Bison Jacks

Bison Jacks is located in Greenway Station in Middleton. They are a relatively quick service restaurant that serves primarily hot dogs and burgers made from bison, with sides such as coleslaw, baked fries and salads. They cook the meat to order and then you can customize the toppings.

The main pros of Bison Jacks are that they stock gluten free buns, appear to be very careful about cross contamination issues and there is hardly ever anyone in the restaurant, even on a Friday night which makes for very little wait for a made to order burger and/or hot dog. In the past I have received a copy of the list of items they carry that are gluten free, but they did not seem to have a copy at my most recent visit.

I have only ever had their burgers and so can't comment on their hot dogs although they do have a number of specialty dogs to choose from in addition to being able to customize your own. As for the burgers, they do satisfy a burger craving if you are in the mood for an actual burger with a bun that you don't have to make at home but don't want to go to a bustling place like jacs. The burgers appear to only be made well done and can be topped with cheese and a variety of other topics of your choosing. I recently ordered the combo which came with a burger, soda and choice of side and was under $10, although it appears that the prices are increasing shortly according to a sign posted on the register.

Overall, for ease of having a safe gluten free meal away from home, I would give Bison Jacks an A. The staff is also very friendly and accommodating. The burger itself is fairly average but the competition in the market for gluten free burgers in Madison is fairly limited and so I would consider Bison Jacks to be a solid choice. Enjoy!

Lazy Jane's Cafe

Although I haven't written about any restaurants recently, it's not been for lack of eating out. We've even tried a couple new ones, like Johnny Delmonico's for restaurant week and old favorites like Kabul. They've all been good and the meatballs at Kabul are amazing and worth trying if you haven't already.

However, I have somehow missed out on the GF scones at Lazy Jane's until this morning. I've been to Lazy Jane's in the past and been happy that they offer gluten free bread with their breakfasts, but we haven't been there in about two years. I really don't know if they've always made GF scones and I missed out because I got there too late or if these are new, but they're definitely worth getting there early to make sure you get a hold of one! This morning they had GF lemon cream scones. I'm not sure if they do different ones, but these were fantastic.

Lazy Jane's seems to take reasonable precautions in the restaurant and the GF scones were above the other baked goods and off to the side, which is probably the best that could be done. In the bakery annex they're housed in with the rest of the baked products which makes me more nervous. Either way, the amount of gluten around the GF things does make me more nervous than in some other places. I had a hard time resisting, however, and ordered my scone from the restaurant along with breakfast and so far, I haven't noticed any negative effects from it - just lemony, buttery yumminess.

I also ordered "The Works" with GF toast for breakfast which comes with a choice of meats - I went with bacon. The breakfast was decent, but the highlight really was that GF scone.

Lazy Jane's is on the near East Side. If you've never been, there are some things that I think are helpful to know. Firstly parking is difficult, so it's best to try to find street parking close enough to the restaurant or walk if you're close enough. The procedure is that you stand in line and order, then you find a table, then you get your food from the counter when they call your name. After you're done eating, you bus your own table. There's also a bakery annex a couple doors down on the same side of the street that's open on weekends if you're only getting baked goods. It's also cash only, so be sure to have enough when you go in. Enjoy!

Fresco

Fresco is located on the roof of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art on State Street and is part of the Food Fight Group. We had originally planned on eating at the Icon but when we arrived we learned that they were only serving all you can eat mussels and decided to try somewhere else instead. Fresco is across the street and so off we went.

Before yesterday I'd only been to Fresco for drinks and I would recommend it for the view alone. It's a great view of downtown Madison and could be a pretty romantic location to watch the sun set. I'm not sure why I hadn't tried their food in the past, but was happy to find out that many of the items on their regular menu were also on their gluten free menu. Their website suggests that their menu changes frequently, so I'm not sure if this is always the case.

Given that I'd originally planned on tapas for dinner, I ended up ordering two appetizers as my meal and chose the sweet corn risotto cakes with roasted poblano cream, corn and tomato salad and the shrimp diablo with a jicama orange salad. They were both delicious with the shrimp diablo being just the right amount of spicy and the risotto cakes being crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I must admit that this was an instance that I was so hungry that I forgot to ask about cross contamination issues with the risotto cakes, but I didn't have any negative effects afterward and for that I was very grateful. I would certainly encourage people to ask about these before ordering them but I'd guess that the menu will change shortly as their current menu seemed summer themed.

I can now say that in addition to having a great view, I can also recommend Fresco for their food. It would be a great location for happy hour if they had a happy hour menu. They are somewhat on the pricier side, but certainly in line with other similar restaurants downtown and the view is included. Enjoy!

Flemings

Life has gotten in the way of dining out recently and so it's been a while since I've posted. We've mostly eaten at old favorites recently like jacs and Taste of India which have been consistently good. I've also been traveling and eating at different restaurants around the country and it's been heartening to find out how much more people seem to know about gluten everywhere I go even in comparison to a couple years ago. I was even offered gluten free toast in Ann Arbor at the Dahlman Campus Inn's restaurant with my breakfast when I explained that I couldn't have the regular toast with my breakfast.

Unfortunately this did not extend to a recent experience at Flemings Steakhouse in Hilldale Mall when we recently stopped in to try their happy hour. In addition to their drinks, they have a limited appetizer menu which we thought we might try on our recent visit. It was clear once we sat down that our bartender did not appear to be in a good mood. I did not expect the degree to which this would have affected our experience.

The bartender in general seemed not very excited about his job and the part of his job that involved interacting with people. I asked for the happy hour menu which he dropped in front of us. He took our drink order and proceeded to pour our water, plopped them in front of us along with a bowl of potato chips and asked if there was anything else we needed. In my typical fashion I asked if the potato chips were gluten free and if there were any other gluten free items on the appetizer menu. He took a look at the menu and mentioned two menu items that could be made gluten free with modifications (the tuna and the carpaccio), the two which were not (calamari and ravioli) and that he didn't know about a fifth (BBQ shrimp). His response to whether or not the potato chips were gluten free was a very dismissive "I don't know, they're potato chips." He did seem to check with someone on this and later let us know that the potato chips were not in fact gluten free. We left very shortly after without placing an order for food and found the experience to be very disappointing, particularly since Flemings is apparently well known for their service. Unfortunately on this occasion, we were not on the receiving end of this.

Bluephies

Before our visit on Friday it had probably been about two years since I'd been to Bluephies. Bluephies now has a few different locations and is one of the restaurants in the Food Fight chain which tends to do a reasonably good job of having gluten free menus at their restaurants.

On Friday, we visited the original restaurant on Monroe Street. I didn't remember being particularly excited about the food at Bluephies two years ago, but when we were looking for somewhere new to go to for dinner, I figured that after two years, it kind of counted as "new." After taking a look at their website it seemed that they had made some changes to their menu including seeming to have more gluten free options like the option to have gluten free bread and pasta substituted in some dishes for an upcharge.

On previous visits, the Ooey Gooey Pasta had been recommended by one of the wait staff and I think that is what I'd had on both occasions. I remember it being good, but nothing to write home about, so I wanted to try something different on this visit. Plus, that was the whole point of going somewhere "new!" After going back and forth between ordering a burger or the risotto, the waitress rightly pointed out that I could make a burger at home and recommended the risotto. And so risotto it was. The waitress, asked me if my "gluten allergy was severe" which I thought was a bit strange, but I responded in the affirmative since I thought that meant that they would make extra efforts to avoid cross contamination, which it seemed they did, because I did not suffer any ill effects from my meal.

The risotto had  bits of duck shredded and folded in with thin pieces of asparagus and mushrooms and was in a red wine reduction. As with my memory of the ooey gooey pasta, I found the risotto to be good, but not particularly great. The concept was better than the execution. It certainly was a generous serving and there was no room for dessert which was a good thing, because they were out of the flourless chocolate cake which is their only GF dessert option. I know that Bluephies is a Madison establishment and certainly has lots of fans, but I must be missing something or maybe just haven't ordered the right things, because I find myself not being one of them. I'd be interested to hear what others think about Bluephies.

Restaurant Week - 43 North

Summer restaurant week is always a favorite time of mine in Madison. It is an opportunity to try new restaurants, enjoy restaurants that I would not necessarily regularly frequent because of their prices and unlike the winter restaurant week, I don't have to dig through snow to get to them. For those unfamiliar with Madison's restaurant weeks, they occur twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. Local restaurants offer a choice of a set 3 course menu for $25. Some restaurants also offer a less expensive $15 lunch option during restaurant week. Reservations are highly recommended because many of the restaurants are full during peak times.

Today marked the first day of summer restaurant week and I thought we would give 43 North a try. We made reservations a few weeks ago after calling ahead to ask if there would be gluten free options on their menu. They assured me that there would be. 43 North is located on King Street, just off the square in the old Cafe Continental location. They are another restaurant that opened relatively recently and I've been wanting to give them a try, but until today hadn't made it in. After today, I think I'm going to be a regular.

I did have to consult with the waiter a few times before settling on an order because the initial menu options presented did not sound particularly appealing to me, although mostly because I don't particularly care for chilled soups or salmon which were the two suggestions offered for the first two courses. After further consulting with the kitchen, I ended up ordering the trout, the game hen and the chocolate dessert.

The waiter started us off with a chilled watercress and apple soup with a tomato fennel oil on top. Likely because of my already mentioned dislike of chilled soup, this was my least favorite of the offerings. I wonder if they meant to make the tomato fennel oil look like a face...

Next up was the trout which was pan seared instead of deep fried to make it gluten free. The trout was amazing! It was crispy on the outside, perfectly cooked and served on top of cucumbers and scallions with lemongrass, ginger and macademia nuts. It's not a combination that I would necessarily think would work well together, but I don't know how I'll be able to eat trout any other way now. Apparently this is not an item that is regularly on their menu, but I hope it gets added, because I must have this again!

For the entree, I ordered the Game Hen which is typically offered with Gnocchi but they were able to substitute a potato puree to make it gluten free. The game hen was also perfectly done and served with the aforementioned potato puree, wild mushrooms, sorrel and a mustard caramel. I was already getting full by the time this dish came out and in an attempt to have room for dessert, I asked to have half of it boxed and look forward to reliving this meal as I eat the rest of it sometime this week.

For the grand finale, I ordered the chocolate dessert with a hibiscus panna cotta and a curry flavored sauce - another unexpectedly delicious flavor combination and the perfect end to a wonderful meal.

I can't recommend 43 North highly enough. My only reservation is that the waiter did not seem particularly educated on gluten and did offer me both bread at the beginning of the meal and coffee cake at the end, but I was able to eat there safely after he graciously continued to check with the kitchen prior to me ordering. It certainly appeared that the kitchen had a good handle on gluten issues. The waiter did mention that the restaurant will be starting a happy hour menu in August and I look forward to going back then - hopefully they'll bring back the trout for that menu. As of right now, the only happy hour option with good gluten free appetizers has been Ocean Grill and I'm eager for another option. Hopefully you'll have the opportunity to get out there and try something new this week and if you're still looking for ideas, give 43 North a call! Enjoy!

jacs

It is no small wonder that this blog is 6 months old and so far jacs has only been mentioned as a small part of a previous post since we're there so often. It's probably because we're there so much that I've neglected to write a review on jacs and have instead written about other restaurants that I visit less frequently since I'm not sure when I'll return to those to write about them. It's finally time for me to give jacs it's due as the most fantastic restaurant for gluten free dining for it's style of cuisine and probably more than most other restaurants in town because of the special efforts it makes for it's gluten free diners. It is certainly one of my favorite restaurants in Madison.

jacs is located on Monroe Street on the same end as Bluephies and Taste of India. It has a dedicated fryer for gluten free food and are able to produce yummy gluten free frites and even a gluten free breaded fish fry on Fridays as a result. They are able to make almost any item on their menu gluten free, including those that contain bread products. Also, unlike most other restaurants who accommodate a GF diet by providing the menu item minus the offending gluten containing item, jacs provides a substitute including a gluten free flatbread, gluten free buns and bread for it's burgers and sandwiches and even a gluten free English muffin on their brunch menu!

I've had many of the menu items including a few of their flatbreads (the margarita is my favorite although the veggie looks delicious and I haven't tried that one yet), the duck, the burgers, the mussels and the smoked salmon benedict and can recommend them all in their own right. I've not been as impressed with their dessert, but I've only ordered it once and there's not typically room at the end of the meal anyway! jacs also carries GF beer and a cider as well as wine if you're looking to just stop in for drinks or to have a drink with dinner.

This Friday we had the fish fry which is probably what I go there most often to eat. It includes two breaded pieces of fish with tartar sauce, frites with aioli, coleslaw and applesauce which are all really good. There's typically nothing left on my plate at the end of the meal which attests to how good everything is, because it is a lot of food and apple sauce and coleslaw are not typically favorites of mine, but jacs does even these basics well.

The staff at jacs is knowledgeable about their gluten free items and very friendly and efficient. There's a strong need to be efficient too because jacs is frequently crowded with a wait for tables, especially on a Friday. They will do call ahead seating and we do typically call from home before we leave and ask to have our names put on the list. This can be done 30 minutes in advance. They do also take reservations, but I'm not sure if they do so every night.

I'm sure most people who live in Madison who are on a gluten free diet have already discovered jacs, but if you haven't, I would make it your next stop. Also, if anyone from jacs is listening out there, I'm making a special request for gluten free fried chicken. Enjoy!

8 Seasons Grille

This past Tuesday evening, I shared a yummy meal with a friend at 8 Seasons Grill. I was in the mood to try somewhere new and found this restaurant in the new Madison's Dining Guide. 8 Seasons Grill is a small bistro in downtown Madison a little bit away from the rest of the downtown restaurant scene. The inside of the restaurant has a comfortable neighborhood feel to it and a small bar area. The bartender seemed friendly and it seemed like a good place to stop in after work for a drink. The outdoor dining area where we sat is a good location for people watching and had a mellow mood, at least on the evening we were there. The restaurant changes it's menu 8 times per year as it's name suggests and seems to source locally.

The waitress was very friendly and assured me that they prepare gluten free meals "all the time" although she seemed somewhat unsure what this involved. After checking with the kitchen she was able to offer a number of choices, including the seafood special which I ended up ordering.  They also had a number of interesting salads such as the "Wisconsin" which is a watercress salad with cranberries and walnuts with a bacon vinaigrette. All their salads were described as gluten free, at least on the menu I ordered from and she assured me that many of the other entrees, including the breaded ones could be adapted to be gluten free.

The entree that I ordered consisted of scallops, shrimp and calamari with broccoli, onions and red bell peppers in a white wine sauce. It came with a side of Parmesan which I sprinkled generously on top (others may think it's a bit of overkill, but I love my cheese!). It was a nice light meal on a hot, almost summer evening. The scallops were perfectly cooked which is a success all on it's own!

My meal was good and safe as well, which is always a relief when I try somewhere new. I would definitely try them again and am excited to add this to the rotation of meals. The website suggests that a new menu is coming up at the end of June and I'm eager to go back and see what the new offerings are.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Yesterday was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and we were in search of somewhere fun to sit outside, enjoy the weather and maybe have a summery drink before continuing on with the errands for the day. It would have been nice to sit out by the lake, but for all the lakefront property in the area, good restaurants on the lake seem to be a rarity in Madison (we do enjoy Sardine, but they're not exactly on the lake, so much as have a reasonable view of it).

We decided on Cheeseburger in Paradise in Greenway Station in Middleton which has a fun atmosphere and does have outdoor seating and a huge drink menu. Unfortunately, the outdoor seating looks out onto a parking lot and some of the shops of Greenway Station, but with the fun music in the background, if you have a good imagination, you can pretend you're on an island.

Cheeseburger in Paradise offers a number of the requisite cheeseburgers as well as salads, sandwiches and "specialties" as well as the aforementioned summery drinks. The restaurant has an island theme in both the food and drink menu as well as the atmosphere. They also have a gluten free menu available and the staff seem to have a good understanding of it and the relevant issues. Our waitress was very nice and patient with my multiple reminders about needing my meal to be gluten free.

I have had their burgers before, but unlike other restaurants, Cheeseburger in Paradise does not provide gluten free buns and on this occasion, I wasn't in the mood for just a meat patty with condiments. I ended up ordering the ribs with a side of french fries which are both gluten free. The fries are made in a dedicated fryer and both the ribs and the fries were very tasty! The meal also came with a slaw, which I did not particularly enjoy because of the raisins which were featured in it, but others may find it enjoyable.

Overall, I can recommend Cheeseburger in Paradise if you are looking for a fun, outdoor atmosphere and are in some mood for some American fare with an island twist. Any ideas for other gluten free friendly outdoor dining experiences welcome!

Quivey's Grove

Madison has finally started being consistently warm this month and for us that usually means it's time for out of town visitors. One of the places that I like taking people who are here to visit from out of town is Quivey's Grove. It's actually one of the first restaurants I ate at when I moved here and it gave me a sense of the type of down to earth style of cooking that is typical of classic Wisconsin fare. It was also one of my first introductions to how easy it is to eat gluten free in Madison in comparison to other cities that I've visited and/or lived.

As many people may know, Quivey's is actually two different restaurants - the more upscale Stone House and the more casual Stable Grill. They both have gluten free menus and although I've typically eaten at the Stable Grill, I've also found the Stone House to be delicious and accessible to a gluten free diet. If you've never gone through the tunnel from one to the other, it's a fun experience - at least once!

On this occasion I noticed that the menu had changed since my last visit there and one of the dishes that I typically order - the trout is no longer on the menu. The waitress seemed somewhat unsure about what was gluten free on the new menu and after checking with the kitchen I ended up getting the Windsor Whitefish, which is actually quite similar to the trout. The Whitefish is baked in a dill and mustard butter sauce and served with parmesan potatoes. The fish was perfectly cooked and has a mild flavor.

I've been to Quivey's many times and have always safely eaten a good meal there. They're also well known for their fish fry and they do have a gluten free option, although it's not breaded like the one offered at jacs (which I promise to review one of these days!). I would definitely recommend Quivey's and my only complaint is that the restaurant always seems full and the wait staff seem to have more tables than they can successfully attend to and ordering can sometimes feel rushed. With a little patience and good company, however, Quivey's is a great gluten free option. Enjoy!

Food Week in Review

Last week there were even more restaurants on the agenda than usual. Here's a quick wrap up of the highs and the lows...

On Wednesday I had a fun dinner with a friend at Jacs. Jacs is a fantastic choice for gluten free dining and one day soon I'm sure I'll provide a more complete review since I'm there fairly often. On this occasion I was craving a burger and fries and that's exactly what I had - GF bun and all! With a glass of hard cider which Jacs keeps on tap. The burger was cooked perfectly and the frites and cider were the perfect accompaniment. Yum! I almost want to get another one right now as I'm writing about it.

Did I mention that they have a dedicated GF fryer for their frites and, drum roll please... GF fish fry on Fridays. If they made GF fried chicken, I would have to see about moving in!

Thursday brought us to Nostrano, a fairly new restaurant downtown. Over the past year there have been a number of new restaurants that have opened on the square. This one has had really good reviews which intrigued me, so off we went. Nostrano has an extensive wine list and the bartender happily suggested a red wine to accompany our meal - a wonderful selection. He was not as familiar with the restaurant's gluten free offerings as the staff at Jacs, but after a quick check with the kitchen he was able to offer us a number of choices. We shared the Sea Scallop with Oxtail starter which was delicious. The delicate texture of the sea scallop with the richer, heartier oxtail was a fantastic combination. I would highly recommend it.

We also split the Braised Beef Shortribs (without the gnocchi) which was served on a bed of swiss chard.  The shortribs were, in our opinion, OK and a bit disappointing after the sea scallops left us with high expectations. If you've had the shortribs at Quivey's Stone House I think you might also find the ones at Nostrano to be disappointing. If you haven't and you're a fan of tender, wonderfully flavored short ribs, I'd make a date to try the ones at Quiveys ASAP.

Unfortunately we ended the week on a less than happy note with a trip to The Bayou, a New Orleans style restaurant just off the square. I've been to the Bayou before and got glutened, but the group I was with wanted to go and so I gave it another shot. Let's just say I won't be back. The Bayou has a lot of typical po-boy fare as well as other classic New Orleans dishes. Upon entering I asked the waitress about her GF options. She assured me that the Red Beans and Rice and Jambalaya would be safe options and that neither was made with a roux. Given my previous experience, I scrutinized the menu further only to discover that the red beans and rice listed beer as one of the ingredients. I questioned one of the waiters and was informed that there was probably only "a little" in the dish. Even though that should have been enough for me to give up on eating there, I asked about the Jambalaya (I was really hungry). I was told that he would double check on it and never heard another word about it as my dining companions received and ate their meal. It is rare that I will find a restaurant in Madison that cannot accommodate a GF diet, but this seems to be one of them.

I took myself, half starved to Saigon Noodle and grabbed a quick bite. This is another frequent stop of ours, but on this occasion I was too hungry to take a picture of the meal for you. If you're looking for good, affordable Vietnamese food, give them a try!

I'm not sure where my dining adventures will take me next, but I'll keep you posted. Happy eating!