Upon moving to Madison, WI in 2012, I was well aware of the ‘fruits’ that this beautiful city and wonderful state had to offer. As a musician and teacher, I was impressed with the local arts scene, the variety of musical outlets and the many people I’ve met here who are passionate about meaningful and relevant education.
Coming from Chicago, I was eager to get a feel for the local restaurant and bar scene here in Madison. After visiting a number of establishment’s with friends and family, I noticed a few commonalities:
- You have the OPTION of enjoying and Old Fashioned made with Bourbon OR Brandy. In Chicago, your choice is Bourbon.
- The Green Bay Packers are not just a football team 4 months out of the year. They are a way of life whose season runs 12 months 24/7….seriously, go grocery shopping on Sunday during a Packers game…it’s dead…nobody’s in there!
- A consistently popular appetizer are the fried cheese curds. I’m sure I’ve seen them available outside of Wisconsin but here in Madison, they’re the real deal with a ton of variety.
My friends and I noticed unique characteristics behind each order we placed. As a result, I’ve created the following system to judge each establishment’s curd.
- Presentation – How does it look? Is it too greasy or dry? What’s the temperature? Basket or plate? Visual aesthetic.
- Breading/Batter – How long was the curd in the fryer? Is it a heavy breading like a fish fry? Is it all bread and no curd (blanks)?
- Flavor – This one speaks for itself.
- Curd – Did it come from a frozen bag (bowling alley)? Are there a variety of shapes and sizes? What’s the color scheme?
- Cost – Nobody wants to pay $12 for a $7 basket. Price plays a role. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it hinders.
- Sauce – Variety of sauces available and overall taste as a compliment to the curd.
Each of the 6 categories will be evaluated on a 4.0 scale, in increments of 0.5. Each score will be added and the average will be determined yielding the overall score for the curd. Here’s an example:
Tavern/Bar: Bottom of the 5th
Location: On the Square
1. Presentation: 3
2. Breading/Batter: 2.5
3. Flavor: 4
4. Curd: 3
5. Cost: 4
6. Sauce: 2
Total Score: 18.5 then divide the score by 6 to get overall score.
Overall Score: 3.1
If I’m with friends who have a say, the mean score of each participating patron will be averaged (yes, the mean of all the mean scores combined).
That’s how this is going down. Stay posted for new updates.
Whey In On The Curds 