Ancora Coffee

Does a coffee shop count as a restaurant? I don't really care, I was just asking. Ancora is down the street from where I work so if I want a snack, a chai (not a coffee drinker) or lately, a tasty sandwich, Ancora is perfect.

Everyone in there is so nice- 1 point. The food and drinks are always fresh and high quality- 1 point. It's a waaayyy better place for a meeting than my office building- 1 million points.

I usually get a chai latte with soy milk (to walk; I really love saying that). I've also been getting the mediterranean panini. wow. they grill it for you, wrap it up in foil and i take it back to my desk and enjoy a hot sandwich with olive tapanade and mozzarella cheese.

Ancora also sells yogurt and fruit parfaits, various scones and muffins and big fat yummy cookies. Plus, all that coffee stuff. Including the clover- an insanely expensive coffee machine (seriously, it's like $11,000) that produces the best coffee ever. or so they say. again, not a coffee drinker.

But Ancora has great variety and while a bit on the pricy side it's a winner. Good food. Good drink. Plus, if you bring in your own mug (which they highly recommend) you get a discount.

Pizza Brutta

We've reviewed pizza places before. But Pizza Brutta is a lot more than a pizza place. First of all, the pizzas are made in a wood fired oven. Kind of feels like you're in Naples (Italy that is). And you can get pizza with arugula, buffalo mozzarella, roasted vegetables, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, spiced salami, the list goes on. All high end ingredients. We often get a pizza bianco (made with an olive oil base; who says all pizzas have to include red sauce?!); either the prosciutto arugula or caprese. Never been disappointed in either.

The salads are also delicious. And while I'm thinking of it, so is the gelato. And if you go during lunch, they have a separate menu with amazing sandwiches like the tonna or mozza. yum.

Overall advice: get a glass of wine (another reason it's a step above a regular pizza place) and relax. I also definitely recommend sharing a pizza- they are a bit big, though having extra for lunch the next day is not a bad thing.

Samba

Samba labels itself as Brazilian. I don't know if that's true or not, but whatever it is, it's unique among restaurants to which I've been. The first thing that strikes you on the upstairs dining room is its enormity. The upstairs itself has a ceiling tall enough to accommodate a mezzanine. There is also a stage for Jazz performances during dinner.

All these structural elements compliment the theater of the meal itself. You begin with the cold "salad bar." I say "salad bar" because most salad bars are uninspiring collections of, well, things to make salads. At Samba, the salad bar is a magical place. It's placed around a large four sided column with a huge floral centerpiece on top. The magic comes from the variety and quality of food, with different themes on each side. I've on the cold salad side, I had sweet potato salad and calamari salad, both flavorful and delicious. I also noted the balsamic goat cheese, pickled beets, fresh sauteed vegetables (the asparagus looked especially good).

After the salad bar comes the reason all go to Samba: the Rodizio course. Essentially, waiters (dressed ridiculously... do they dress like jungle guides in restaurants in Brazil?) circulate around the room with roasted meats and pineapple taken directly off spits. They cut small chunks of the meat directly onto your plate. And the meat, well, it's delicious. Always cooked perfectly, often a little crispy and spiced on the outside and amazingly juicy in the middle. My favorites are the flank steak and the chorizo, and the cinnamon pineapple is good as well. You can start and stop the flow of meat at your whim using a simple table indicator. I must admit I felt like a king with this thing.

Bring me more meat!

La Mestiza

In the small, charming space La Mestiza currently occupies, used to be a...Subway. Wow, talk about an upgrade. When I heard they opened up so close to where I work, I was, to say the least, excited! I went for lunch with a friend and was satisfied. I took Bob for dinner soon after that, and both of us recently had lunch there again after a hot afternoon during Art Fair on the Square.

It's colorful and affordable- two qualities I enjoy. I think the food is "good" not "great" but I really do like the trio de tacos. One steak, shredded pork, one chicken. All good. Throw in some cilantro, some pineapple and onions and it's really a respectable (and cheap) lunch. Besides, with the thick and crispy chips and two types of salsa, you'll have more than enough food. Though, why not get a horchata? I'm not sure. You should get one. It's delicious.

Bob had the platter mexicano and I literally did not even see it disappear off his plate. Apparently it was that good- a taco, a flouta, and a quesadilla. And lots of goodness.

With two locations, it really poises itself as a decent Madison mexican food joint. We've already discussed the downfalls of La Hacienda and the wonders of Tacqueria but if you're in the capital area and want a relaxing, higher than mediocre lunch, stop by and see the super friendly staff at La Mestiza. Get a drink. Enjoy the chips and salsa and pick from a great menu of traditional (with a bit of an anglo flair) options.

Ellen's Stardust Diner

Confession. This restaurant is not really in Madison. And by not really I mean not at all. But I recently went there while meeting a friend in NYC, and the experience was so entertaining I felt the need to share. Overall, let me just say I am GLAD such a place does not exist in Madison.

At first, it just looked like a fun glitzy diner in the heart of time's square. I waited outside for my friend Meredith and after a "it's SO good to see you!!!" hug we went inside and sat down. No one really noticed. Especially the wait staff. They were too busy singing and dancing on tables. Seriously. After a minute, one of the staff grabbed the mic and said something to the extent of "This is no regular diner. Because besides serving you food we also entertain you!" Panic starts to ensue for both of us. "We are all theater, acting or singing students here in New York and we are putting our talents to work here for all of you!" Oh. dear.

And they did. Though talents might be a wildly generous term. They alternated singly- loudly and on top of your table. Then they passed around an obnoxious tip jar. Then they sang AGAIN! But hey, at least they took requests. Finally we flagged down someone to give us menus and take our orders. The flagging had to continue as we rudely interrupted the show several times.

Here's the thing. This might have been a fun experience for someone with "deer-in-the-headlights-first-time-in-the-big-city" syndrome but for two friends trying to catch up it went from annoying to just hilarious :).

We had a good time- I mean, we were together we talked over the singing, and we made the best of it. But i have never been to a restaurant with quite so much stimulation. Not sure who Ellen is but she should consider less stardust and more customer service training.

La Hacienda

Here it is. The Mad Sampler's first negative review. It took us awhile but I think we've found a worthy candidate. Hey, it's not our fault that Madison not only has tons of restaurants but that it has TASTY restaurants.

La Hacienda should be a great place for us- we can walk or bike there, it's just right down the street, they have nice outdoor seating and considering it's located in a highly Latino part of town, one has some expectations of quality! Am I right? Mexican food is one of our favorites, so we were excited to find the best Mexican food in town.

Well, La Hacienda is not it. It's not that this is a terrible restaurant, it's just "ok." And in Madison, ok can't get you all that far. The food was bland (especially compared to a FANTASTIC mexican restaurant down the street a bit- see last sentence) and the menu was too huge (I really hate that- just tell me what you're really good at making!) and basically that sealed the deal. I got the tostadas and was pretty disappointed. Not much flavor but unfortunately piled so high on my plate (another annoyance- I'm here for 1 meal, not 8!) I enjoyed sitting outside and MAY give it another try but if you're looking for authentic Mexican food- Taqueria Guadalajara does NOT disappoint.

Glass Nickel Pizza

A pizza joint is usually nothing special. You crave grease and cheese, you call a special number, some is delivered to you. And there are plenty of good pizza places in Madison. But there are three that rise to the top. And today it's about Glass Nickel Pizza. You'll just have to wait to hear about the other two top notch pizza places (ok fine, it's this one and this one).

Glass Nickel has so much variety. It's always a tough choice to pick your pizza. And it's not just pizza- I have enjoyed a calzone (the size of my head), breadsticks, cheese bread, AND cinnamon nubs. Which are as good as they sound. Pizza is so so much more than cheese and sauce at this place. It's a higher art form. The Mediterranean is my favorite, though I always get it without olives. But the Thai Pie is unlike I've ever tasted before (seriously, it feels very strange at first to taste spicy thai flavors on a pizza) and I mean that in only a good way.

The ingredients always taste fresh and online ordering, for whatever reason, really makes me happy. I think your goal should be to work your way through the speciality pizza list. It's all worth it. So what, you'll gain 20 lbs. At least you'll be happy.

The other great thing about the Madison West location is that they offer a new speciality pizza each month. This month? Mac n' cheese. I can't WAIT to check it out.