Noshing With Nate

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

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+