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| - New Orleans Take-Out, how have I not reviewed you before???
The food here is just awesome; I really love pretty much everything I've tried. I've visited on a number of occasions since moving back to Madison and NOTO was just about a weekly stop when I was a grad student ten years ago. I've only visited this location on Monroe and if there's anything that's less than stellar about NOTO is that the space is exceedingly small. As the name implies they're really set up best for take out, but there is some limited bar/stool area where you can eat in house. I stopped in yesterday for just such a lunch and I'll comment on what I had:
1/2 order red beans and rice w/ double sausage: Man, oh man, is this stuff delicious! This is not a terribly complex dish, but the flavors are rich and deep. Okay, the rice is very straightforward, basically just white rice, but it acts as the perfect foil for the beans. The red beans themselves are cooked until very tender and are served in a thick, luscious sauce. to my mind the addition of sausage is an absolute necessity. Not only does the sausage add a ton of flavor, but it adds a great textural counterpoint to what is otherwise a somewhat uniformly smooth dish. Add some hot sauce? OF COURSE!!! This comes with either cornbread or french bread, both of which are tasty, but I've got to go cornbread with the red beans and rice! Absolutely love this stuff, I get it EVERY TIME!
1/2 order shrimp etouffee: It says spicy right in the description, and it is that, but there's SO MUCH MORE going on here. A known key to this kind of cooking is working from a good roux, and clearly these guys have mastered the roux! There's a silky mouth feel to this dish that makes it exceptionally pleasant to eat. On top of that this shrimp is cooked perfectly, which is surprisingly uncommon even in good restaurants. Not only do the shrimp taste like shrimp they have a great texture. The overall flavor of the dish is excellent and the spice is excellent (and nowhere near overpowering). This is served with white rice as well, which is fine, but doesn't add a ton here. For the ettouffee I think the french bread is the side of choice. the crusty bread is perfect for soaking up that ettouffee sauce! A multitude of flavors here all of which combine to make a dish that's more than the sum of it's parts. This is more than just cooking, it's cuisine!
Side of fries: They're fine. Basic, but good. Should have gone with the sweet potato fries which are much more interesting (and frankly better).
As mentioned before, the biggest knock on NOTO for me is the challenge of enjoying a nice sit down meal in the restaurant, but I don't feel like it's fair to take much off for that considering Take-Out is right in the name...
If you're a fan of cajon/creole cuisine NOTO is a great option in Madison. I'd recommend giving it a shot!
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