Cadre, Madison, WI

I don't know about you, but it feels like we're all a little more comfortable venturing out and doing things we used to do without thinking about it too much. If you follow this blog, you know that for me that's trying new places. I did just that this weekend and had a new-to-me place all picked out... but when I arrived it was too busy to seat me in a timely manner (I can get hangry).

So, I checked Google and recalled a few places I'd seen on the way to the first choice. Cadre happened to be about 1/2 a block away and Google told me it was a "French-inspired" bistro and rated at 4.5/5.0 stars, a good sign in my general experience. I popped in and easily grabbed a seat at their well-appointed bar, yet another good sign.

They convinced me further with a good selection of NA (non-alcoholic) beers, which is not that common in most places in WI, as you can probably imagine. And once I chose a new beer and got a look at the menu, I knew I would be staying for a full meal.   

Athletic Brewing's All Out Stout... (yeah, I'm "athletic"...)

Since it was a crisp night in the single digits, I thought the Beef Bourguignon looked perfect. And frankly, it was. It's not a huge plate of food like a typical American place, but it was so delicious and well-done, I didn't mind. Plus, that leaves room for dessert!

Slow-braised Beef (like a short rib), Brussel Sprouts, kale, Lion's Mane mushrooms, carrots, and beauty heart radishes on a bed of Pomme Puree...

After wolfing that down, I took a look at their compact dessert menu and chose the warm-spiced cake. It was also flavor-full, but not ginormous like you'd get at the Cheese Cake Factory or something. Perfect for me...

Going out on this night was a great little taste (pun intended) of feeling normal again. While their service was quite slow and they are now adding 20% to all checks for their staff, it was still a very good place to be on a cold winter's night. I would most-assuredly go back. 

Note: I don't know many places restaurant or not, that have perfect staff levels and no issues with service. Maybe A Pig in a Fur Coat if I had to choose one. This general service issue seems like something we're all going to get used to pretty quickly, whether we want to or not.

A Pig In A Fur Coat, Madison, WI

Frankly, I'm surprised I'd waited this long to try this well-regarded restaurant. In the back of my mind, I believe I was saving it for some sort of special occasion or persons that never materialized. Well, that's no way to live. So, on a pretty blustery winter evening, I headed out on foot with this warm space and food in mind. Plus, I'd been reminded of it that week on a PBS show. So, what did I find when I arrived and plunked my tookis down on one of their six bar seats? Let's see…

- Fun, rotating, inventive, seasonal menu, both drinks & eats

- Competent & knowledgeable staff

- Warm guests, the kind that will even chat with a solo fellow diner

On a whim, I went with a fall theme - squash. I chose the Fall Harvest Salad and a pasta dish they call Agnolini. They were both delicious. Very well-prepared and seasoned. The pasta might have seemed like a "small plate", but if you were having apps, salad, pasta and main (or sharing all these in a group) it would be the perfect size. I also barely had enough room for salad and pasta + dessert. It took me a while to get all the dessert down... more on that later.

Yeah - those are pomegranate seeds on the pasta!!! Once I had my pasta, I wanted something bready to eat with it, maybe soak up some of the extra sauce too. They had a "milk bread" option on their menu - that will have to do. It was easily one of the nicest "bread basket" offerings I've had in some time, served warm with fresh butter.

Now, back to dessert. I don't know about you, but my mind often turns to chocolate for dessert, but that also means I had to forego an excellent sounding fall dessert - a crumb cake with Granny Smith and Jonagold apple compote (I can only presume cinnamon was also used). None-the-less, I went with their "budino", which I would call a small chocolate pudding or custard. Perhaps another accurate description would be a slightly thicker chocolate mousse. It was very very good. And those are pears and hazelnuts on top.

See that creamy chocolate goodness?!?! 

I would be very happy to go back to A Pig In A Fur Coat any chance I get. If you're in the 'hood and have the time, definitely dine here.

Fool's Errand Kitchen & Eatery, Milwaukee (3rd Ward) , WI

 

A sibling and I decided to start off a short road trip at the best place you can start any weekend day - brunch! 

I knew of the 3rd Ward in Milwaukee from having lived there previously, and it seems it's only gotten fancier and more shopping and dining friendly since I left. I knew we could get brunch, shop and even drink if we wanted to. This place got on my radar though a simple Maps search, having earned a 4.5/5.0 rating. How bad could it be!? 

On the day of our brunch outing, with both of us driving an hour or more, we found the place fine, even grabbed parking easily on this Sunday morning.Not too many pandemic-related nuances once inside. 

What a lovely space it is too. The 3rd Ward buildings are often repurposed factories from a bygone era, and this space seems like no exception…

As for food, I decided to "go light" for my meal, and chose a Broccoli and Wheat Berry Salad (or bowl). It came with two poached eggs on top, and frankly, I wouldn't change this choice. It was perfect and delicious - maybe even healthy  

My sibling had the Eggs Benedict, and while the ham was a bit salty for their liking, I had a taste or two and felt it was a solid option...

We also ordered their version of Monkey Bread (if you don't know it, find it!). This turned out to be maybe a muffin-sized pastry, but again, it was the perfect size. Sweet, cinnamon-y, and delicious.

A very enjoyable brunch, nice staff, and cool space. They also had the technology set-up to review their menu with a QR code and pay for your meal online. Pretty slick these days. To be sure, I'd definitely go back.

#needtobreathe @ The Sylvee, Madison, WI

This is going to be one of my longer posts in, well, a long time. Perhaps we all know the reason for that, at least the underlying reason... but also there's just so much that went on in a short time for this concert event. I won't bore you to tears, hopefully, but tell you the story of an amazing night.

About three months ago, my sister sent me a text and said she's coming into town in late September for a concert. She had seen tickets for a favorite band of hers and knew I would be around too. She actually bought two tickets and gave me one of them. I had never heard of the band, but really do like live shows, hadn't been to the venue before here in Madison and thought we'd make a night of it. Not to mention, when was the last time any of us saw live music in a (legit) concert venue?

As the concert night drew near, I still hadn't heard a single note from the band. I don't know, it seemed like I would just go in blind (or deaf?) and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. I mean, with Apple Music, it's really easy to listen to almost anything or anyone if we want to. Something just told me to wait. Maybe I trusted my sister, maybe I didn't want to feel suckered into a show for some crazy band. Meh, I waited.

We were also kept fully abreast of local pandemic info by the concert venue and Ticketmaster. We would need to prove vaccination (or a negative test within 72 hours of show) and wear a mask during the concert. Ok, we can do that, no problem... just more to carry in our pockets (or clutch).

Since my sis does not live in WI or Madison, like me, she was going to come up for the day. I knew we could find some local flavor in the early afternoon (we did), hit up a new-to-us brewery (we did), head out for some fancy Neapolitan pizza before the show (we did), and then head to the venue after the general admission doors opened to all (boy, howdy!).

After we parked the car in an inexpensive parking garage next to the venue, and before we headed to dinner, we had to walk by the venue and their tour buses. Well, wouldn't you know it, my sister recognized one of the band members (I don't know them from Adam). He was nice enough to acknowledge us, say hello, and stop and take a socially responsible selfie with an energetic stranger. Side bar - This band seems really dialed into their fans, more than I've ever seen, which played out all night. And since the show, this guy has liked two of her subsequent posts on IG. Nice guys.

Well, we got the beers in, pizza in and were heading back to the venue for the show. We brought our documents and masks and were happy to get in quickly. There was a pretty decent line to start, even after the doors officially opened, but it moved quickly and I don't think we waited more than 10 minutes. Now, once people were in, it seemed like masks came off pretty quick, but it is not so easy to drink more beer, cheer and whistle with a mask on. To each her own in this kind of setting. I'd say about 50% or more of the folks simply did not wear a mask during the show. 

We also had done a teeny bit more reading of all those emails from the venue and I realized that Switchfoot was an opening act (one of two, we missed the first act). If you know the band from the early "aughts" or heard some of their big singles now, you'd recognize them instantly. I knew them from my "youth" and was excited to hear and see them play live. I knew they would rock and they did not disappoint. The energy and care, even from the opening words by their lead singer, were perfect for the night. I was constantly surprised how crisp and refreshed they sounded, and Jon Foreman and his brother, Tim, were excellent hosts and lead-ins for the next band. Side note - they're just 2 and 4 years younger than I am.

We essentially walked into Switchfoot’s wall of sound below as they started their first song. It. Was. Awesome.

Before I move on to #NTB (as the kids say), I have to comment a bit on this venue and what the bands now bring to shows. Maybe I haven't been to good venues in a long while. Anyways, while this venue holds about 3,000 people, it is by no means and old place, in fact, it's a really great size for a relatively intimate show and has all the technology required to make it an immersive experience for the attendees, IMO. Simply look at the lighting above and below, seeing how many different looks they give their stage, it's impressive.

Switchfoot "plugged in" to about half the screen wall behind them and had their own lighting for the show. It really added something to the experience and made it a feast for the senses. On top of that, once #NTB started it was clear that they were prepared as well and plugged into the whole wall, had video cameras positioned on the stage (that then played behind them on the wall), plus many other immersive touches during the show.

Halfway into their show, #NTB changed their stage presence and took it down a notch to talk about their charitable arm, "For Others". Not only did they talk about their work and the work of their fans (through donations), but they also played a touching video and had a number to text during the show for direct donations to local kids in need. It was pretty unbelievable - seems like $25 well spent though - how could anyone say "no"?!. I don't think I'd seen this before during a live concert event (well, except maybe something specifically set up for fund-raising like "Live Aid"). Kudos.

After that "slow down" to help local youths, they ramped it back up again for another 30-45 minutes of rocking music.

And for those that have not heard them, I was very happy to hear them for the first time as their show began. I was hooked from the first song, "Alive", and never looked back. They played for about an hour and 45 minutes and left everyone really really happy and appreciative to have been a part of it. 

Almost unlike I'd ever seen again, #NTB talked to their audience throughout the show and made us feel as much of or perhaps more important to the event than they were. Does it sound like I'm gushing? Perhaps. Could all of this wonderment be due to most of us not seeing live music for 1.5 years? Perhaps. Even still, this was a great show. I've seen dozens in my years, from the Monkeys to U2 - this one is up there with the best.

They closed it out really well with a few more songs for good measure. I think most of us standing in GA the whole time were pretty dead on our feet by then, so it was time to say goodbye.

We walked 100 feet to the parking garage and promptly left the downtown area. No long lines of people or cars to deal with after the show. I think I was back at my Eastside haunt in 10 minutes or less. An ancillary benefit of Madison. Now that's a win.

If you want to donate: For Others Collective 

GLEAM 2021 (Olbrich Gardens), Madison, WI

This event is an annual, outdoor, visual arts installation at the well-known gardens in Madison. Artists from all over the world submit their ideas and then a handful or so are chosen for each late summer/fall season. It runs nightly (after dark) on W, Th, F and Sa through the end of October. Tickets are relatively inexpensive ($15 for an adult with no other Olbrich Gardens membership already). Seeing the artwork is easily worth that price.

You can start the event off with a stop to a small but well-stocked bar, garb a drink, and then take a leisurely 30-60 minute stroll through the exhibits. Tickets are good for 1.5 hours of access, they have multiple "waves" of people throughout the night. I'm much quicker than most people and only spent about 40 minutes there. I also skipped one exhibit, #5 below. I could see it from afar, but didn't want to wait in line to "experience" it as it was in their real-live pagoda and an extra 10-15 minute wait (with kids screaming and some sort of noise being played on a "BIG" floor-sized keyboard on the floor of the installation - nah).

They have most of the walking path roped off or highlighted in some manner, so it's a pretty simple way to get around all the bright lights amidst the darkened sidewalks. You can also scan a QR-code for a very simple map and info on each exhibit, which I will use below.

This is their greenhouse that is always lit up, all year. From the outside it looks like a bit of a spaceship and you can't really miss it, even just driving by...

This is the first visual item after the bar... kind of hard to miss most of them... but not actually part of the show formally, perhaps an amuse bouche for your eyeballs... (I really liked it)

On the way to the pagoda, you have to walk over a small inlet and get to see some cool views on this bridge...

I feel the the Gardens makes a point of always putting something extra in the path, and this seemed like a perfect thing for kids to do on the way b/w the exhibits. They had black lights showering the sidewalk and markers ready for people to doodle with... very much sidewalk chalk drawing at night. Kind of simple really, but visually striking and fun...

This was the last one of the night and the end of the journey. Once here, it was a very short walk back through their main building and back out in to the dark. I've now done this twice, and if you can't tell for yourself, this is 100% worth it.