While in Madison for a ski trip, I tapped into the almighty resource that is Yelp to find some unique eats. I didn't want to eat any of the other chain garbage that all the other tourists were eating near the hotel. Enter NOTO. What an awesome little find!
After reading some of the reviews, I wanted to try a little bit of everything. The woman at the counter suggested we try the Mardi Gras Combo and the popular Shrimp Po' Boy sandwich. I wanted to try the dirty rice and was told that I could substitute the regular rice in the Combo for dirty rice. Yes, please!
First, I'd like to clarify that the sandwich is NOT as big as other reviews may make it out to be. It's a standard French roll with a standard amount of fillings BUT the flavors are admittedly some of the best I've ever had. The juxtaposition of creamy, tangy sauce with the crunchy, juicy shrimp combined with the fresh lettuce will have you swooning for more.
On to the combo... What a cornucopia (nods to Candice G.) of beautifully tasty french creole goodness all nestled magically in compartmentalized order without any compartments in the take-out box. It traveled several miles successfully in the manner as well. The warnings of the menu and lady at the counter on the spiciness of the dirty rice and shrimp creole were accurate. It was a flavorful, creeping sort of spice that increased with each bite. Absolutely fantastic.
The name "take-out" is rather misleading because there is ample seating inside the place and many interesting jazz memorabilia to peruse over while eating so eat-in instead of taking-out as the name suggests.
I'll definitely be making a stop here again whenever I'm in the Madison area for some good ol' N'Orleans style cookin'.