Yet another East side Madison business I want to kiss

Along with Greg's Guitar Shop, my management company, my new mechanic, and the Best Hardware Store in the Wide World (Ace on Willy Street), I have added another business to my list of Over-the-Top Ridiculously Good Customer Service Providers Within Walking Distance of My House: Burnie's Rock Shop.

A couple years ago, I purchased the perfect pair of earrings. They're silver, dangly (but not too dangly) reversible teardrops with a golden brown amber stone on one side and a green amber stone on the other. They are absolutely beautiful in the light, perfectly proportional to moi, and they also match 95.5% of my primarily green and brown wardrobe. I absolutely love them. I'll post of photo this weekend. (I'm wearing them in my profile pic on my blog if you can't possibly wait to see them.)

Anyway, I lost the green amber stone from one of the earrings last September. I was sad. I took them in to Burnie's, where I bought them, because they've repaired silver rings, earrings, and chains for me multiple times before at reasonable prices. They said they would look for a matching stone and replace it for me. So they looked. And looked. And looked. I called them every month, and, every month, they apologized profusely that they couldn't find a matching stone and told me where they were looking and when the next gem show was where they might find one.

After six months, I was pretty much ready to give up and just ask for them back so I could at least wear the earring with the brown stone out. But, they called yesterday and said: No, we didn't find your stone. However, the designer that originally made the earring you bought came back through to show us her new stuff and we bought a couple pairs of earring just like yours. We will give you a replacement pair at no charge.

So, I went in, not quite believing that a) these replacement earrings could look like my favorite perfect+ pair, or b) they would give them to me for free. But, yup, they look like my favorite pair (perfect!) and they gave them to me for free (perfect!). I still can't exactly figure out why they gave them to me for free. I was the one who lost the stone, and I was planning to pay them for the new stone and repair costs. But, I guess they felt bad about not being able to fix them or something, so they didn't charge me. When she said, "No charge," I even asked, "Are you sure? Really?"

Have I mentioned lately that I lovelovelove where I live? Have I mentioned lately that this is impeding my attempts at rational, financially based decision making about which grad school to attend? But that's another story entirely.

Anyway, go to Burnie's. They have pretty things, including all kinds of rings that I want, even though I wear two of the same three every single day. And they are nice.

Restaurant Review - FlatTop Grill

I got denied on Monday trying to fly to Dayton. The connection from Milwaukee to Dayton would have been missed because of the delay from Madison to Milwaukee flight.

To console myself, R and I went shopping to buy things we have been needing, like a frying pan that isn't TERRIBLE. apparently our current ones are terrible and R was getting shrill about it. I insisted we buy quality, so we went to Macy's at Hilldale.

While we were out there we decided on dinner, and Flat Top Grill it was.
A group of us went there on New Year's Eve, so I was familiar but R had never been.

The schtick is this: you get a bowl and a salad bar style line to put things in bowl. cover with sauce and pick some meat. Then, you hand it over and they fry it all up on a big, get this, flat top grill! They then bring it back to you at your table.

Here are my opinions:
1) I can't give them any credit for my bowl being delicious... I put it all together.
2) there is a scary chance that my bowl could have been sucky... if I were the restaurant I wouldn't want to take this chance. People aren't likely to come back if their food sucked. even if it was their fault. (my issue with places like the Prime Quarter is the same - I am not qualified to properly cook an expensive steak.)
3) I think their drink selection sort of sucks. I had the Horny Monkey at New Years Eve (and sort of appalling with a banana sticking out the top) and it just wasn't very good. They only have about three other kinds of specialty drinks, no bourbon selection to speak of, and a limited bottle beer selection.
4) darn it, that bread is good. it is a fried, greasy flatbread. mmm.

Overall - the dinner is 12 bucks, and I assume this is primarily for the experience. One bowl is way more food than you probably need, but you can get unlimited for a dollar more.

I will go back, but once again, probably for the experience more than the food.

Contradancing

In other news, there is a contradancing event in Madison this week. I want to try contradancing one of these days. Unfortunately, I can't this weekend as I'm roaming in Illinois instead, but just in case you are looking for something new to try this weekend, here are the details:

Contra Dance
at the Grace Episcopal Church
on Saturday night (02/09/2008)
Starting @ 8:00pm
With caller Steve Pike & music by the Last Gaspe Band

Here's a short sumamry of Contradancing, since you probably aren't familiar with it:

Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) refers to several folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length. Contra dances can be found around the world, though they are especially popular in the United States. Contra dance is also referred to as traditional New England folk dance.

ALthough my favorite definition is this one:

"A contra dance is like an amusement park ride we make for ourselves." --Unknown


And here's a link that can give you even more details. Also, if you go to YouTube and search for "contra dance" you'll find some videos. I thought about pre-screening some for you loyal readers, buuuut.... what's the fun of that?

A sweater and a new haircut... LR#5

To make up for my previous sweater Thursday that was missing a head, now you get a sweater Thursday that's... uhhh.... mostly head.

Restaurant Reviews

This blog about Madison cuisine is making me feel bad. It is more complete and comprehensive than my posts and what I simply can not forgive: wittier.
It also includes pictures.
I feel bad inside.
Perhaps I will just link to theirs.
sigh.

Fresco Review

Fresco is located at the top of the Overture Center in downtown Madison. A group of us went there for Madison's Restaurant Week. (Folks that attended are also contributors to this blog, so it would be great if they contributed and heck, even contradicted me!)

Atmosphere - think modern. glass walls, interesting shapes for the bowls, clean lines, minimalist. This makes things pretty loud when the joint is hopping.

Food - most of us chose from the fixed price menu, but many were on their standard menu:

• the seared sashimi grade scallop was prepared well (and pretty delicious), but I felt the dish as a total lacked something - the polenta, sauce, bacon just weren't "there" for me.
• Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Micro Grilled Cheese - just okay. Not a soup I was going to tell anyone about and the grilled cheese was a nice crusty french bread with cheddar, but once again, not that special.
• Salmon - the salmon was well prepared (moist, flakey and delicious), but it was just salmon with mashed potatoes. Once again, nothing extraordinary.
• Sheep's Milk Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi - this was the standout dish of the night for me. It was small, but outstanding. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, the sauce creamy and rich.
• Cinnamon Creme Brule - I don't know that there are a lot of crappy creme brules out there in the world and this was no exception to that rule.
• Beignets - Unlike Creme Brule - beignets are easy to fuck up. But, these were delicious! I haven't been to New Orleans, but I have had beignets at a restaurant in Chicago that could stop my heart. These were heart stoppers too. all light fluffiness with deliciousness.

Service - fairly good, except that she dropped a knife on my friend's head. but the waitress tried to make that right and she was appropriately upset about it.

Overall - there are a lot of fancy restaurants in Madison that would get my money before Fresco.