foot forward shortly after opening, but I was impressed that the energy spread to the two bartenders who waited on me as well. I soon got to see what a peanut bomb looks like. Above the bar is a station of multiple "bombs" that run along tracks on the ceiling. At the end of each track is a target with a bowl below. The bartenders load the bombs with peanuts and well, you can guess the rest. Since I was seated at the bar I didn't get the theatrics but it was fun to watch the bartenders work on the speed of their bomb deliveries to the outlying tables. When filling out my slip, I decided to jump right in and try the Milwaukee favorite, Barrie burger. The quarter pound patty had a perfect crust around a medium core and was topped with American cheese, bacon and peanut butter. Yes with all the peanuts flying around this seemed appropriate and damn if it wasn't tasty too. I opted to add some jalapenos and without the juice from the peppers I think the peanut butter would have made it a tad to dry. The skin on fries were tasty but clearly the burger was the star of the show. By the time I left, the place had a pretty good lunch crowd going and I was impressed to see the personal service each person was receiving. The last nice touch for me was when the bartender gave me a Sharpie and invited me to write on the walls. At Bombers graffiti is clearly encouraged so I obliged, leaving my twitter handle which seemed entirely appropriate.

For my second trip I brought my partner and our two year old son. We came for a late lunch on a Sunday and found the place very empty. A little concerning being that the Packers were playing and I'd think this would be a great place to watch a game. Still with a toddler we're never too upset to have a place to ourselves. The service again was personal, without being fake, and certainly contributed to keeping the kid entertained. He loved the peanut bombs but as parents we really appreciated our server checking with us before sending a potentially scary, loud noise making machine over his head. Since it was the weekend I opted to start with the Bloody Bomber which was a monster of a bloody Mary topped with a bacon wrapped strip of muenster cheese and hamburger. The great garnishes were appreciated but let it be known that the bloody mix stands on it's own. I was offered a chaser of Miller Lite or High Life which was too bad given my boycott of Miller/Coors products. I thought about asking to sub for a Wisconsin craft brew but instead just nodded and nursed my way along. With three of us dining we got a little further into the menu. We split the buffalo chicken egg rolls which were tasty but nothing I'd rush to order again. I do appreciate that they were clearly made fresh but the flavors were a bit subdued for something that had buffalo in the title. For the kid we got a hot dog split open and topped with American cheese and sauteed onions. The kid picked off the onions but loved the bun and was ok with the dog. His parents were impressed with the cheesy dog and debated the origins of the sausage for the rest of the meal. My partner opted for the Mad Sconnie, AJ Bombers tribute to their new home town. The beef patty also contained bacon in the mix and was topped with lettuce, tomato, and a fried pickle. All of this sat on Stella's Bakery spicy cheese bread roll that had a healthy spread of Bomber sauce. We both liked it although we felt it could use more cheese. After all, a burger meant to pay tribute to the capital of the cheese state, should feature cheese in multiple ways. Not wanting to leave out Bombers' other location, I went with the Milwaukee burger. This burger had ample Colby cheese, bacon and Schlitz braised onions. Tough call on where this ranked with the Barrie as I can't really come up with any negatives. I panicked and ordered fries again leaving the sweet potato chips for another day.

I try hard not to make blanket proclamations about a place in it's first 60 days but AJ Bombers will clearly give Dotty's and The Blue Moon a run for the best burger in town. Not only is the food very good but the atmosphere just makes you feel welcome and at ease. On the second trip we sat in a booth we dubbed the Doctor Who booth given the (at least) 3 piece of Who art around the table. The only regret is that we didn't get a Sharpie to add a K-9 to the group.

AJ Bombers, 210 W. Gorham St., Madison, WI (608) 305-4474

Friday, September 23, 2011

First Impressions: Wis-Tex BBQ

If there's one type of food that will get me back on the blog it's BBQ. I will never say that Madison has enough smokehouses. Hell, I was even sad when the chain Smokey Bones closed at West Towne.

Thanks to the weekly round up of restaurant news links from MadisonAtoZ.com, I learned about our newest addition Wis-Tex BBQ. I also discovered that it's Stoughton location isn't far from our new pad. Armed with that knowledge my toddler and I set out to pick up some take out.

Wis-Tex BBQ has only been open a few weeks so they're still working out some bugs. The menu MadisonDining.com posted had already changed so no sweet potatoes for my partner. Also when I was led to the bar to order,'the bartender asked me what I wanted before even handing us said menu. Really minor issue though as the service from the two bartenders made for a great experience overall. Not only did they rush our order but they also double checked it before handing it over (take note BW3). They also fawned over the boy including grabbing him some paper to draw on while we waited. As we enter the terrible twos, I can't tell you how much I appreciated this.

As for the food, it was all solid to good but nothing that induced a PPP like salivation. PPP refers to the departed Porky Pine Pete's my gold standard for BBQ in Madison.

For my two meat platter I went with the chopped pork and brisket. I'm used to a smokey dry brisket and this was full of moisture like a brisket roast. It was my least favorite meat and lacked seasoning. The pork was my second favorite though and had a good smoke ring throughout despite again needing more seasoning.

The sides of beans and fries were very on point and the best seasoned dishes of the night.

My partner opted for the smoked turkey breast and it was the closest to a PPP moment. I'm not usually a poultry fan when there's
pork around but this was moist and smokey. She went with sides of corn and potato salad that elicited no comment either way. Each meal also included a fine piece of Texas toast and a pickled cherry pepper. Sauce on the side was vinegar based with a pleasant sweetness.

For $4 extra we each added on a side of 3 ribs The ribs had a nice bark and great smoke ring. Like most everything though they could have used more rub/seasoning.

For a place that's only been open a few weeks there was good traffic. While it's no PPP or Smokey Jon's, good service, location,and solid food will have us back for more.

Wis-Tex BBQ, 620 Nygaard St,WI (608) 205-6201

Monday, July 11, 2011

First Impressions: Optimo Café

Since we’ve got family in the driftless area we’ve been meaning to check out Optimo Café since it opened. Unfortunately our schedules have failed to match up the last few visits since Optimo is only open Thursday-Sunday (brunch). This past weekend the stars aligned and I think it’s safe to say we’ll make sure our visits are coordinated with their hours in the future.

In my experience, focusing on local producers is a necessity for restaurants in smaller towns instead of the marketing ploy some places in larger cities employ. Optimo has a brief efficient menu and their specials make the most of what they have available. We started with a baked goat cheese and feta appetizer. I’m not a feta fan so thankfully the goat cheese carried the flavors in the hot bubbly cheese. The accompanying crostini reminded me how good crostini can be and made me forget how often this simple accompaniment can be screwed up. It was buttery and had some give while retaining its overall crisp. Two of us opted for special entrees. My braised pork chop had a great flavor but was slightly overcooked. My partner had the bacon wrapped tenderloin which was cooked perfectly and wisely let the meat speak for itself. Both dishes were accompanied by some knockout sides. First up was a root mash which we could have made a meal out of. We were able to discern cauliflower and potatoes but could not pick out the other veggies. The second side was collard greens with bacon. The strong flavor the greens played nicely with a bit of sweetness from the bacon (perhaps maple?). Our other dining partners had the grilled cheese which like the crostini was full of buttery goodness but not to the determent of the other ingredients. The side of blue corn chips were not house made but were fresh and tasty. Two side salads with the entrees featured peapods, fresh lettuce, ramps and a homeade yogurt ranch that was very tasty. All the desserts were all tempting but keeping with the fresh and local idea we skipped cheesecake and mousse for a strawberry rhubarb crisp. Not only did the crisp travel well as we took it to go but so did the honey yogurt sauce that topped it.

Located in the Public Market building in Viroqua, the space is quite massive. Our reservation at 6pm turned out to be unnecessary as there was only one other table filled at our arrival. Still it should be noted that the front of house staff managed the space well. I can’t imagine that even when packed I would have any trouble hearing those at my table. There was some confusion whether they had a booster seat for our toddler but after a few minutes, one appeared. It struck me a bit odd they weren’t prepared as they promote themselves as a kid-friendly environment.

Service was strong overall but our server did seem a bit nervous. Once seated he quickly took our drink order and also quickly ran through the specials. He recovered nicely from his one misstep, forgetting to ask my partner how she wanted her meat cooked, by realizing it on his own and was on point for the rest of the night. I also appreciated that other staff checked in on us including one who offered to rush the toddler’s meal so that we could get him started before ours came. Parents know this can be a hit or miss offer. I’ve had some experiences were the child’s food came so early he was almost done, and subsequently bored, by the time ours has come. Thankfully the timing here was spot on and we were thankful that the wait staff made the offer.

The beer and wine list was impressive in local scope and moderate prices. Needless to say Scott Walker would not find any of his donors on the beer list. The two tap beers had been replaced from the menu and while I was initially disappointed by the absence of the Hinterland Pale Ale, I quickly found solace in the Potosi Steamboat Shandy I ordered. Also on tap was a Sand Creek brew which was quite tasty.

Optimo Cafe, 215 South Main Street, Viroqua, WI, (608) 637-2223