Peppino's is closing in December 2009. In a word: One less old school restaurant. The specs: #0479  Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , , 10best , BooRah , EatDrinkMadison , Our Next Thing ; memories at Liquid Bliss , J. LaMore ; official web site . JM ate the veal marsala with a salad and lemonade. Nichole ate the raviolini al mascarpone with soup and a limoncello. We split a slice of chocolate cake. The bill was $69 plus tip. JM gave Peppino's an A-; Nichole gave Peppino's a B. Peppino's has deep roots in Madison and a celebrated history* but our visit came after the announcement of Mr. Gargano's retirement. We were a bit too late to form an attachment, but many people we talked to have a special place in their hearts for Peppino's classic, classy approach. We were seated by a window (where the fading light is evident in our photos). JM got his usual lemonade, which was fresh-squeezed but alarmingly warm, as in almost hot. Nichole matched him with a limoncello best described as treacly yet a good wake-up call for dinner. A first course of chicken vegetable soup with fresh parsley and immaculately diced vegetables spoke equally to the chef's good taste and good knife skills. JM's salad of spinach, romaine, tomatoes, peppers, and onions was bright and freshly dressed with herb-infused oil and vinegar; it was crunchy and satisfying. The menu had a very old-school feeling, with plenty of veal and seafood and nary a farmer's name in sight. This emphasis on luxury was only reinforced by the orchid garnish; once de rigeur, perhaps, these days it's downright jarring to see an orange slice juxtaposed with asparagus when most Madtown menus in this bracket are so likely to flaunt local-and-seasonal pairings. Which is not to say it's not pretty or romantic, it's just a bit anachronistic. Nichole was served several big raviolini, delicious but a wee bit too soft and pillowy, with mascarpone that lacked oomph. She appreciated the abundance of spinach and stewed tomatoes, and finely sliced fresh garlic that lent body but not bite. We're not wont to splurge on veal, but since it seemed like a house specialty and a special occasion, JM went for it and had no regrets. It was perfectly tender, with a delicious mushroom sauce that provided a woody counterpoint to the succulent meat. There was some delta between JM's vegetable (the aforementioned asparagus) and what he would have liked, but he was very happy with how the thing came together. Peppino's is definitely worth celebrating once more if it's already in your heart (though a sad, dry chocolate cake tends to make us shy away from recommending it as a dessert/drinks place, lipsmacking limoncello notwithstanding). We're also looking forward to what the new guard will bring. *a history recently summed up by Doug Moe for Madison.com but since their links frequently break, you'll have to Google it .

In a word: Where can a young couple, who are having an evening out, not too much money, and they want to have a decent meal, you know, a decent kebab and a nice bit of donut, where can they go and get it? The specs: #0478   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp  and . JM ate the lamb kabob. John ate the chicken wrap with shish taouk and a Jarritos. Nichole ate the tan tan chicken. We took a rapid dozen for the office (ahem). The bill was $17 for 2 meals and the donuts (thanks, Bucky Book!) JM and John gave People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine an A-; Nichole gave People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine an A. Tucked behind El Pescador , People's Bakery is one of the few places to get a real donut in Madison. They also make excellent Lebanese dinners and lunches. Check out this tan tan chicken: Half a bird, falling-off-the-bone tender. Homemade aioli with fresh garlic. Cool, sweet red onions. And lovely presentation with deep magenta and liberal dashes of subtle sumac. JM's lamb kabob also featured tender meat. Presumably roasted on a stick, here it was served tossed with tomatoes, roasted red peppers, onions, and a few beans. A side of cucumber yogurt and a bed of yellow rice topped it off. This food was that which you wouldn't mind eating again and again. This was the first asynchronous A to Z meal we've had, too. Bit of a scheduling snafu had us leaving before John arrived (sorry, John). He got a chicken wrap anyway, which he says was very good. He also got a piece of bakery which he enjoyed with relish. The bakery case holds up its half of the marquee with a huge selection of donuts even at 5pm. Madison's lack of donut options makes this a welcome experience even sans the great food before. We got a rapid dozen – we appreciated how easy it was to order and trust the assortment to the experts – and boy, was it an armload. Thirteen treats total, including 2 that easily passed for 4 servings each. These monsters were perhaps a letdown, the big cinnamon swirl being none too cinnamon-y. The big plain swirl was even less interesting. That said, the others, whether filled, fried, or cake, were all satisfying. As the sign says, it's a welcome time for donuts .

In a word: A Mexican't restaurant. The specs: #0477   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , , EatDrinkMadison ; official web site . JM ate the wet cheese burrito with a pink lemonade. John ate the seafood enchilada with an horchata. Nichole ate the taco/enchilada/tamale combo plate with a margarita. The bill was about $40 ($30 with coupon) plus tip (thanks, John!) John and JM gave Pedro's Mexican Restaurante a C+; Nichole gave Pedro's Mexican Restaurante a D. People's most common reaction to “We're going to Pedro's” was “Get a margarita. Don't bother with the food.” We have to agree. The food was pretty much school-lunch quality (and we mean before edible schoolyards were a twinkle in anyone's eye). The best bit was probably the complimentary, baked-on-a-press-before-your-very-eyes flatbread – gimmicky, but simple and hard to mess up. The tamale and sauteed squash on Nichole's combo plate were surprisingly not bad. John's seafood enchilada was amply sauced and had a good enough flavor. And we all indulged in the guilty pleasure of the corn “cake,” that scoop of mushy, sweet carbs.  JM's wet burrito was indeed wet and overall was tasty and firm, though his side of guacamole was an industrial accident served as a side dish. To him it tasted of nothing so much as solvents. Nichole didn't believe JM's alarm at first, but when she tasted the guac for herself, instinct trumped manners and that mouthful ended up in a napkin. The beverages didn't disappoint. John's horchata was a bit too watery but that problem was offset by whipped cream. The margarita (served with not-so-happy lime wedge) was tingly and did the trick of making dinner seem better. Our service was good and we appreciated having a coupon. That said it's doubtful you could drag us back to Pedro's.

In a word: A Mexican't restaurant. The specs: #0477   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , , EatDrinkMadison ; official web site . JM ate the wet cheese burrito with a pink lemonade. John ate the seafood enchilada with an horchata. Nichole ate the taco/enchilada/tamale combo plate with a margarita. The bill was about $40 ($30 with coupon) plus tip (thanks, John!) John and JM gave Pedro's Mexican Restaurante a C+; Nichole gave Pedro's Mexican Restaurante a D. People's most common reaction to “We're going to Pedro's” was “Get a margarita. Don't bother with the food.” We have to agree. The food was pretty much school-lunch quality (and we mean before edible schoolyards were a twinkle in anyone's eye). The best bit was probably the complimentary, baked-on-a-press-before-your-very-eyes flatbread – gimmicky, but simple and hard to mess up. The tamale and sauteed squash on Nichole's combo plate were surprisingly not bad. John's seafood enchilada was amply sauced and had a good enough flavor. And we all indulged in the guilty pleasure of the corn “cake,” that scoop of mushy, sweet carbs.  JM's wet burrito was indeed wet and overall was tasty and firm, though his side of guacamole was an industrial accident served as a side dish. To him it tasted of nothing so much as solvents. Nichole didn't believe JM's alarm at first, but when she tasted the guac for herself, instinct trumped manners and that mouthful ended up in a napkin. The beverages didn't disappoint. John's horchata was a bit too watery but that problem was offset by whipped cream. The margarita (served with not-so-happy lime wedge) was tingly and did the trick of making dinner seem better. Our service was good and we appreciated having a coupon. That said it's doubtful you could drag us back to Pedro's.

In a word: Golf Romeo echo alfa tango foxtrot India November delta. The specs: #0476   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , ; official web site . Constance ate the scrambled eggs and biscuit with coffee. JM ate the French toast with lemonade. Josh ate the DEN omelet. Kurt ate the veggie casserole with rye toast. Nichole ate the DEN sandwich with coffee. Stef ate the strawberry French toast. Walt ate the French toast sticks and scrambled egg. The bill was about $50 plus tip. Nichole gave Pat O'Malley's Jet Room an A; JM gave Pat O'Malley's Jet Room an A- ; Kurt gave Pat O'Malley's Jet Room an A-/B+. Pat O'Malley's Jet Room is the kind of place we'd been looking for when we started this project: a little-known, friendly, locally-run restaurant, and we'll be back after the List is done. While 10AM on a Saturday might spell a long wait at most breakfast places, here it was busy without feeling rushed. Outside, the view of the landing field was beautiful; inside, the decor surprised us with its kitschy yet uncluttered approach. The menu even lived up to our hopes with aviation puns. Breakfast started with decent diner coffee for most of us. Before long the food arrived. The DEN omelet was Josh's ideal diner Denver: nice chunks of ham and peppers and not overly cheesy. The marble rye toast was really good and buttery. Nichole's DEN sandwich was a thoughtful variation on that theme. A scrambled egg bound together sauteed peppers and onions with thin slices of juicy ham, set between buttered toast, and a ripe melon slice on the side. The three iterations of French toast we tried were all delightful, too. Walt's we can only assume was good because it disappeared so fast. JM and Stef agreed the toast was fluffy and not too eggy, thought it may have been a little underqualified on the syrup absorption front. JM's was dusted lightly with powdered sugar, and Stef's fresh strawberries had a perfect texture. The whipped cream was a surprise but wasn't overwhelming. Constance got the scrambled eggs and biscuit, which were good on both counts. Of the biscuit, she commented: Biscuits are a good measure of a breakfast menu (hard to do, often from mix or freezer). The biscuits here are homemade and have just the right texture. Very satisfying. Kurt's vegetable casserole was probably the most balanced meal, and while each dish was pretty, his was the most vibrant with lightly sauteed broccoli and fresh tomatoes. It was good, not too greasy, not heavy but very filling. The north side may boast few restaurants, but the ones it does seem way above average. Even if you don't have a meal here, you really should stop in to enjoy the cushy couches in the lobby and watch some little private planes come and go.

In a word: Trying. The specs: #0475   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp ,  Dane 101 ,   , Althouse , Quomodocumque ; official web site . Ann ate the shrimp fajitas. JM ate the jerk chicken burrito with a lemonade. Meade ate the chicken mole with a Guiness. Nichole ate the chorizo tacos. We split some chips and salsa. The bill was about $55 plus tip. We all gave Pasqual's a B. We've heard that Pasqual's has a solid pedigree as one of the oldest ethnic restaurants in Madison, from back when tacos were exotic. The folks who run it have been credited with being the first to bring Southwestern-style food to the city. We figured we'd try the newer Hilldale Mall location. As Ann pointed out, one of the most obvious benefits is that this one has table service. Nichole opted for tacos. There must be a thousand permutations of toppings and tortillas, but her choice was the quite-greasy chorizo on  blue corn tortillas that held up amazingly well. Tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream and black olives topped things off in a very Midwestern-home-table kind of way. The black beans with cheese were hard to stop eating, but the heavily-augmented rice was missable. JM's burrito plate was staunch and minimalist, again , and none of us could figure out why the white sauce on the side was some sort of cucumber-infused yogurt. It had a few too many beans but was very spicy but, upon further inspection, the flavor was all at the surface with no latent heat. It was good, all right, but nothing much to write about on the internet. Ann's shrimp fajitas, by contrast, had way more style than substance. Or, if we're being frank, they were annoying: not brought sizzling hot; fussy to assemble, which delayed the eating further; and accompanied by more offbeat toppings (which is to say, traditional fajita toppings that belong nowhere when the meat moves to shrimp). The shrimp themselves had just a whisper of lime flavor, so that was nice. Ann's take on her meal was fun and led to good comments over on her blog , which would be a good place to learn more. Meade's choice of chicken mole enchiladas was a good bet, with a very dark, chocolatey mole sauce over flavorful chicken. He and Ann ended up trading plates to even out their luck, which was awfully nice of him. We asked ourselves whether it seemed like Pasqual's was achieving its apparent goal to be a slightly more upscale yet funky outlet of their Southwest/Mexican fare, and the answer was “not really.” Which is too bad, since their original Monroe St. location seems to be carrying the tradition on quite well. We're glad to see that Pasqual's in Verona has added Circolo , because this place could be resting a little heavily on its laurels, especially now that Madison has a surfeit of SouthWestern, TexMex and Mexican restaurants.

In a word: Gre_ _e is the word. The specs: #0474   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , , EatDrinkMadison listing; official web site . Bill B . ate the pork souvlaki. JM ate the Hercules plate (chicken, pork and gyro). John ate the pitza and a Wisconsin Amber. Judith ate the chicken kabob. Nichole ate the classic gyro. We split some cheese fries and yogurt. The bill was about $60. Nichole gave Parthenon Gyros a C+; JM gave Parthenon Gyros a C; Bill and Judith gave Parthenon Gyros a C-; John gave Parthenon Gyros a D. Since we didn't go at bartime, we might have missed the point of Parthenon. We're clearly not in their target college demographic, but it was hard to get a read on that since the place was nearly abandoned at six on a Monday night. The staff had a teasing collegiality that spoke volumes about how often they needed to amuse themselves during long bouts of downtime. Once we got up to the roof garden and took our first few bites, the fresh air and good company outshone the actual food, though a 30-watt incandescent lightbulb would also have done the trick but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. The classic gyro was stacked high with standard meat, an obnoxious surfeit of mild onions, and a few slices of tomatoes of wildly varying quality (some ripe, some pink, some incompletely cored.) The Hercules plate provided a sample of pork and chicken as well as lamb.  The meat was warm but not really tasty, just sort of greasy and bland.  The lamb was probably the star though that's like saying that Lorenzo Lamas was the star of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus . Technically true, but you shouldn't care. The best find of all was no doubt the yogurt, which was made in-house. For $3.22, you can get a pint of fresh, intensely zingy yogurt. With a dab of honey, it was perfect for cutting the grease between bites and would probably make an excellent ingredient in a salad dressing or smoothie. Poor John and Judith got the short end of the stick, trying to explore the offbeat parts of the menu. The “pitza” was, well, a broiled pita pizza, with mozzarella, feta, and a few small chunks of meat. It was hard to eat and just didn't taste very good. As John opined, “If you eat only one Greek pizza this year, you're lucky.” The cheese fries were no consolation, as they congealed fast and weren't a good value compared to the regular fry basket. Bill and John remembered Parthenon being busy all the time, but given the lull we wonder if it's just a bartime draw these days. One thing's for sure, Parthenon's reality pales to collegiate memories.

In a word: Gre_ _e is the word. The specs: #0474   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , , EatDrinkMadison listing; official web site . Bill B . ate the pork souvlaki. JM ate the Hercules plate (chicken, pork and gyro). John ate the pitza and a Wisconsin Amber. Judith ate the chicken kabob. Nichole ate the classic gyro. We split some cheese fries and yogurt. The bill was about $60. Nichole gave Parthenon Gyros a C+; JM gave Parthenon Gyros a C; Bill and Judith gave Parthenon Gyros a C-; John gave Parthenon Gyros a D. Since we didn't go at bartime, we might have missed the point of Parthenon. We're clearly not in their target college demographic, but it was hard to get a read on that since the place was nearly abandoned at six on a Monday night. The staff had a teasing collegiality that spoke volumes about how often they needed to amuse themselves during long bouts of downtime. Once we got up to the roof garden and took our first few bites, the fresh air and good company outshone the actual food, though a 30-watt incandescent lightbulb would also have done the trick but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. The classic gyro was stacked high with standard meat, an obnoxious surfeit of mild onions, and a few slices of tomatoes of wildly varying quality (some ripe, some pink, some incompletely cored.) The Hercules plate provided a sample of pork and chicken as well as lamb.  The meat was warm but not really tasty, just sort of greasy and bland.  The lamb was probably the star though that's like saying that Lorenzo Lamas was the star of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus . Technically true, but you shouldn't care. The best find of all was no doubt the yogurt, which was made in-house. For $3.22, you can get a pint of fresh, intensely zingy yogurt. With a dab of honey, it was perfect for cutting the grease between bites and would probably make an excellent ingredient in a salad dressing or smoothie. Poor John and Judith got the short end of the stick, trying to explore the offbeat parts of the menu. The “pitza” was, well, a broiled pita pizza, with mozzarella, feta, and a few small chunks of meat. It was hard to eat and just didn't taste very good. As John opined, “If you eat only one Greek pizza this year, you're lucky.” The cheese fries were no consolation, as they congealed fast and weren't a good value compared to the regular fry basket. Bill and John remembered Parthenon being busy all the time, but given the lull we wonder if it's just a bartime draw these days. One thing's for sure, Parthenon's reality pales to collegiate memories.

In a word: Comfort, served warm and cheap. The specs: #0441  Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; Madison Originals profile , reviews at , Yelp , EatDrinkMadison listing. Alan ate the fish fry. JM ate the mac and cheese with Polish sausage and a lemonade. Mallory ate the Greek omelet and a soda. Nichole ate the chicken noodle soup, a Monte Cristo and coffee. We split some tapioca pudding and a slice of lemon meringue pie. The bill was $46 plus tip. JM gave Parkway Family Restaurant an B+ ; Nichole gave Parkway Family Restaurant an A. With the economic times what they are, Parkway has recently garnered some attention as a place for a good bargain on homestyle food, but that's not news. Parkway was one of the places Nichole and JM went during their first summer in Madison; back then, they were still easily charmed by smoother faces and Parkway seemed shabby, almost something to be ashamed of feeling affection toward. In contrast to a Food Fight joint, where $4 got you a fake smile and a side of mashed yams, at Parkway Nichole's cashier pay easily afforded a plate of scallops (nevermind if they really were) and a side of Brewtown nostalgia. Today a meal will run you more like $7 or $8 but the place is still real. We think it's too bad it's taken harder times for Parkway to get what recognition it deserves, but we're glad it's starting to happen. Anyway. Of the Monte Cristo : Bread: The French toast was made from very eggy, thick cut white bread. The top was soggier than the bottom. Meat: The ham and turkey were warmed through, medium-thick cut. Cheese: Swiss, exceedingly goopy and generous, but possibly processed versus the harder stuff. Construction/presentation: The flavors were balanced, but the sandwich was basically too big and heavy to finish. Maple syrup was provided on request. About a 6 of 10 overall. Mallory got her usual, the Greek omelet; we gather she could have said “the usual” to our server and she would have gotten the right thing. It's that kind of place. The omelet spilled off the plate and was cooked perfectly, with fresh tomatoes, feta, and peppers. The side of hashbrowns were lightly cooked and not too greasy. Alan's fish fry included a trip to the salad bar, which offered a few dozen choices of toppings and standard sides like cottage cheese, radishes, carrots, nuts, etc. The fish itself was better than average, flaky and hot, with a light breading and a baked potato with the trimmings on the side. JM gave in to his heart and got the mac and cheese. A big serving of elbow macaroni, garnished with parsley, in a cheesy sauce with many visible bits of carrots and onion. While this execution was neither as tasty nor as memorable as the one at the Old Fashioned , it was perfect comfort food at a very comfortable price. Warm and satisfying, even the Polish sausage implied “home” to JM, nevermind that he didn't grow up eating it split and fried in this particular way. No dinner at a family restaurant is complete without something from the rotating display case and/or tapioca/jello. The serving of pudding was presented prettily, and about twice the portion as usual. The pudding was light on tapioca pearls and had a good vanilla flavor. The lemon meringue pie was very good and zesty. Yes, friends, the Parkway is not a place to go in order to “be seen” in the right place. It is not where you go when you want to “wow” a first date. But for good food at a price you can live with, Parkway is way towards the top.

In a word: Low-rent in an awesome way. The specs: #0472   Address, hours & details via Isthmus ; reviews at Yelp , , Eat Drink Madison ; MySpace page . JM ate the grilled ham and cheese and a lemonade. Nichole ate the Paradise burger with a PBR. We split some cheese balls. The bill was $18 plus tip. JM and Nichole gave Paradise Lounge an A-. This was our first visit to the 'Dise, and it was nigh empty of a Thursday night at 8. There were a few regulars at the bar telling stories loudly and doing wifi tech support (”There shouldn't be a password. Just get on the Frequency's. Or try Shamrock's.”) We slid into a wooden 2-person booth just across from the bar and JM made Nichole order up. We shared a basket of cheese balls, basically tater-tot shaped curds served with ranch dressing which, if anything, were a little less fun than average. JM broke his ham and cheese fast with this impossibly salty and greasy and incredibly warm and delicious sandwich. It was good to have a comfort meal after two days of travel in the land of the gagga. Each sandwich basket was stocked with ample dill pickle chips. Nichole's Paradise Burger stacked up on Kate's burger rating guide : Bun: very buttery and toasted; round, soft on top. Meat: large yet thick patty. Bun/meat ratio: perfect. Cheese: supposedly pepper jack but conspicuously absent. Misc.: Bacon ample; tomato and lettuce there just for superfluous crunch. 6.5 of 10 overall. While missing cheese on a cheeseburger might normally be cause for docked points, Nichole's not docking anything from the bartender who made our food. JM noticed that he seemed to have injured his hand (in the bloody sense) while cooking and took a second to bandage it up. Nichole had missed the action (checking out the very divey restroom) and when she returned JM reported the incident, capping it off with, “Well, it's not like he's crying like a [chick].” Yeah. Good bar grub.