Granite City Food & Brewery Restaurant Review

Mark and I ventured into Granite City mid-afternoon on Sunday for a quiet, post-Frisbee golf drink. We chose seats in the bar, which was almost empty, not unusual for a restaurant bar in Madison on a Sunday afternoon. Throughout our visit the waitstaff was friendly and almost too attentive, returning frequently to refill water glasses and to up-sell us on appetizer specials.

Granite City’s beer menu is surprisingly short, featuring only six choices. I generally prefer dark beers so I opted for the Broad Axe Stout—it arrived with nearly an inch of creamy head and tasted deliciously dry, bitter, and faintly chocolaty. Mark chose the larger-style Brother Benedict’s Bock, smoother and brighter-flavored than the stout. I’m no beer connoisseur, but I can rate the brews acceptable. Only reasonably priced, however, at around $4.

Somewhere near the bottom of our first glasses we ordered the Prosciutto Olive Flatbread Pizza. This was luscious and easily worth coming back for all by itself. This place doesn’t skimp on the salty prosciutto, and they use a well-chosen mix of cheeses, garlic, olives, and herbs. We got this at half-off happy hour prices, about $5.50 (regular $10.99).

If the rest of the food at Granite City is as good as the flatbread pizza, I will definitely consider coming back. However, I’ll be hard pressed to order off the regular menu with three other flatbread possibilities still to try.

Location: 72 West Towne Mall 1-608-829-0700

Hours: Monday - Thursday: 11:00am to 12:00am, Friday - Saturday:11:00am to 1:00am, Sunday:10:00am to 10:00pm

Menu Prices: $3.59 - $23.59

New Orleans Takeout Restaurant Review

“Eat Mo’ Bettah!”

An old roommate of mine from Minnesota makes a beeline for this hole-in-the-wall every time he visits Madison. He just loves spicy. And there aren’t too many places that serve catfish just the way he likes it. He’s awful particular about his catfish for a man who’s lived his entire life above the 43rd parallel.

I accompanied him on his most recent Cajun expedition last weekend. His standard order is the Mississippi Catfish dinner on the New Orleans Gold menu. At $8.75 for a dinner portion it comes with a generous helping of white or dirty rice, or beans ‘n’ rice in Creole sauce, plus a succulent square of cornbread.

My New Orleans Takeout encounters have been more frequent and varied (lucky Madisonian that I am). For a spicy carb-kick with a little light protein, nothing beats a large order of Red Beans and Rice, a great deal at $4.95. My perennial favorite, however, is their Po’ Boy—any Po’Boy.

The Po’ Boy is the traditional sub sandwich of Louisiana, usually containing fragrant seafood (sometimes roast beef) and served on French bread. Here in the Midwest, you often find lower-fat options, like grilled chicken breast . Don’t fall for it. In my opinion, a real Po’ Boy needs that fried fishy goodness. And, if you’re like me, a few dollops of hot sauce.

New Orleans Takeout never disappoints. Their Po’ Boy is hot and deliciously crunchy, paired with just the right amount of lettuce and tomato, and a touch of rich mayonnaise and Creole sauce. On this visit, I lucked out and got to try something new—they had a crab special. At $8.95 this is a little pricey for the typical sandwich…but this is not the typical sandwich. The New Orleans Takeout Po’Boy is a true stand-out, and worlds better than the cheaper Big Mac you can purchase just a few blocks away.

A visit to New Orleans Takeout is worth every penny. Be warned, however, it’s a true takeout place, with only a little bit of perfunctory counter seating. For family orders, hurry your prizes home. This is comfort food best eaten in the back yard, listening to the crickets, watching your kids play sprinkler tag.

Madison Locations:

East: 1920 Fordem Avenue.

608-241-6655

West: 1517 Monroe Street (kitty corner from Camp Randall)

308-280-8000

Menu Price Range: $3.25 - $12.25

Give Me an "A!" The Benefits and Dangers of Vitamin A

This article was published recently in my company's wellness newsletter. It's the second installment in the vitamins and minerals series.

Many a parent has coaxed a child into consuming carrots and leafy greens with promises of eagle eyes or superhero vision. These claims are not entirely unfounded....

Carrots, leafy greens, and lots of other plant and animal foods contain Vitamin A—a fat-soluble nutrient that not only plays an important role in eye health, but also in cell growth and a variety of other important biological processes. While Vitamin A will never give you built-in binoculars or X-ray vision, it can help prevent dry eye and cataracts: conditions which can be linked to blindness later in life. It can also boost your immune system, helping your body prevent and fight off infections and diseases like the measles and even some types of cancer.

There are two basic types of Vitamin A:

• Preformed retinoids, a “processed” form of Vitamin A found in animal foods like dairy, liver, and eggs.
  


• Provitamin carotinoids, an “unprocessed” form of Vitamin A found in plant foods like carrots, leafy greens, and other colorful fruits and vegetables. The human body converts provitamin carotinoids into preformed retinoids.

Since Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient, it’s often stored in your liver and other body tissues and does not pass out of your body easily. For this reason, you should avoid consuming excessive amounts of Vitamin A. Too much can lead to Vitamin A toxicity, which can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, blurry vision, and nausea. Severe toxicity can result in permanent eye and liver damage and even birth defects in pregnant women.

Getting the Right Amount in Your Diet
The best way to consume the right amount of Vitamin A is to eat a normal, well-balanced diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. The U.S. Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences have developed Vitamin A recommendations based on life stage and age. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) represents the amount of Vitamin A needed to meet basic biological needs. Upper Limit (a.k.a. tolerable upper intake level) represents the highest amount of Vitamin A a healthy person can consume on a regular basis without risk to his or her health.

Sources of Vitamin A
Vitamin A comes from a variety of animal and plant foods, such as:

• Skim milk (1 cup) 150 μg


• Cheddar cheese (1 ounce) 75 μg


• Lowfat yogurt, plain (1 cup) 34 μg


• Eggs (1 large) 84 μg


• Beef liver (3 ounces) 6,450 μg


• Carrots (1 large) 433 μg


• Spinach (1 cup) 140 μg


• Mango (1 cup) 63 μg


• Tomato juice (1 cup) 56 μg


• Cantaloupe (1 cup) 264 μg

It’s fairly easy for most people to meet their daily requirements. However, some people on restrictive diets or those who suffer from medical conditions that interfere with fat absorption (like celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or pancreatic disorders), may need to take a Vitamin A supplement.

Multivitamins often contain 60 percent or more of the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Check the label to make sure your supplement does not contain excessive amounts of Vitamin A. As we mentioned in the last issue of Alive & Well, make sure your supplement has the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal of approval. This means the supplement has been tested and contains the amount of vitamins and minerals shown on the label.

Handy Online Vitamin Gauge
Want to make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin A and other essential nutrients from the food you eat? Visit http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/ and register to use the Assess Your Food Intake tool.

Vitamin A-Rich Menu
See how easy it is to get the Vitamin A your body needs. Try this sample menu:

• Breakfast: 1 cup plain oatmeal with ½ cup skim milk, 1 banana,1 cup orange juice (90 μg)


• Lunch: 1 cup vegetable soup, 1 cup romaine salad with ½ medium tomato (385 μg)


• Dinner: 1 broiled boneless skinless chicken breast, ½ cup green beans, 1 small roasted sweet potato (675 μg)
  
  Total = 1,150 μg

Sources: American Dietetics Association, the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, the Mayo Clinic

Vitamin A amounts calculated using the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion Assess Your Food Intake tool.

The Red Stapler Statement

A few years ago I ordered myself the red stapler to use at work. Yes, “the” red stapler. You know the one I’m talking about.

I had just received my big promotion from a secretarial job in human resources to the professional position I’d been gunning for—a writer in the company’s marketing department. The new possibilities ahead thrilled me (when does a new job not make you feel prickly and shot full of vim?). But during my two-plus years shuffling paperwork in HR I’d picked up a friend, a cynical corporate imp, let’s call him Floyd.

Anyone who works for a large corporation for more than a few weeks makes friends with an imp. They thrive in close quarters under florescent lights. They feed on paper clips and legal pads from the supply closet. I sometimes suspect they’re addicted to toner.

Imps live to sow discontent. They whisper persuasive, subversive natterings: no one appreciates how hard you work, you deserve to park in visitor spots, that coworker saw you checking your gmail. We all become a little more paranoid. And we cling to our imps because they’re the only ones who can tell us the “truth” about what’s going on.

I think Rome fell because of the imps.

The red stapler was a statement. I placed it prominently on my desk—bright, red, and shiny. It’s my declaration of independence. My refusal to be sucked into the corporate morass unwitting. It’s a rallying cry for like-minded individuals. It says: “It’s ok, I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. And everyone knows we know it.” And as long as we “know” we are free.

Or possibly it’s just a cry for help. “I am Milton. I entered the corporate jungle in search of adventure and opportunity…but now I’m trapped, my map’s no good, and the tigers are after me.”

I’m not sure which one it is. But the weight of the stapler in my hand is comforting. It’s much nicer and more solid than the cheap Corporate Express stapler I found on my desk when I arrived.

But I worry that one day Floyd will kidnap my stapler. Its symbolism really goes against his grain. And then I’ll be reduced to wandering the building, asking each person I meet, “Pardon me, but have you seen my stapler?”

*Shudder*