New East side Mexican Food - YUM!

We are so excited that on the far east side we continue to attract new places to eat. The newest addition is Cucos a little joint on Buckeye that took over the Papacornopulis location. What an improvement - the place is really bright, clean and comfortable place to grab dinner any night of the week.  The menu is huge with a huge number of choices - all the usual Tex Mex items I grew up with, enchiladas, nachos, fajitas and a huge combo section. The beer is cold and the margaritas look tasty - we have not had one yet. The service is spectacular - always friendly , attentive and present when needed.  We have found a couple of things that are the best kept secert at this new favorite go to spot. First - ask for the hotter salsa - it is smoky, deep with rich chili notes and nice punch of heat! And second - order the Pork Carnitas dinner - holy cow - a plate full of the most tender, slow cooked pork with crispy exterior. This is by far one of the best plates of carnitas I have ever had in my life - and I have eaten a lot of Mexican food.  The platter is accompanined with nice refried beans, rice, lettuce, pico de gallo , fresh guacamole and crisp pickled jalapenos. You get to choose either corn or flour tortillas which are served fresh and hot. It is a build your own taco bonanza - we usually have leftovers for the next day - what value for about $10 it is a must seek out spot when the craving for Mexican food hits! While the west side has Taqueria Guadalajara and we have a few others spots around town - this is our new favorite place in the neighborhood!  We can't wait to explore the menu even more - if we can get away from ordering these succulent carnitas.

Happy Eating!

Jim

Saturday and a lunch in Gotham

It was a busy Saturday day running errands we must have hit 8 places up and down State St. before 1:30 when we stopped to take in some lunch. We were in the downtown area and decided to go to Gotham Bagels, what a great call. Linda had been for lunch a couple of weeks ago and raved about the sandwich she had so we came back together. What a nice treat we each had a cup of Matzo ball soup and then split the Spanish Harlem sandwich and for dessert they had bagel dogs so I grabbed one to go. Gotham is owned by a New York chef that came to Madison to teach at MATC, it is clear that he knows his food and has a staff that is well versed in it as well as great service.

The Food:
The Matzo ball soup was ok - the broth was rich but needed a little more depth and the matzo ball tasted a little old - the soup was garnished with perfectly cut brunoise of carrot, celery and onion -nice knife skills.

On the sandwich - the Spanish Harlem is roasted pork shoulder with capocollo ham, baby Swiss, pickles and Dijon on your choice of bagels - we chose the onion. The bagels are no ordinary bagel - the are hand rolled and baked on a rotary hearth oven. The sandwich is served hot and what a sandwich - by far some of the best roast pork I have had in a couple of years - moist, tender and full of flavor. The Spanish Harlem is Gotham's spin on a Cuban sandwich and I have to say it delivers beyond expectation. This is one of the top 5 sandwiches in Madison, you have got to try it!!!!

For dessert - I had split the sandwich with my love but was still a little hungry so I grabbed a Saturday special a bagel dog for $2 - what a deal. This was a wonderfully roasted dog wrapped in thin layer of bagel dough and then baked golden - it was crunchy outside with wonderful tender and juicy hot dog in the middle. It was a taste treat and a deal!

Get to Gotham and enjoy a true culinary trip to Manhattan without the hassle of airport security...oh yeah "if they holler at you is because they care" and you know what they really do. It shows in the food, service and hospitality we will be back often and even for breakfast - remember these bagels are not just for breakfast