Michael's Frozen Custard

I've only ever purchased one thing from this custard-ery: the chocolate chip cookie dough hot fudge sundae. It's a standard sundae with hot fudge and little cookie dough pellets sprinkled on. Now, I don't want to brag, but I'm one of the world's foremost experts on cookie dough and cookie dough-related dairy confections. Ben and Jerry's is a good one, and I've been known to eat a pint in a single sitting, followed by several seconds of self-loathing before my stomach tells my brain it wants more cookie dough. Their cookie dough is the correct size (~0.5"-1" in diameter), consistency (chewy), and a decent enough cookie dough to iced cream ratio (although my optimum would be 100% cookie dough). For comparison, Michael's begins with smaller cookie dough chunks that are a little more solid, and they are a topping rather than sprinkled through the custard bulk. If this were all there were too it, then it would fall far short of Ben and Jerry's.

But that's not all there is too it. There's also the hot fudge, which not only adds delicious delicious hot fudge, but also helps melt the custard a little bit, pulling the whole thing together. It becomes more than the sum of its parts, like a sunset over an ocean. With a shooting star. Their only mistake is insisting on Maraschino cherries, the Mark of the Devil staining god's creation. Not everyone's perfect.

I should probably say Betsy also enjoys a different dessert, the mint chocolate chip shake. They're much better than shamrock shakes, which I recently found out, are disgusting. I think she's had a couple other sundaes as well, all of which were enjoyed.

Michael's does also have some food. But why would anyone eat it?

Umami

I was excited when a friend suggested we try out this relatively new Madison restaurant most because I haven't really given Japanese restaurants in Madison a chance and this one did boast Japanese authenticity. Umami did not disappoint. Although, it's difficult to find because it looks like a house, is set back from the street, and the sign is tiny, the ambiance and food makes up for the confusion it caused me.

Essentially, the menu boasts dumplings and ramen and in fact, I believe they call themselves a dumpling and ramen bar. But we did start with edamame because I'm incapable of not ordering edamame when offered. Anyway, on to dinner. Admittedly, I am anti-ramen after too many salty (yet cheap) dinners in college and life on a much smaller budget (not to mention a less refined palette). So I went with the dumplings. My co-diner went ramen and I know now that ramen does not have to come in a 5 cent orange package. It was served in a beautiful wooden bowl and smelled amazing! Options included meat and non meat with optional toppings (such as pork belly which I'm sorry, sounds terrible but is probably great). My dumplings were devoured quickly- a little pork, some veggies, and pan seared with a sweet soy dipping sauce. Dumplings for dinner! A success! I wondered at first if I would want more variety on my plate but it didn't turn out that way. The flavor was rich and distinct and I enjoyed each dumpling better than the last.

The fact that this restaurant is a renovated house helped make the experience all that more enjoyable. The owners describe it as "hip, not pretentious" and I'm inclined to agree. It feels modern and sleek but also inviting and well, hip. I think they nailed that one.

I am definitely going back to Umami for more ramen and dumplings and anything else they'd like to serve me. I like the simplicity of the menu and the food even though it does provide my entire sodium intake for the day.