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Noshing With Nate, Madison, WI (2026)

03/26/2026

took a bit of a hiatus most of 2025 after what was....NOT a great year personally. But, we did get back into it! Me and solid dude John went to North & South in lovely DeForest, WI! NOTE: This was in September 2025

North and South describes itself as a casual BBQ joint with...and I quote: Grilled Meats and Seafood Dishes along with cocktails. It certainly lived up to the name.

The interior is...fine? Definitely decorative themes with the North & South theme, very much a western tinge to it. It doesn't stand out per se, but it fits. It can feel a bit cramped when it is busy but since it is a local hot spot in the DeForest area.

I picked up a North and South Old Fashioned, a spin on the OG Old Fashioned with So Co and Brandy. It was decent! Not too heavy, not too sweet. Worth a try I'd say!

Got a starter that I hadn't tried before: Armadillo Eggs. These are jalapeno halves stuffed with cheddar, cream cheese, and green onions; wrapped in bacon and smoked. Very good!

For the entree, I went with the Sausage Hot Links. The menu claims it is spicy and also "straight from Texas." I couldn't verify this of course and it was....fine? The heat never really hit but it was tasty.

Overall, solid time. It didn't blow me away, but the food was decent! It is popular for a reason. And multiple locales (Verona, West Madison, and DeForest).

North and South - Deforest
https://eatnorthandsouth.com/madison-north-and-south-seafood-and-smokehouse-madison-menu-deforest
Overall Score: B-

08/29/2024

tried to be "fancy" this iteration, as a few of us took a little trip to the local wine shop, Square Wine Co. for a wine tasting. Square Wine Co is a wine shop on the...well...the square. LOL. Square offers up wines crafted by smaller, family growers and they seem to revel in the local flavor.

Square offers up a small business atmosphere, with what they call a "hands-on" approach to wine retail through 1 on 1 interactions and weekly wine tastings (typically on Friday nights and in a small group format). On this night, it was all about the Rieslings. As an absolute wine neophyte (other than I enjoy drinking it), I will soak up all the learning, so I was hoping to pick up some knowledge along with some wine.

The sommelier in charge tonight knew his stuff, though I will say, he was ALSO enjoying much of his own stock. The wines on sample this evening ranged from a $60 bottle out of Austria to a $19 bottle out of Germany, we got a little bit of everything. The sommelier offered up advice, tidbits on the bottles and origin and of course, a few healthy pours.

The environment was pretty chill. You checked in and headed to the back with 20ish others and chat and chilled between samples, discussing wine, the weather, what is demure these days, and anything else on the mind. You could also peruse the other bottles on sale. I'd definitely recommend going with a few people, unless you are more of an extrovert than I, in which case you can probably make friends pretty easily and blend right in.

Once you finish sampling the wares, you can move on with the night like we did. Quick, easy, and friendly, every interaction I had with the staff was awesome and they were super accommodating. Worth it if you want to try some new wines and kick off your Friday night right! Or come in any other day (except Sunday!) and peruse the awesome selection and ask the staff for a suggestion!

Also, the correct tasting order (based on sequence on the chalkboard):
#1
#4
#6
#5
#3
#2

Square Wine Co.
https://www.squarewineco.com/
Overall Score: B

04/24/2024

- WE BACK! With a post a week and change late! :D

took a detour and ended up at Grace Coffee out in Cottage Grove with regular noshers Haley, Erik, and John for some coffee and grub! This is one of many Grace locales, but each has their own distinct flavor and may have menu variations.

The decor was modern with some interesting interior design choices (a SWING?!? madness!). That said, very coffee haus-esque and good spacing.

Their menu is quite varied, whether you want breakfast, lunch, brunch, blunner, or just some baked goods. Erik went with the BBQ Brisket Benedict with the included Cheesy Hash Brown bites (which, holy s*** yes). Haley went with the Street Corn Avocado Toast (so fan-c) with eggs to go with her lovely mug of coffee. I went right for the artery clogger that is Biscuits and Gravy (also with the HB bites), and John joined in with a Iced Matcha. Servings weren't huge but they got the job done and (I think?) people were satisfied. I know I was.Also pretty cool, the staff all had signature drinks available as an internal competition. I tried a blueberry vanilla iced coffee and it delivered!

We definitely only scratched the surface of the menu. Elsewhere on the breakfast front they offer wraps, sandwiches, oats, classic breakfast offerings (like French Toast, Nutella Pancakes, and Steak & Eggs), and other varieties of Eggs Benedict. They also offer lunch options like salads, sandwiches (such as a Smoked Salmon BLT and a Bacon Apple Grilled Cheese), Quinoa Bowls, and classics like Chicken Tenders and Quesadillas. They also offer a kids menu if you've got the little ones in tow!

On the beverage front, they have a wide array of iced and non-iced drinks (including a Red Bull Italian Soda, which sounds like it is right up my alley). They have a plethora of espresso options as well, many of which an uncouth savage such as myself has only heard of in passing. They also offer non coffee options, like juice, tea, hot chocolate, and other bottled drinks (if you have a craving for some Calypso lemonade, they've got it!). If you want baked goods, they've got you covered with croissants, scones, danishes, cookies, banana bread, and a host of other seasonal offerings.

Overall, pretty solid! I'd never been to a Grace outpost yet but I'll definitely go again. I will say this, the one thing that stood out to me right off hand is that even though it was like 9:30am it was a constant flow of traffic. Not overbearing but if you showed up later, the kitchen was backed up a bit (which wasn't shocking). Didn't impact the visit though, the staff was friendly, the atmosphere was chill, and the company was good! Can't ask for more than that!

Side Note: Also, the address for this location is GASTON Road. I love it!

Overall Score: B

04/01/2024

As usual, better late than never! With busy season just tucked in, returns!

On this edition, we (i.e. myself, regular Haley, and newcomer Michelle) hit up the self-titled detour (see first picture) between Double U and Wando's that is Estacion Inka. This little gem does not eff around, serving Peruvian fare quick, hot, and delicious!

Now, I will say, we hit up Estacion Inka on the Saturday during UW-Madison's spring break, so it was likely quieter than a normal Saturday (particularly a gameday Saturday). That said the set up was solid. Roomy but a range of seating, plus the order area was ready to rock. Nice mix of Peruvian music/decor with elements of UW-Madison sprinkled in (Go Badgers). We had no issues ordering our grub, getting our number, and chilling. And our orders were out in like, 10 minutes, maybe less. Super quick!

I was not very ambitious with my pick. I went in think I was going to go for the Pollo a La Brasa (a quarter portion of their marinated/season rotisserie chicken), but I ended up going for the Salchipapas, which was in essence sliced sausages on a bed of French fries. Haley went with the Pollo Caribeno Con Arroz con Cilantro, which was the aforementioned chicken with refried green plantain, black beans, salsa criolla, and cilantro infused rice. Michelle went with the Chicharron sandwich with a side of Platanos Dulces Fritoes (Sweet Plantains), which was a BEEFY (not literally) sandwich of seasoned loin pork salsa criolla (marinated onion with lime), fried sweet potatoes, and lettuce. Based on the satisfied reactions, all of these hit the spot and were generous servings. I, in a rare moment, could not finish my dish even after a morning run, but that was not due to the food quality. Just...good food all around.

Additionally, EI provided a bevy of sauces, which I classically referred to as red, yellow, and green sauce. We didn't fully recognize what the red and yellow sauces were, but they were not bad! Perhaps mayo based sauces, but without the heaviness. The real highlight was the green sauce. Cilantro based with a kick, it "banged" as the kids say these days (I think).

Haley and I also sprung for homemade smoothies. Haley rolled with a mango smoothie and I went with *checks notes* Guanabana, which I learned is an actual tropical fruit (sweet and sour with a creamy texture). And it was decent! I could not place the flavor, maybe an offshoot of lime, but creamier? Def worth a try.

And we didn't even get to the desserts! They have Peruvian styled Macaroons (aka Mini Alfajores), Tres Leches (spongy cakes soaked in milks, plural), and Flan.

All in all, I don't think the sign out front was false advertising at all: Definitely worth the detour. Plentiful food at a good price and friendly staff, plus they offer takeout! Just a note, their hours are typically noonish to 7 or 8 most days and I don't believe they are open late, which is not a bad option to avoid the bar crowd. Very much worth a stop if you are in the area!

Overall Score: B+

01/24/2024

Kicking off the New Year of at Lakeside St. Coffee House! A few of us braved the streets in some cold and amongst the snow heaps for some cozy coffee and company!

Lakeside St Coffee House is a small local coffee house tucked near Monona Bay. It serves a dual purpose as both a coffee house to gather for a cup of java and a bite to eat by day and as a gathering place for live music and other events by night. The aesthetic is very homey and cozy (have I mentioned cozy) and, when it isn't 10 degrees outside, has a nice outside area for sitting with a lovely view of the lake.

The menu is quality over quantity and very much fits the coffee house vibe. Breakfast options include a Turkey Chipotle sandwich (as modeled by Haley and Erik in the pictures), featuring an egg patty with spinach, turkey, pickled red onion, pepperjack cheese, and chipotle mayo on a french roll. They also offer up a breakfast bowl (also pictured below) with Greek yogurt topped with granola, HUGE blueberries (no joke), walnuts, coconut shavings, and a pinch of honey. Both of these options really hit the spot without going overboard. Lunch options also vary, from your standard PB&J and grilled cheese sandwiches to pesto melts and curry chicken sandwiches. They also have in house baked goods, which is never a bad choice if you want a quick bite.

Lakeside St. Coffee House offers a very diverse selection of beverages. If coffee is your go to, you can get a house mug and refills or just go the bottomless route if you are in need of your java fix. OR you can be basic like me and get a cold brew and not try anything new. :P The tea selection is even more varied with iced teas, Chai and Matcha Lattes, among others. They also offer up coffee specialty drinks like Macchiatos, Americanos, and Mochas of varying sizes. And if you are so inclined, they have other specialty drinks like Italian and French sodas and GOLDEN milk! And if you are feeling particularly "Wisconsin" that morning or eve, they do have a selection of beer and wine available.

The atmosphere is very chill and there's typically plenty of room to find a nook to space out. However, on our visit on a Sunday morning it was fairly quiet up to about 10am and then business really picked up and there was a line for food and drink extending to the door. Which is good! You love to see the support for a local business. It just should be noted that it isn't always a sleepy quiet environment.

I'm definitely inclined to visit again, particularly in the warmer months and for one of their music nights. Per their website, they typically have music almost every Friday night featuring local artists, including Irish sessions, indie folk, bluegrass, and others. If you are so inclined, you can also work with Lakeside Street Coffee House to host an event, whether it be a wedding reception, parties, reunions, etc.

Overall, a solid little coffee shop. Definitely not my usual stop but perhaps it will be! It definitely can be a little busy (which makes sense with the church crowd filing in) but the space is nice and is a good place for conversation, studying, or vibing. I'll be visiting again when the mood strikes for sure!

Overall Score: B

10/10/2023

I'll admit, this edition of was delayed a bit. For whatever reason, even though this is only like 20 minutes away, it FELT like hours away, but that's absolutely all on me. This edition went to the Dorf Haus Supper Club in Roxbury WI (just SE of Sauk City, WI), and just down the road from Crow's Appliance Repair in Roxbury!

Dorf Haus falls comfortably into a Wisconsin staple, the Supper Club. The Old Fashioneds are a flowin' and the German fare is aplenty! And hey, they apparently have a monthly Smorgasbord!

On this night, Haley and I hit it up on a weekend non-fish fry night, though there WAS a wedding reception going on so parking was tight but the atmosphere was bumping, and surprisingly there was more than just polka going on. I imagine the wait for a table can vary, especially on fish fry nights, but tonight the wait was about an hour and a half, which was fine! More time to put down some OFs and German lagers!

The interior (and exterior) feels like a cross between a Midwestern home from the 80s (with plenty of German flavor) and a cozy restaurant. PLENTY of antiques around, and they even had a pool table and gaming area (along with the wedding reception of course). Plus a full service bar area that was packed the entire time.

The menu is pretty straightforward if you are used to German style restaurants/supper clubs in the midwest (there's only a few of them). They've got beef offerings such as Tenderloins and NY Strips; they've got seafood offerings like Salmon, Pike, and Lobster; some specialites such as BBQ ribs and Roast Long Island Duckling, and they've got nightly specials, like the Friday night Fish Fry or a Saturday night Prime Rib special. But the German blood in me craved the SPEISEKARTE...which I'm told just means food card, but I took it as German Specialties, with all manner of foods ending with how sneezes sound (i.e. lots of itzels and atens and the like).

In a very Wisconsin move, we got the Cracker and Cheese Spread platter, featuring their homemade cheese spread. The cheese spread was solid, a strong hint of onion and very cream cheese heavy, but delicious. As someone who can house sleeves of crackers with very little effort, I could have used more crackers but...what evs. Other appetizers included standard fare like Chicken Wings and, of course, Cheese Curds. We also got dinner rolls with our meal, which I of course doused in the left over cheese spread.

For the main event, I picked up the Rouladen (Beef Sirloin sliced and topped with bacon, onion, and pickle, baked until tender in a mushroom gravy, served with red cabbage and spatzle, Haley went with the Rahmschnitzel (Lightly breaded pork cutlets served with a lemon caper dill sauce). Both came with soup/salad and choice of potato, and both of us upgraded to the potato pancake, because obviously. As far as I can tell, mainly from the contented eating, the food was very good. The beef was tender and fall apart as advertised, but did not lack flavor. The pork cutlets had a surprising amount of flavor, but that's coming from someone that just hasn't mastered the cooking of pork products other than bacon. I've found I'm not a huge fan of red cabbage but I can see why it is a hit. The potato pancake, however, on point. I could have used slightly more food, but the portions were still decent.

Dinner was followed by at least the Potential for dessert, and the tray offered up on this evening was pretty impressive. An assortment of cakes, pies, and cheesecakes. We settled on an oldschool homemade apple pie with obligatory vanilla ice cream on top. It was delightful! The perfect cap to the meal. And in this case, despite being full, there was room for dessert.

Special shoutout to our waitress, Kathy. She was super friendly, did a good job selling us but in that folksy midwestern way, and was very efficient in general. Fast with the food and refills but not on top of us at all.

Overall, very solid supper club experience. I may want to go back to try the fish fry, but I have to try about 3 dozen places for fish fry's at this point. But the food was solid, the atmosphere was very midwestern, and you really couldn't go wrong with any of the food/drink choices there. Worth a visit if you are in the area and are seeking out a supper club to try! PLUS, their menu literally advertises "Live OOMPAH Music." I mean, c'mon, you cannot get more Wisconsin than that.

Overall Score - B+

07/10/2023

To kickoff , we hit up an oldie but a goodie in Rocky Rococo’s – Monona. Now, I know what you are thinking. Nate, you picked Rocky Rococo’s as your FIRST entry? WTF? And let me assure you, this was all random. The Excel spreadsheet fanatic that I am, I have made up a list of places that I want to try, whatever it may be. It may just be a random spot, a craving, a new restaurant, etc. But, yes, the first random pick was a place that was a favorite growing up (albeit not the Monona location).

Growing up, I remember times when we visited my aunt’s place just north of Warner Park in Madison on weekends. We’d get up to the usual video gaming and such, but usually this would also include gorging on an unhealthy amount of Rocky Rococo pizza. As a kid, I was more into the fact that it was pizza, it was square/rectangle, and it was greasy as f**k. And we loved it! And the breadsticks just complimented the pizza perfectly. Always a delight! So, going into this, I’ve got a generally favorable opinion of Rocky’s.

On this journey, I ventured out to the Rocky Rococo’s over in Monona, just off Monona Drive. It looks, nondescript, and honestly, I didn’t even know Monona had a location before this whole endeavor. It wasn’t…terribly busy but there were a few families and a couple couples dining inside. This location ALSO has outdoor seating if you are so inclined (and I was not, as it was hot as balls when I visited this past weekend).

For those unfamiliar with Rocky’s menu, they offer a fairly standard chain pizzeria menu. The most unique feature, these are pan pizzas so the slices are…fairly decent sized. Unless it is Valentine’s Day, then you can get a heart shaped pizza if your heart so desires. You can get whole pies or slices, and topping offerings are pretty standard (with the wildest style likely being Hawaiian). They do also offer stuffed crust and Chicago style pies as well along with some simple pasta choices like Spaghetti and Fettucine Alfredo. As a good balance to all the carbs, they offer a side salad. This location even takes it a step further, and offers up a salad bar in location which actually was fairly well loaded!

I came in with a craving for the super slice combo deal, which consists of a slice of pizza (regular or SUPER slice, which is just a themed slice from one of their premium pizzas), breadsticks, and a soft drink. The super slice on tap was the Motherlode, which is a stuffed crust pizza with Italian sausage and 5-cheeses. I got marinara sauce for the breadsticks and, per usual, made a mess of the soft drink by combining Diet Coke, Brisk Iced Tea, and Mug Root Beer in one concoction. I’m ok with my decisions.

I started with the breadsticks as the Super Slice was out when I ordered so it would take a few minutes to finish a batch. The breadsticks were…decent? They were decent. Maybe I got a batch that was out a little longer, but they just didn’t have the kick I remember. They were fine though, just lacking the buttery goodness I remember. The marinara definitely helped.

The super slice itself was as greasy as I remember. Your taste in grease can likely vary, but I don’t mind the grease that has always come with the ol’ Rocky Rococo ‘za. This pizza is so greasy, I actually used knife and fork for the first few bites as the slice was a little unwieldy. I KNOW that’s a faux pax, and I eventually did use my hands but I did what I had to do. 😛 In terms of taste, I’m not sure if I had high expectations or if I was just going in recalling my childhood memories, but the pizza was: decent. The cheese mix was good, the sausage had a nice kick, the crust was decent. I was satisfied!

Overall, the meal was decent. I felt full but not grossly full. It did not wow me, but I also wasn’t expecting to be blown away. I knew what I was getting into and that’s what I got, and that isn’t a bad thing. I’ll for sure order Rocky’s again, I will always have a soft spot for the ol’ Weekend at Bernie’s look-a-like and his pizza.

Overall Score – B- (Note: My score is PROBABLY partially biased by youthful memories :P)

07/09/2023

Hello!

Welcome to my FB Official(TM) page!

I've always been a fan of food. MOSTLY j***y food (as noted by my love of *checks notes* rail gin. I have always enjoyed trying new restaurants, bars, etc. Earlier in my professional career, I even had a monthly food review column in our internal work newsletter. In that spirit, I am hoping to revive that exploratory spirit and offer my thoughts on food, dining, and drinking experiences. It will mainly be focused on the greater Madison, WI area, however, as the situations dictate, maybe I'll document some eats as I travel out of the area. More of a hobby and certainly nothing that I'm making money off of.

At any rate, thanks for popping in! Enjoy the content and never be afraid to try something new!

Noshing With Nate

03/26/2026

08/29/2024

04/24/2024

04/01/2024

01/24/2024

10/10/2023

07/10/2023

07/09/2023

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