Inka Heritage

After a long hiatus from the blog world we're finally back to review another new restaurant visited.

Inka Heritage
South Park Street in Madison
"Peruvian" Cuisine

After drive-by occasions Naomi and I finally decided to stop at Inka Heritage for dinner last night. The restaurant was inviting with bright orange walls and simple table settings. Besides our table being completely slanted, we had a view of Monona Bay which offered a peaceful setting off of busy Park St. We were disappointed that we were going to miss the regularly scheduled Friday evening traditional live music, but it was nice to indulge ourselves in our own conversations.

For the appetizer we ordered an Avocado dish. Which included (can you guess?) Avocados! topped with a creamy crab sauce and melted Parmesan cheese garnished with tomatoes. It was a dreamy starter for all of those avocado lovers. However, I had heard the Ceviche was to die for so I think next time I will give that a try. We each had a glass of their house wine, all organic for only $4 a glass.

For the main course we each ordered a seafood dish. I ordered a rice dish (similar to Paella) that was aromatic and flavorful. The saffron was the only spice that stood out to me. In the rice dish was peas, carrots, calamari, head on shrimp, crab, and mussels. I think they had used "Aphrodisiac" in the description. I can't say that it had that effect on me. Overall I thought the dish was solid. I enjoyed the Peruvian style and thought that the seafood was delicious for a Wisconsin restaurant. Naomi ordered a different seafood dish with white rice, Tilapia, mussels, shrimp, and crab in a creamy white sauce. I did not try her entreé but from her comments I am almost positive we'll be eating here again. There were many other meat and vegetarian entreés that also looked yummy, so I bet we will be back for more sampling.

A side note ...

My boyfriend, Andrew, had brought to my attention this article on CNN.com ...
Slow movement' wants you to ease up, chill out

Story Highlights

• "Slow movement" says fast lifestyle destroys health, families, communities
  
• Supporters call for laws mandating paid vacations, election days off
  
• Take Back Your Time coordinator: Slowing down will save lives, save democracy
  
• TimeBanks USA creator began group in 1980 after heart attack from frenzied lifestyle

I guess Madison is blessed to have a hand-full restaurants that are a part of the Slow Food USA group. I couldn't find a comprehensive list of Madison restaurants members but off hand I believe Harvest, The Old Fashion, and L'Etoile are current members.

Oh Korea!

So the objective of this blog will be changing slightly because of the absence of one of its orginal members. Unfortunately Valerie has taken off to South Korea as part of the Teach for America program. We are very proud of her, and hope to get foodie updates as she settles in.

Coming Soon ... a main course of design banter from Jen.

Everything Small

Here are a few photos from our trial "t" party:
Main Entry: "t" par-ty Pronunciation: \'t pär-tē\ Function: noun
1: A gathering of people to make the tiniest dishes, serve chai tea martinis, and anything else that goes with "t"

Not so tiny Richard, enjoying a frothy brew.

Cafe Continental

Destination 2: Cafe Continental
When: Monday
What: Appetizers and Martinis

This place was a treat. Cafe Continental is located downtown on King Street. The large windows at the front of the restaurant make for prime people watching and adds some natural light into a dimly lit dining area. We were lucky enough to snag a table at the front of the house by the windows. Shweet! This restaurant is known for a more upscale menu-the main dishes are about $20 and up- but, we stuck to the long list of appetizers and were fully satisfied.

Of course no foodie funzie is quite herself without a drink. The drink menu was impressive but the martini menu got our attention. The Ritz Paris included sparkling wine, cognac, lemon zest, and probably a few other ingredients. Either way this martini was bubbly, refreshing, and that cherry on the bottom tasted so good. Jen's martini was respectfully called the metro martini and it tasted "like key west in my mouth!" So true! Naomi, sticking true to her roots, went with the chocolate martini. This thing was frothy and had yummy chocolate swirled inside the glass. We didn't complain.

After long deliberation we narrowed the appetizer choices down to 3. The crositini with goat cheese was filling and they were not shy on the cheese. The garlic spread perfected the this dish. The margarita pizza was flavorful and cheesy. We loved it, but there was so much that we couldn't finish all of it. The grilled, not fried, calamari was by far the most interesting appetizer we ordered. It was served on a bed of bitter greens and we were not quite sure what the roundish white things were, but the little calamaris-tentacles and all- were delicious.

The dessert was decadent to say the least. The bananas foster was served in the most sweet, rummy, banana sauce, with icecream, bread, and freshly cut bananas. If only we had straws...that sauce would have been gone. The truffle cake with raspberry sauce was thick, truffle-like, but just your average rich, flourless cake. Of course we still ate it!

Ladies, this was so much fun. Although we had a bit of shuffling to do before we found our restaurant, the evening was fabulous. I enjoyed the company, the girl talk, and my stomach hurt from laughing so much. Can't wait until next time!

In the beginning...

Friendships are the most valuable relationships in a persons life. Today marks the beginning of a journey about three women and the start of their new friendships. Weekly adventures for new tastes and discoveries in Mad-town WI.

Its hard starting this blog without them ... so we'll have to see if I've even described our new idea well enough?

Destination 1: Jolly Bobs
When: Last Thursday
What: Mojitos, Aged Rum, Appetizers

Jolly Bob's is a well-established Caribbean food/bar on Willy Street and is probably one of the best spots for a mojito in town. The atmosphere is perfect for cooler summer evenings with a nice dining garden in the back. The food was delicious, and my favorite was the Crab Cakes. All crab and no cake making for a filling appetizer with the right flavor balances especially when paired with the Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce. Mmmmm ... delicious if you're up for a little kick-in-the-mouth.

All I have left for now is to just say to you ladies that I am so excited that we came up with this idea. I am looking forward to beginning this blog and friendship! I hope we can keeps this up for a while.

More postings coming soon...