The Tipsy Cow

Short summary:  Refreshingly ordinary pub-grub right downtown -- but still at Capitol Square foodie-driven prices.

Location:  102 King St., Madison, WI 53703

It's always interesting to see how many entrepreneurs arrive at the independent conclusion that what the capitol square really needs is another burgers-and-beer joint.

The Tipsy Cow is the last in a string of re-imaginings for the space last occupied by the late and not-particularly-lamented King & Mane.  Whether it's got the staying power to outlast the previous tenants or not remains to be seen, though the crowd on a weeknight doesn't really suggest it.  They've got a decently active Facebook page but no dedicated website, always a strike against a newer business.

Better Burger Basics

To give credit where it's due, the new 'Cow does avoid the foodier-than-thou trap of a lot of capitol-area pub-grub joints.  Burgers are slabs of ground beef on buns, usually with cheese, and if the beef or the cheese are a little higher-quality than usual it's still the same, recognizable material.  Orders are In N' Out Burger style, going from a single 1/4 lb. patty "1x1" at five bucks on up to a full-pound "4x4" at eleven.

The sandwiches, burger and otherwise, are solid and simple.  There's no messing around and what's on the menu is what you get.  The Spicy Slaw Dog is not to be missed by fans of sausage-and-slaw; the kielbasa with kraut was a disappointingly inferior cousin.

One weird point to beware of is that the sandwiches are priced as stand-alones -- any kind of side is extra.  For some of them, the prices seem a buck or two high, comparable to what you'd pay for a sandwich-and-side most other places.

Best Fries in Town

If the Tipsy Cow sticks around, we hope it's on the strength of the fries.  They're thin, crunchy on the outside, meaty and soft on the inside, and come covered in all sorts of different, exciting options.  With one dissenting voice favoring the frites at Brasserie V we're inclined to say that these are the best fries in town.

Our advice?  Go on Monday for half-price fries.  Even really good French fries shouldn't be seven or eight bucks an order.  Toppings weren't always heaped on very generously either, making them a delicious treat but a bit of an expensive indulgence. 

There's a lot to like about the Tipsy Cow's approach.  They're keeping it simple, and on the Square that's a refreshing and novel approach.  If they can get their prices balanced a little better and tighten up the service (our waitress had no idea what sort of beer any of the listed taps were, and food arrived at different times for each of us) the 'Cow might at least have a shot at outlasting its predecessor.

The Cooper's Tavern

Short Summary:  Local fare and imported beers.  Good for a snack on the square or a light meal.

Location:  20 West Mifflin Street Madison, WI 53703

The Coopers Tavern is a Food Fight venture and a locavore's delight.  The chalkboard by the entrance keeps an updated list of their local sources, twenty or thirty in all.  The British influence is unmistakable, and fans of the Commonwealth can find rarely-seen-in-the-Midwest dishes like poutin and Irish breakfasts with Heinz baked beans.

Local Pride

Coopers is a good way to get to know the farmers' market fare.  Local beef shows up in a lot of dishes, as do familiar cheeses and breads from the Madison Sourdough Company.  The menu changes seasonally; the specials daily.  Local sourcing isn't exactly an uncommon draw in Madison, we realize, but Coopers is taking one of the better runs at it that we've seen.

Portion Problems

Coopers falls short on feeding hungry faces.  Even habitually light eaters shouldn't expect to take any leftovers home.  Most dinner entrees range between $12-$15, and I always leave feeling ready for another dinner right away. 

The large and well-executed appetizer list is something of a saving grace, and one of the reasons to keep going back to Coopers.  Soft pretzels with cheese dip, ample baskets of Belgian-style frites, and "Sconnie" (Scottish) eggs make for a good grazing spot in between meals.

The Well-Poured Pint

Sit at the bar if you get the chance (it often fills up quickly), because the tapsters at Coopers are enjoyable to watch.  We've always found a lively staff well-versed in the art of the perfectly-pulled pint.

Beers range from local favorites (New Glarus, Spotted Cow, etc.) to exotic imports (Bavik, Leffe).  With thirty or so on tap there's no real reason to go to the bottle menu, but it's there with a couple hundred options if you want them.  The wine-drinkers on the staff assure me that the selections they tried were interesting and varied as well.  None of us tested the bartenders' mixology -- it's not really that kind of place (though there are hard liquors, and we assume they could rise to the challenge at least adequately).

Coopers won't every be a dinner-time staple just because of the high cost of getting enough food for an evening there.  But it's one of our top picks for a quick snack-and-a-beer on the Capitol square, and that's a market with plenty of competition.