Buck & Badger Northwoods Lodge - #2

Boyfriend took me to see Nonpoint at the Orpheum Theater on State Street in Madison, so I suggested we have dinner at Buck & Badger Northwoods Lodge beforehand.  Based on my previous experience there, I was excited to share this restaurant with him.

This time, I ordered the Baked Mac and Cheese, which was served in a little cast iron cauldron.  The cheese sauce was made with Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses and was delectably creamy and tasty.  It was topped with blue cheese crumbles and bread crumbs, which added a perfect amount of tang and crunch.  This is definitely one of the top Mac and Cheese dinners that I've eaten.

Boyfriend wasn't sure what to get, but ended up with Flank Steak Meatloaf, due in part to my encouragement, "Where else will you be able to get meatloaf made of fresh ground steak?"  He wasn't too impressed with it but he said the bread was good.  Fortunately, hockey was on the TV above the fireplace, so the meal wasn't a total loss for him.

The Coopers Tavern

I have been assisting my friend and co-worker, Jennifer, with a goal to spend the occasional lunch hour enjoying a meal and conversation rather sitting in the office in front of a computer.  Yesterday we were both able to gain a short reprieve from our workload and, being a gloriously perfect Spring day, we decided to have lunch at The Coopers Tavern at 20 West Mifflin Street in Madison, because of their sidewalk seating. 

Jennifer ordered a humbly named but artistically crafted Ham sandwich - locally raised Uphoff Farms ham, stout grained mustard, caramelized onions, gouda cheese and red pepper mayo on Stella's Bakery Spicy Cheesy Bread - with house-made chips.  She shared the chips with me and, in my opinion, they were the best homemade potato chips I have ever eaten, very crispy and light.

I, of course, went with the Grilled Cheese.  Coopers Tavern's version is made of cheddar, gouda, and gruyere on sourdough, and comes with a shot glass of roasted red pepper and tomato soup.  The cheese blend was perfectly melty and flavorful.  The bread was grilled to that ideal point that can only be achieved with sourdough - right between hard and chewy, so you really have to think about each bite and can, therefore, reap the most pleasure from it.  It was a faultless sandwich.  The accompanying soup was probably meant for dipping, but it was also good for sipping.  It tasted very fresh and zesty.

We achieved the goal with this lunch:  good food, good conversation, and on top of that, good weather.

The Cheese Factory Restaurant

The Cheese Factory Restaurant, at 521 Wisconsin Dells Parkway South, in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is a unique gem.  It is an elegant restaurant housed in an former cheese factory, with a soda fountain, espresso bar, and a ballroom, that serves only vegetarian and vegan food, and is run by 5-star quality staff from all over the world. 

I have been to The Cheese Factory several times.  Their menu has so many great choices I have never eaten the same entrée twice.  Besides the familiar meatless meals that might hide on many typical restaurant menus (veggie burrito, pizza, etc.), they have seitan and tofu dishes that are works of art.  Last Friday I went specifically to try their famous "The Big Cheese" grilled cheese sandwich which has been lauded in the November 2009 issue of Every Day With Rachel Ray, as one of four over the top grilled cheese sandwiches in the nation.

Though I have never had the same dinner, I almost always start with The Cheese Factory's Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup.  It is a lighter variety than most beer cheese soups, but quite flavorful.  It's base is Old Milwaukee beer and it includes very finely grated carrots.

The Big Cheese is made of three slices of very thinly sliced sourdough bread, sharp cheddar, Swiss, and Romano cheeses, and Roma tomatoes.  The sandwich's assembly and presentation was immaculate.  Despite being a double decker, the bread didn't overwhelm the sandwich as a whole.  It was lightly seasoned, perfectly grilled, and not too crisp.  The three cheeses complemented each other.  They were melted but semi-solid and not gooey.  This was a very well done grilled cheese sandwich.