Shish Cafe

I probably can't count the number of times I have passed by the unassuming strip mall that Shish Cafe is located in without giving it a thought. Then within the past few months I've had two separate people rave about it when I've asked for recommendations for good Middle Eastern food and made a mental note that I really should stop in to see what they have to offer. Even so, we just never seem to think about it when we're looking for somewhere to eat until this past Friday when somehow we actually remembered to stop in.

Now that we've finally eaten there, we won't have trouble remembering it in the future. Shish Cafe is located on the West side of Madison on University Avenue and has many classic Syrian dishes, including a number of lamb, seafood and vegetarian meals with a smattering of chicken and beef offerings as well. The waiter did not seem to have a clue about gluten when I asked, but I pulled out my trusty Triumph dining card which he diligently read and then advised me on the menu choices.

We ordered the lamb chops and also the sea bass, both with hummus as the waiter informed us that the basmati rice was made with pasta in it. He was also careful to leave off a garlic bulb that he reported was usually served with the sea bass because it is typically dusted with flour.

Both meals were done to perfection and seasoned well with the lamb cooked to medium and the sea bass being tender and cooked perfectly. The hummus was also delicious as was the yogurt dipping sauce. The portion sizes are not large and the sea bass left me wishing for a few more bites. I think the expectation is that the pita that is served on the table will supplement the portion sizes, but this of course is not an option when eating gluten free.

Overall, I would recommend Shish Cafe. We were able to get a table easily on a Friday night although we were asked if we had a reservation which may mean that this may not always be the case. The food was good and the waiter's attention to my needs meant that I was able to eat there safely. Although my portion was somewhat small, the diners around me had reasonable portions. The prices were reasonable and are comparable to other casual dining restaurants. 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!

Vin Santo

Tuesday was my first visit to Vin Santo in Middleton although I've passed it by many times on my trips to Bloom and been curious about what it has to offer by way of gluten free meals. I finally ventured in with a friend after previewing their menu online and seeing that they do have a number of gluten free items available.

Both myself and my dining companion found the ambiance of Vin Santo to be somewhat unusual for an Italian restaurant. To start, there is a strange disconnect between the dark windows and awning on the outside of the building and what greets you upon entering the restaurant. The inside seems to be a strange combination of Southwest colors and a supper club theme - antlers on the wall and all. Although the decor seemed unusual, the smells upon entering the restaurant are classic Italian and the diners certainly seemed to be enjoying their meals with gusto.

After a quick review of the menu and a description of their daily specials, I ordered the soup special which was a creamy spinach soup. Although they do not seem to carry gluten free pasta and the majority of their menu consists of pasta dishes, they do have a number of menu items listed as house specials which all seem to be gluten free. In addition, although their mussels are not listed as gluten free on their menu, the waitress indicated that they were indeed gluten free and I ordered those as well.

I enjoyed the idea of being able to order soup in a restaurant more than the reality of the soup itself which was a bit thin and not particularly flavorful. The mussels were a different story altogether.  They are on the Antipasto menu and although the quantity is indicated on the menu, for some reason, I expected a smaller portion. However, given that I ordered it as an entree, I was happy for the 2 1/2 dozen mussels that were presented. The mussels were perfectly cooked and not at all rubbery like they can sometimes be. The sauce was a delicious white wine broth that was great for dipping each yummy mussel into.

Overall, I would recommend Vin Santo as a solid choice for gluten free Italian food, although if they offered gluten free pasta, I would give it an even higher recommendation. My friend enjoyed her ravioli dish and as I mentioned, the meals at the other tables all looked and smelled delicious so it seems like a great option for non-GF diners as well. Enjoy!