I cannot recall what we had for dinner the evening my ladyfriend and I went to Ice Cream Social but I do remember that it was blazing hot outside. Either dinner was an average meal overshadowed by ice cream or it was a good meal and Ice Cream Social makes some really damn good treats.
A gentleman was making the waffle cones as we stepped up to the display case and perused the flavors on offer. My ladyfriend had browned butter and I, unsurprisingly, ordered chocolate buttermilk.
Why yes, Madison does have a street named Sirloin Strip.
And on Sirloin Strip is a fine Columbian restaurant, El Pollo Rumbero. Google Translate says that it means, The Chicken Party-Goer. I like The Chicken Party Animal, personally. The name alone throws the gauntlet down before La Pollera Columbiana. Personally I think the more Columbian chicken places, the merrier.
I recall this place having been a hookah joint in the recent past but cannot recall what business was there prior to that. After searching, I see that it was Hanna's 77 Sirloin Strip at some point. The exterior definitely has a rural Wisconsin supper club thing going on. The El Pollo Rumbero folks have painted the walls with lovely bright colors with some serious Día de los Muertos vibes.
My ladyfriend ordered chicken wings and fries along with a salad while I had half a roasted chicken with fries, rice, and salad. We shared some fried calamari.
Both the calamari and the fries suffered the same fate of being undercooked. By that I mean that they were cooked to an edible degree but a bit of browning was in order. Flaccid fries are a sad thing to have on one's plate.
I think my ladyfriend misordered as the wings were just plain ones and not sauced like a large plate of them that mistakenly came to us before quickly being whisked away to a nearby table amidst a chorus of apologies. The salad was excellent with a nicely seasoned vinaigrette. My ladyfriend's salad was on the large side and she was unable to finish it. However, I did so the next day.
My roasted chicken was excellent. The skin was well-charred while the meat was tender and moist. What really made it super-delicious was the seasoning. It tasted peppery-herbal with just the right amount of salt for my taste. This chicken was so good that it now really stands out for me amongst all restaurant meals in town.
Thick cut pork chops grilled up fine have become a staple of my diet lately.
Last week I took my youngest stepson out for dinner to Guimo's Mexican Restaurant in Sun Prairie. Part of my motivation was to simply throw some business their way now that there was neither road nor sidewalk out front. We walked in after traversing some highly unlevel packed gravel and found that there were a fair number of people who apparently felt the same way as we were far from the only patrons. This was our second time there and my first experience featured some solid Mexican grub. The same held this time.
One thing I've been doing lately at Central & South American restaurants is trying out their soups. The ones that aren't pozole or menudo, that is. That night I had some of their chicken tortilla soup which came in that orange Fiestaware bowl. They did not skimp on the chicken. Tomato, chili - this was tasty stuff.
Last week my ladyfriend fried up some cabbage and onions and then served it with some meat pelmeni procured somewhere in the Chicago area on top.
I whipped up some spicy sour cream for the occasion. Again, simple but very tasty.
Last Saturday I took my ladyfriend to meet my family in Chicago. A cousin from out west was in town to celebrate his retirement and so we had a modest family gathering in honor of his milestone. Before we hit the road we stopped in at Cottage Cafe to break our fasts. I had walleye and eggs.
This seems to be an Upper Midwestern breakfast. Cottage Cafe did it well as the breading on the fish was applied with a light hand. When paired with rye toast, it is truly a delightful way to start my day.
I am a prepper. But not for the fall of our government and the ensuing anarchy nor for the end of days. I prepare for 90+ degree temps when I dare not cook in the apartment and am reluctant to be outside. And so on Sunday I prepped.
The first thing I made was pico de gallo.
I used one of the two serranos that I harvested early from my plant. Tasty but it could have used both of the chilies. And I forgot to get cilantro. D'oh!
Next was corn salad.
Normally I have black beans in there but, like the cilantro, I completely forgot to buy any at the store so I threw in a couple tomatoes that didn't become pico, avocado, and onion. This was all tossed in a vinaigrette that was given a large dose of coriander. The corn was actually rather sweet instead of bland and starchy so this salat turned out well.
Also on Sunday I found myself with a pound of ground beef to use up and didn't want to make burgers and so it ended up being used in stuffed green peppers cooked on the grill. I had no rice but I did have buckwheat groats so this ostensibly Italian type dish ended up with a Slavic complexion. Once I had the filling mixed up, I stood there contemplating a binding agent. What to use? Then it occurred to me that I had some tomato-basil cheese left and it was quickly shredded.
I had never attempted stuffed peppers on the grill before so I winged it. They spent a little time directly over the coals in an attempt to char their bottoms. This was moderately successful. Once this phase was done, I moved them away from the heat and let them cook for about 20 minutes.
They turned out alright. Tasty but next time I want to cook the peppers a bit longer all around. More char and a little less crunchiness to them. I only had 2 peppers so I had a crap ton of filling leftover and have been eating it on its own since. I think the nutty flavor of the buckwheat went well with the green bell pepper, though I can imagine that rice would better complement a sweeter yellow or red one.
Today I am feeling ground beef & buckwheated out and am contemplating what to have for dinner. I do need to run an errand after work so perhaps I can let someone else do the cooking this evening.
One final thought: the service at all of the above restaurants was good. The servers were all quite friendly, each and every one.
