The Old Fashioned - April 6, 2012

Dusty-
I can't think of a better way to pre-game for a burger than to watch Thor on blu-ray. Wait... no, that's not right. It should read "Thor is a pretty awful movie; what better way to pick myself up than The Old Fashioned?!"After the movie, I wasn't too sure if we were going to make it to this restaurant since Trina was asleep. I'm not proud of what Mike and I almost did to wake her up. Lucky for her she woke up on her own, so antics will have to wait.

The Old Fashioned may be my favorite bar in Madison. I've never had bad food here, they have bloody marys that are a meal in themselves, and build-it-yourself old fashioneds! Have to start with a beer and burger first though, so I picked one I hadn't tried from their selection of hundreds: The House of Brews Amber. It was a decent enough compliment to:

The Number 30 (aka The Old Fashioned House Burger)

• Remember how I said I'd never had bad food at The Old Fashioned? Still holds true.
• This guy comes with fried onions, bacon, aged Cheddar, garlic sauce and a cooked egg. I'm getting hungry again just reviewing this.
• No need for condiments here, there are plenty of flavors on top of this perfectly cooked burger. The egg is done over easy so the yolk binds all the toppings together.
• The bun was buttered and toasted, just to make sure your arteries are a little more clogged. I would have preferred a pretzel bun, but hey, did I mention this burger has an egg on it?

This burger was amazing. I'm going to have to start keeping a spreadsheet of my favorite burgers. I won't need one for the bad ones, I don't forget being spurned.

You get a choice of sides, so I naturally went with unhealthy fries. These are good enough to eat alone too, but a little ketchup never hurt a good french fry. We started the meal with cheese curds - arguably the best in Madison and therefore the best in Wisconsin (there's nothing really outside of Madison and Green Bay, right?). I would have ordered cheese curds as my side if that was socially acceptable in mixed company. No dessert with this meal, though I think that was just because the waitress didn't hear Trina ask for the menu. After dinner we moved on to old fashioneds and flavorful conversation.

Current weight: 171.0 lbs (muscle weighs more than fat)

Notable observation: If you'd like to hear about an interesting topic, discuss calorie burning with Mike or Trina. If you'd like to feel extremely uncomfortable during a debate, have them discuss it with each other.

Ned -

The Old Fashioned - #30

The original plans:

7:30pm - Mike, Matt (friend), and Jason watch Thor at Matt's
9ish - Movie over (it's a superhero movie... how long can it be?)
9:30pm - Mike and Jason meet Trina at The Old Fashioned
11:00pm - Enjoy all that Madison has to offer...

What really happened:

7:30pm - Mike gets to Matt's and finds no one home (starts watching Tombstone on TNT)
7:45pm - Jason and Matt arrive after some grocery shopping
7:45 to 8:30pm - Jason, Matt, and Mike drink beer, chat sports, and watch more Tombstone... "I'm your huckleberry"
8:30pm - Begin Thor
10:45pm - Movie finally ends.  Awful movie by-the-way.  Long, boring, terrible acting.  I just hope the Avengers isn't as bad...

By the end of what seemed like the 2nd longest movie of my life (#1 goes to Dances With Wolves... thanks Kevin Costner), Jason and I were starving and ready for some fun.  Problem: Trina had apparently fallen asleep and turned off her phone.

After some quick discussion, Jason and I decided it'd be a good idea to drive to Trina's and wake her up (we never actually planned this part out).  We didn't know her apt. # but knew what window was hers (don't ask) so I'm sure it would have included some sort of breaking and entering.  Lucky for us (and our future criminal record), Trina magically woke up right as we pulled into her parking lot.  Off to dinner we went...

• Decor – The Old Fashioned consists of two long, narrow rooms with long bar reaching from one end to the other.  One usually needs to wait 30-60 minutes for a table at this famous Madison establishment but, thanks to Thor and some lollygagging, the dinner crowd was gone and the amigos were immediately seated at a booth.
• Service – Our waitress was friendly and quick to bring our drinks/food.  However, I'm not sure she was very fond of Trina (see Dessert)
• Food (the important stuff)
• Appetizers - Cheese curds.  Not much to say here.  The Old Fashioned has the best fried cheese curds in all of Madison.  Fresh curds, light batter, super greasy.  These alone are a good reason to visit.
• Beer – Wisconsin made Double-IPA.  Deliciously bitter with a hint of fruit
• Burger – Before the tour began, I always thought that The Old Fashioned had the best burgers in town and tonight didn't change that opinion.  The burger was slightly over done and the bun dry, but with thick cut bacon, aged cheddar, and a soft-cooked egg, those imperfections could be overlooked.
• Sides – Shoe-string fries.  IMO, the pinnacle of french fries.  Super thin, super crispy.  It's like McDonald's fries on steriods or some other PED (I wonder if Ryan Braun is a part owner...)
• Dessert - Guess who wanted dessert?  However, after asking the waitress what dessert she recommended, Trina got a mumbled incoherent answer that Jason and I translated as "you don't get dessert".  Trina was not happy.

One final note... while enjoying our curds, Trina and I got into a heated argument about whether someone burns more calories running a mile or walking a mile (we both love to be right).  Well... looks like we're both sorta right:

http://walking.about.com/od/calorie1/a/calorieswalkrun.htm

TLDR – Probably the most famous Madison establishment, serving Wisconsin classics (including a two page beer list consisting of only Wisconsin-made brew).  Come for the cheese curds... stay for the drinks.




Lucky -

My post is long overdue and I have to admit that the only reason I've gotten myself to write it is because I'm starving and according to the rules I'm not allowed to join in the upcoming burger tonight until I do.  Funny how Mike got away with it Echo Tap night though...

Anyways, I'm trying to jog my memory on this one.  Usually I'm better at details but I think I may have repressed a few on this one.  You'll see why.

• Attire:  As predicted I was shunned for showing up for this burger in a dress.  For those who know me well, I'm most likely to overdress for an occasion and the t-shirt wearing for the last three burgers had gotten too me and I just had to throw on some red number and heels.   Inspired by my rebellion, Jason also decided to forego the shirt (not for a dress though).  Mike was ticked and in the end, I think it set the tone for the night.
• Drinks:  I LOVE any place like Old Fashioned where you pick your beer from a book.  The old drawback is that there is so much to look at and they only give you one book for the table.  Arguably printing more beer books for each dinner attendee would help me make a more educated selection.  Old Fashioned - take note.  Though whatever Pale Ale I'm sure I picked was good.
• Appetizers:  Can we stop ordering cheese curds?  
• Burger:  Um - I think once before I wondered why any burger would come without bacon.  Now I ask the same thing about a fried egg.  Yowza!  How absolutely ridiculously amazing.  The burger was awesome, I think there was cheese and bacon, but I was lost in the gooiness of the runny egg all over.  Pure happiness.  Got it with a surprisingly delicious mix of greens on the side instead of fries.
• Conversation:  We ate really late, I showed up in the wrong attire and in general it was a Friday so probably had been a long week at work.  Somewhere in the middle of dinner, Mike and I got in a heated conversation about how many calories are burned per mile running or walking.  I don't even know anymore if I was right, but I was livid that anyone would disagree.   Let's just say it was heated.  The whole time I kept thinking - Mike and I shouldn't argue like this in front of the kids.  Jason looked a little scared and later commented that he thought his parents might get a divorce.  Thank god the waitress brought more drinks.  We settled down, apologized and moved onto lighter conversations like pre-nup agreements and threesomes. 
• Dessert:  I asked the waitress what they have for dessert and she blatantly ignored me.  I'll take that as a sign.  No sweets on this one.

The Bottom Line:   Old Fashioned is a magical spot for a burger with a fried egg and an amazing beer selection.  If I was in a relationship, I believe it would also be a good spot for a stupid argument.  I'm sure if we had been at Graze one of us would have stormed out.  However, with Old Fashioned, you just can't help but leave happy. 

  

Echo Tap - March 30, 2012

Dusty-
After feeling physically awful about the meal choices I'd made the night before (see Quivey's Grove post), I vowed that healthy eating for at least a day was in order. 24 hours later, I found myself at Echo Tap ready to order another of Madison's best. Promises you make to yourself aren't really that important anyway...

Echo tap is a watering hole a few blocks off the Capitol square. Mike and I thought it would be a nice night for a walk and a mile or so later, I was cold enough not to be able to feel my toes. Nothing a Rogue Dead Guy Ale didn't fix though. A usual visit to the Tap would mean running into folks from the office and this night didn't disappoint. After a quick chat to show people I will acknowledge their presence outside of a meeting room, we had real work to do.

Echo Burger:

• Once again Madison Magazine let's us down by not providing a burger name with the restaurant. What to do? Oh, we'll order the one with the restaurant's name on it. Easy fix.
• This burger is all Wisconsin: toppings include a brat patty, white cheddar and American cheese plus a heaping portion of grilled onions. While putting this sandwich together, the chef must have thought: "Is it healthy? Any nutritional value? Yes? Not going on the Echo Burger."
• The burger patty itself is hilariously thin when compared to the brat. We all gave heat specifications to the waitress and she probably had a good laugh with the cook when giving him our order. There is no way to cook meat that thin medium-rare.
• The brat's flavor was so strong you couldn't really taste the beef. That's not really a problem though since the beef actually tasted similar to breakfast sausage. These may sound like complaints, but it works. I really enjoyed this burger and would get it again.

The burger came with steak fries, which is the best way to prepare them. Like my women, I prefer my fries full in all the right areas.

...

I think I'm going to let Trina take care of the relationship analogies.

We made more poor decisions when it came to the appetizers. Cheese curds were on the menu, so naturally those were included. I've never actually seen an appetizer come with a packet of ranch you'd get at a salad bar, but it got the job done. These curds were standard bar fare. We also decided a small buffalo chicken pizza would be a good way to start the meal. This took a little longer to get out of the kitchen and turned into a dessert pizza (non-sweet desserts are catching on!) The pizza was a nice little surprise: hand tossed and absolutely delicious. Trina modified hers by adding cheese curds and fries. Like she's five.

Current weight: 170.9 lbs (Couldn't really eat all day. :,( )

Notable Observation: My blood pressure has risen significantly since the beginning of this tour. These burgers are quite literally killing me.

Ned -

Echo Tap - Echo Burger

The night started with a nice jaunt from the Penthouse (Jason and my bachelor pad) to what is known as the "Epic compound".  (the "compound" consists of a new-ish apartment complex completely infested with Epic employees and the Echo Tap)

During this walk, everything was in perfect order... 1) Jason was complaining that it was too cold, 2) I was sweating, and 3) Trina was sending incoherent texts to us both as she drove to meet us at the bar/restaurant.

In true miracle fashion, all three of the amigos arrived at the same time (mark it down
1), ordered/finished a beer at the bar, and then made our way to the "dining area" to begin our feast.

On to the important stuff:

• Decor – The moment you walk into the Tap, you know it's a bar.  Neon lights and old advertisemts are plastered across the walls, a jukebox is in the corner, and the bartender serving drinks looks like he's been there since Nixon's resignation.  Oh yeah, and did I mention my Epic coworkers are everywhere?
• Service – Our waitress was unnecessarily inappropriate with most of her comments throughout the night.  I won't go into details here, but I will say that when ordering pizza from this girl, size apparently DOES matter
• Food (the important stuff)
• Appetizers - Cheese curds... of course we got the cheese curds.  Not impressed here as the batter was too thick.  They also came with "do-it-yourself" ranch.

• Beer – Snake Hollow IPA and Rogue's Dead Guy Pale Ale.  Rogue is legit and comes from one of my favorite places in the world:  Oregon.
• Burger – The burger was fantastic!  Not because of the high quality of meat or perfect cooking methods (because it had neither)... but because of the brat patty.  Yes, you read that right.  The burger comes with a brat patty, fried onions, and two cheeses ON TOP of the hamburger patty. It was greasy, cheesy, and brat-y.  Can't go wrong with any of those.
• Sides – Steak fries.  I hate steak fries.  If I want to eat a baked potato, I will order one.  I let Jason finish these for me.
• Dessert - The amigos decided to get a little creative with dessert this time and ordered buffalo chicken pizza.  Who needs chocolate or ice cream when you have delicious thick crust, gooey cheese, and spicy buffalo sauce covered fried chicken?  Not I.... not I.

To continue our theme, because of "dessert", we had to cancel our post-dinner plans.  It was bedtime...

TLDR – Order the burger for dinner and pizza for dessert.  No, I'm not joking.  You can see Jason's excitement in the shadow of our colossal dessert pizza.

Lucky-

After the Quivey’s Grove burger binge, I was in no shape to eat another burger the next day.  It’s amazing what a Friday at work can do to change your opinion on things (if you doubt me, think about how many Friday Happy Hours someone had to very lightly twist your arm to attend by the end of the day).  So off to Echo Tap for our sixth (is this really only the sixth?) burger of the tour:

·         Apparel:  In fear of shrinking my shirt further, I have to admit this was the third wearing without it being washed.  When I walked in the bartender told me I looked nice.  After I took my coat off I noticed no more compliments came my way.  I believe there are multiple ketchup and mustard stains on it at this point.

·         Atmosphere:  Not going to lie, the Echo Tap makes me really happy.  They unnecessarily renovated some of it last year, so I just avoid the nice parts and stick to the places I know.  This was the first burger stop where we bumped into friends.  After talking about the tour, our friend Joe suggested we create a blog.  Way to be out of the loop Joe.

·         Beer:  I was very excited to try an IPA that was on tap.  Halfway through drinking it I realized it was a Sleepy Hollow IPA, the same beer from Graze, stop #1.  This is dangerous when we’re already starting to pull repeaters and don’t even notice. 

·         Burger:  Okay, onto the main event.  The Echo Burger was accompanied by no description on the menu but we found out from the waitress it had cheese AND a brat patty on it.  Holy Cow.  Sign me up!  So we all got those and I ordered mine with sweet potato fries. If you’re close to me at all, you know that my favorite food is not actually burgers but brats.  I absolutely love them.  Small known fact though is that I actually don’t like brats in patty form.  While it worked well with the burger, I have to admit my favorite bites were when the brat patty slipped off and I got just beef.  Fantastic.  Echo Tap knows how to do a burger right (they should do a cooking class for whoever whipped up those burgers for us at Blue Moon).

·         Appetizers:  We’re starting to use the term “appetizers” very loosely.  Last time it was fries, this time it was a big buffalo chicken wing pizza.  Either way, the pizza was phenomenal.  It was hot (as in spicy), had amazing crust, and was all around delicious.  I would return to Echo just for the pizza (well, and the beer).  I had previously been under the assumption that all Wisconsin bars served Jack’s pizza out of the freezer.  Not the case.

Bottom Line:  Awesome burgers, great beer selection and surprisingly fantastic pizza.  Oh, and everything is ridiculously cheap.  I have always been a big fan and supporter of Echo Tap and this trip only further reinforces this.  This place is a Wisconsin Woman’s Paradise.  Men, take note.  (Or maybe not – preferences like this may explain why I’m still single).