Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
throughout southwestern Wisconsin (the latter's butterburgers are also something to write
homeabout).However,you'llnotfindeitherwithinwalkingdistance(orevenashortdrive)
of downtown. No worries, for the University of Wisconsin comes to the rescue again: For
the obligatory Wisconsin experience, a true Homer Simpson moment to say “Mmmm,”
head directly for the UW campus and
M
Babcock Hall,
where the university cooks delect-
able batches of its own proprietary ice cream, which is also served at the Memorial Union.
Vegetarian and Health Foods
Many restaurants have vegetarian-friendly food—vegan-friendly is another matter. Check
www.vegmadison.com
formore.Whatyourstrulydoesisgrabalunchtogofromthe
Willy
St. Co-op
(1221 Williamson St., 608/251-6776,
www.willystreet.coop
, 8am-9pm daily),
which is technically on the Near East side.
A five-minute drive (or ten-minute bike ride) east from the co-op is the
Green Owl
Café
(1970 Atwood Ave., 608/285-5290,
www.thegreenowlcafe.com
, 11am-9pm Tues.-
Sat.,11am-3pmSun.,$5-10),whereyou'llfindonlyveganandvegetariandishes;thesoups
are worth the trip, as are the faux-meat sandwiches.
Asian
Without question among the best restaurants in town is
M
Restaurant Muramoto
(225
King St., 608/259-1040,
www.restaurantmuramoto.com
,
11:30am-2pm Mon.-Fri.,
5pm-10pm Mon.-Fri., 5pm-9pm Sat.-Sun., $7-15). The food is creative pan-Asian with
Japanese at its heart. Nothing here disappoints. Even the service has been far, far above the
usual college-town lethargy.
Madison's got one of the United States' highest concentration of overseas Chinese stu-
dents, but not much good Chinese food—except for
M
Fugu
(411 W. Gilman St., 608/
286-7277,
www.fuguasian.com
,
11am-10:30pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-10pm Sun., $4-9). Hav-
ing spent two decades around China, this author's pretty fussy—and this pan-Cathay (and
Asian fusion) joint heavy on Sichuanese influences is the only place in Madison he'll eat
Chinese food.
The Madison institution for Nepali cuisine has always been
Himal Chuli
(318 State St.,
608/251-9225, 11am-9pm Mon.-Wed., 11am-9:30pm Thurs.-Sat., noon-8pm Sun.), a great
little place with a menu that will never let you down.
Steak Houses and Supper Clubs
Grazing vegetarians—a dominant sociopolitical force locally—must have been a bit taken
aback by the resurgence of the true carnivorous experience downtown. Steak houses with
