Madison Children's Museum, Noodles & Co., Ella's oh my!

My sister Lisa came for a visit to Madison from Brooklyn, New York. She was here for 5 days and I was stressed. Would she like my place? Would the kids like it too? etc. She came with her husband, (and fellow foodie) Stephen and their 7 year old twins. I wanted to give them a great experience, mostly around food. And I knew the kids were going to be fussy.

Anyway, my partner and I made a list of food places we love and found it frustrating since we had more restaurants listed than days available. When they arrived on Thursday we met them at Water House Foods in Lake Mills, midway between Milwaukee and Madison. It is a cute sandwich place that makes yummy spreads for their sandwiches with names like the Juliet, Romeo, Petruchio, you get the idea. Anyway, after filling up they followed us home passing barns and cows so the children could see them close instead of an image on a milk carton. Of course, they did not like the smell, it gets some getting used to.

My brother-in-law remembered Noodles and Company on his last visit and wanted a bowl of their noodles. If the kids enjoyed Asian food';I would have taken them to Wah Kee for homemade noodles! We took the kids to the indoor park at the Dells the next day where they road the rides and played games. Since it was raining it was a good day to make the trip.

Another hit was Culver's for pretty good hot sandwiches and fries and don't forget the custard!
Remember, we had kids along and wanted kid-friendly places. The biggest hit of all was Ella's Deli, not so much for the food but for the collection of carnival like objects. They were amazed and delighted and the ice cream wasn't bad either.

We wanted to babysit the kids so my sis and husband could go to Osteria Papavero, a great Northern Italian cuisine restaurant, but they didn't want to. My nephew also informed me that babysitting was so "old school." LOL.

Do we really eat with our eyes? Is bigger always better?

Last June 2010 I took a trip to New York City, where I'm from. It is exciting because it is always an opportunity to try some great food. I do my research but being with my family plans go awry. You see my parents are from Italy and they make some great tasting food. My partner, on the other hand, told me stories of ketchup and Wonder Bread and stewed tomatoes that I can't even mention here. Anyway, we enjoyed the copius meals they prepared but when we had some breathing space we went to the local deli.

Steve loves a New York style deli. Mountains of food on display and so many varieties. How do they keep all this fresh I wondered. The display of food now looks very excessive to me and unappetizing. And I've lived here for most of my 40 some years. I found myself beginning to miss my meals in Madison. I've always enjoyed cooking and also taught cooking classes here in Madison at places like Dean Clinic and Whole Foods. Anyway, the products I get here are the freshest I've found anywhere. The famed farmer's market(s) goes from May to November - a nice long stretch. Anyway, I've made some great tasting meals, just ask Steve. Besides missing my own meals; I missed the wonderful food in restaurants we go to.

Our tastes are as simple as a burger at the North Street Pub to Osteria Papavero's menu, classic homestyle Tuscan food. I crave the variety and quality of products used in restaurants here where you don't have to go far to get a great meal.