Eric W.
Yelp
(Last visited on 2/10/2021.) Working in Madison, WI for the week and I asked the locals where the best places to get some good food around here are and this place was thrown out numerous times. So here we are!
Atmosphere/Appearance: Nestled right downtown near the Capitol Building is this gem. There is a some outdoor seating available, but since it's RIDICULOUSLY COLD most places close their outdoor sections, but not this place. Lol. Let me explain. This place hosts a challenge. Patrons who come and choose to eat outside IN THE FRIGID COLD get entered into a contest. Every time you have a meal... a drink.. or whatever outside you earn a point. So between a certain date and another date (check with the restaurant) you can rack up points to earn a grand prize. It's actually pretty clever. Inside is very... tavern-y? Lol. It fits the description perfectly. There are lots of different styles of décor all thrown together all in one restaurant and it works very well to give this place character. If you walk all the way through the restaurant there is even more seating in the atrium of the office building. It's a bit quieter out there, but I feel like you miss out on all the action!
Service: Ryan was the owner/bartender and he took excellent care of us. It was a slow night so we really had a chance to chat with him. This place opened up SMACK DAB in the middle of the pandemic, but they were here and still kickin'! You gotta give them credit for that. He was awesome and made sure we had everything that we needed.
Food: The menu is pretty basic and pretty bare. There weren't as many healthier options as what I expected, but... we're here so we gotta try something! The locals said this place was awesome! So I went with the Good Idea Burger. It's an hand-formed all-beef burger patty topped with house pickles, fried onions, butterkase cheese and Settle sauce. Oh my goodness. It was so delicious. It was melty, messy, cheesy, gooey and just everything you wanted in a comfort food. I paired the Good Idea Burger with a large order of their Ghost Fries. These are simply fries that are dusted with ghost chili peppers and other spices then served with a house-made bleu cheese. I had never had anything like this before and loved them! Great job guys!
Value: My burger was only $9.00 which I fell is an excellent value! The large order of fries was $7.00, but I understand why. Ghost chilis aren't cheap. I did get some extra bleu cheese and it was only $1.00. Decent value at this place and you certainly don't have to break the bank.
In conclusion, I really loved this place even though I was underwhelmed by the food choices. No matter, the food is fantastic and worth checking out.
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