48 Hours in Madison Wisconsin | Must See, Do and Eat

Hey everybody, I'm Josh.

And I'm Rachael.

Come along with us over the next 48 hours as we see, do, and eat as much as we can in Madison, Wisconsin.

Let's go!

Here we go! Hello and welcome to Madison.

That's right.

Yeah, we just got here. Uh, so this is gonna be a little bit different of a 48 hours. Normally we start in the morning. Tonight it's 8 PM. We just landed.

Yeah.

And we're gonna go to dinner.

And we'll be leaving at 8 PM on Sunday.

Right. And now what we're doing for dinner is something you're supposed to do in Wisconsin. We're gonna try to figure out the difference between a supper club and a restaurant. I don't understand.

We've been doing our research and it's just not making sense in our heads. Yeah, but maybe it will. when we actually get to experience it.

Yeah, so let's go eat. All right, for reference, we are staying at the AC Hotel by Marriott in downtown Madison, which is one block from this.

Isn't it beautiful?

The Capitol building looks a lot like the US Capitol.

It does.

We hear it's about 3 or 4 feet shorter though.

Yes, the big thing I do know about the Capitol here is the columns on the, um, dome up there. Buildings around Madison can't be any taller than that, so you can see this Capitol for a lot, like A lot.

And I believe that's the only granite— oh, uh, what do you call it? Cap? Rotunda?

Rotunda, maybe?

Maybe cap? The dome. Granite dome.

And we're not just going to show it at night, we're going to try to get over here tomorrow too.

But we're, we're walking past it on our way to dinner. So for dinner tonight, we came to the Harvey House, which is more of a modern, fancy take on the supper club. The big feature of the supper club is gonna be personalized service, scratch-made American dishes, and classic cocktails. We went with the Spotted Cow, which is a Wisconsin-only beer. Like, you can't get this out of this state. So, I mean, it's classic for Wisconsin, I suppose, right? But it was delicious. It was good. And it was pretty cheap, actually. It was only $6.

All right, I know Josh gave me a hard time as we were planning to come to a supper club about the relish tray, but it was on the menu, so we had to start off with the relish tray. It had this amazing dill foam dip and a smoked salmon dip that I will tell you brought me back to my childhood in one of my grandparents' houses. And we also had a—

I don't think your grandma ever made it like that.

Oh, I don't think so either, but it, that's, it just brought back the memories. And then we had a kielbasa in—

A blanket.

In a blanket. It was wrapped in, A nice dough, cheesy cheddar, uh, kielbasa on a mustard sauce. Again, super fancy. You're not talking pigs in a blanket and ketchup here. You're talking fancy, fancy. And then the next course came out, and here's where the mind-blowing begins. We had a chopped wedge salad, of course, nice fresh wedge salad, nothing too spectacular there. But then they came out with a French onion soup that was the best French onion soup I've ever had in my entire life. A Swiss foam, a nice brothy beefy bouillon and then these little chunks of cheese and croutons in it. Oh, they were fantastic.

It was so good. It was my first time ever having French onion soup and I probably will never have one better.

Yeah, and as Josh mentioned about the personalized service, what I think was really cool is we've had the best service ever tonight. And she started out by asking us our names, so she's been calling us by name all night long. I find that very unique and personalized.

And this venue is amazing. It's like an old train station.

Yeah.

I'm pretty sure there's a train right out there. And then for our main course, we ended up doing probably the largest ribeye steak I've ever seen that is not bone-in.

It was so big.

It was 32 ounces, no bone, and it was dry-aged. It's apparently from Iowa. We did medium-rare. It was huge. It was delicious. There's a nice crisp on the outside, great salt on the top. It melted in your mouth. Fantastic.

Absolutely amazing.

And as a side dish, we did do a Loaded baked potato, which comes with a little bit of cheese fondue, a bunch of onions, some sour cream, and bacon lardons.

I say don't forget the bacon lardons.

Yeah, and we just ordered 2 desserts. And for dessert, we do have a coconut tapioca pudding and a peaches and cream pavlova. And it's Rachael's birthday, so give me a happy birthday down below, please. All right, good morning.

Good morning.

Check out that view. It looks like a postcard behind us.

It really does. It's a beautiful view of the Capitol.

Yeah, this is from the 10th floor of our hotel. Uh, there is a farmer's market that is going on down there, which we've heard nothing but great things about.

Yep.

So we're probably gonna go check that out, but there's something at dinner I feel like we didn't have enough of.

Cheese!

Yeah, Art of Cheese Festival is this weekend, so we've got a few different events we're going to check out. And we'll hopefully make it in that building either today or tomorrow.

All right, so I couldn't stop anymore. We are here at the Dane County Fair or Dane County Farmers Market. Stella's Hot and Spicy Cheese Bread. I said, how do you sell it? She's like, oh, you can do the minis, 6 minis. And I thought minis, that's perfect until I realized like legit.

That mini is large.

The mini—it's as big as my head. Nice soft roll.

It's just a big bun.

Oh no, it's got cheese inside. Okay. Oh my gosh, I'm so glad.

I'm not sure what we're gonna do with six of them. We're gonna take them home, I bet. There's a kick to that. Wow. We walked about a third of it so far. This thing is busy, and it is. As you can see, it's right around the Capitol building.

And there's one flow, like you can't go against the grain here. You're going with it. This is delicious. I'm gonna hopefully not overeat, but I am— We're gonna have at least one. I'm glad we bought this one.

Yeah.

Yeah.

This is the Art of Cheese Festival area by Martin Luther King Drive, I believe. There are lines at all these vendors, but these did open up, I believe, at 1— or 8 AM, and then close at 1 PM. I noticed there's a lot of retail. Have you gotten into the cheese? It's all cheese section. I bet there is. I went nuts.

Oh, that was good.

Yeah, so there's just a block of cheese samples. I don't know, 20-some cheese vendors, and you just go line to line to line. We probably just tried at least 25, 30 different samples.

Yeah, there was a— what was it, a snow-capped cheddar or something like that?

I think they just call it snow cheddar. I think that was one of the most noticeable. There was a great Swiss that we just had. Oh, and a dill Havarti I really liked. I liked a Gouda. There's a ton of good stuff. We like cheese. And the good news is that part is just open and free to the public. Yeah. So if you just go down that block, eat a bunch of cheese. Because we did book a special lunch, which is going to be about an hour from now. Uh, we do get to have access to— in the Orpheum Theatre, they have like a cheese bar from Fromage Nation, which I think must be a super famous cheese store here in town.

Yes, I've seen it on other people's blogs.

Yeah, we're not going to make it to that this time, but they have a cheese bar here with a cheesemonger who was able to share a whole bunch more cheese for us, and they've got some complimentary mimosas. So we're, we're doing it right.

It's a good start this morning.

Yeah, it sounds like one of the most famous ones is this Wisconsin one. Well, they're all from Wisconsin, but this one is blue cheese and cheddar where they kind of rub the outside with blue cheese and then they inject it too. But then there's also a Gouda and some other white cheese I can't remember. They, they know a lot about cheese.

They know a lot about cheese.

Yeah.

You can try that cheddar blue.

Okay, so they said to eat the rind, which is scary because that just looks like mold.

It does look like mold. It's your penicillin shot. We won't get sick. Maybe that's it.

I thought it was delicious. I think so too. Yeah, I don't notice a ton of the blue cheese yet, even though I ate the rind. Yeah, it's just a really good cheddar though. Is that cheese?

Have you eaten cheese?

How much cheese have you eaten today? How much cheese is too much cheese? All right, we just had lunch, and so this was School of Cheese, which I think is a newer thing here for the Art of Cheese, or at least a live-action one.

Yeah, and it's something to do with Cheeselandia.

Yeah, I don't know what that is, but I think they're putting it on. And Justin Warner is the, like, kind of the spokesman for the year. Yeah, and he just did a demonstration we got to watch. We ended up having a lunch where it was like a grilled cheese, a tomato soup, Waldorf salad, and then ice cream with cherries and Cheese and cookie. Yeah, and then he showed us he made a cheese sauce with some like wonton wrapper chips, tartare with like 50/50 filet versus cheese. Yeah, and then there was a lasagna dish we didn't get to try because I don't think we spent enough money. I think you had to spend a lot to be a VIP. Yeah, but it was a great time. We did get to take a selfie with him. I thought it was awesome.

It was super fun. He's such a down-to-earth character and I would say it's not even character, like for TV. It's truly like who he is.

Yeah.

That was fun to see. All right, so last night we told you we'd try to get here to the Capitol during the daylight, and we did. They offer free tours on Monday through Saturday, 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM, then back at 1, 2, and 3. So might as well take a tour.

Yeah, let's see how this is. The Wisconsin State Capitol building is located on an isthmus between 2 lakes, completed in 1917. It is renowned for its distinctive granite dome, the largest by volume in the nation. The building itself is constructed of 43 types of stones sourced from 8 states and 6 countries. Inside, visitors can admire intricate mosaics, marble columns, and various works of art while touring the Capitol's interior spaces. During your free tour, you are able to go into several rooms including the North Hearing Room, Supreme Court, Senate Chamber, and Assembly Chamber. At the end of your tour, you are able to go to the observation deck and get 360-degree views of Madison, including Lake Monona on one side and Lake Mendota on the other side.

We just did a tour of the Capitol.

Yeah, and now after all that history, we just need a quick drink.

Yeah, and what is Wisconsin known for? Or at least that I think Wisconsin is known for.

Well, one of the things Yeah, besides cheese. Beer.

Beer.

Let's go get a beer. All right, just had a couple beers.

We went to Great Dane Brewing Company.

Yeah, been around since the '90s.

The 1990s.

1990s, not 18. But it was delicious and it only cost $12. Yeah.

For 2 big beers.

Big ones. They tasted really good, um, and there's supposed to be a ton of different breweries around here, so why not check one out?

Yeah, I did read that Madison is one of the top 25 cities of breweries per capita.

And now we're gonna go meet up with a few people at a whiskey bar.

That's right.

Called Cask and Ale.

Yes, I think it said 775 whiskeys.

That's a lot.

That's a lot of whiskey.

I might, I might have to get a flight.

I might have to buy you a beer.

I don't know what you're gonna get. Yeah, maybe a whiskey-based beer. Is there such a thing?

I'm sure there's a barrel-aged whiskey, but not a whiskey-based beer.

Oh, I think there is.

Remember we had that one from New Belgium? We didn't like it.

All right, well, we'll see what we have. A few moments later.

Cask and Ale didn't just have whiskeys.

Lots of beers, like 20 beers on tap. And like a billion whiskeys.

755, not a billion.

It was great.

He's exaggerating.

Yeah, if you want anything to drink, you should check that place out.

Yeah, right on State Street. Very good. Had drinks with a couple viewers, Rod and Lisa, and Dave is one of our members.

Check it out. Boom, just like that.

So last night was a modern take on a supper club here in Wisconsin Tonight is a classic take on a supper club here in Wisconsin.

We're headed to Tornado. That is mashed potatoes and a scallop. Welcome to Wisconsin. They just look like actual frog legs.

Yep, warm bacon vinaigrette. And a spinach salad.

You got some big-ass croutons, I can see that. Oh my God, we're full. Tornado Room, huge, huge portions. Yeah, I, I was saying, I think that was the most Midwestern meal I've ever had. Yeah, every portion is huge. The prices are cheap, reasonable, I think. Yeah, very reasonable. Yeah, the Harvey House is my choice. I agree, I like a little fancier I like a little more modern.

Not necessarily fancier, but modern.

This is a definitely very classic restaurant. Yeah, uh, we did start with some frog legs and some scallops on mashed potatoes with gravy. Never had that before, so we figured we had to try it.

We figured we'd try it.

I, I did like the scallop dish. Could have been a little bit warmer. Yeah, but then we did prime rib and walleye.

We also did salad.

Yeah, because it comes with salads too.

And a side.

And they're huge salads.

Yeah, they are.

And giant loaf— a loaf of bread.

Again, portion size is ridiculous.

Yes, you're not gonna leave here hungry if you order a meal.

No.

Um, we did do a walleye and a prime rib. The prime rib, of course, was gigantic, and so was the walleye. So if you're— if you're looking for more of a classic experience, you should check out Tornado. If you're looking for a more modern A little bit spendier.

Harvey House.

I would say Harvey House. All right, later. Good morning.

Good morning.

So we just started our day. We did a 10K here at the Henry Vila Zoo.

Yes.

Which we believe is free.

I believe it is. That's what I've read. Not a very big zoo.

No, but it does seem like they have lions, giraffes, bears, badgers, rhino. We saw some river otters. Unfortunately, the only things we saw was river otters and these Cooper's brah.

Is that what it's called?

I don't know. Something like that. It looked like a giant gerbil. It did. It was lazy looking. So unfortunately, that's all that was out. But the run was good, and now we have to head back. We're gonna have to check out at 11. We can't do Yeah. So we'll probably get there, get cleaned up, check out, and then find a bunch of food.

Yeah.

We've got a lot of food we want to check off the list today. Just checked out of the hotel and we are walking away from the Capitol this time.

But not far.

No, not very far. So it, it does seem like there are a few places that are closed on Sundays, so we're, we're kind of pivoting, but I think it's interesting I do too.

I'm really excited for this spot, at least what it looks like from the menu and online.

So from what we've seen, there is a lot of German descendants that live in Wisconsin. I think like 40% have some kind of ancestry. So we're going to check out a German beer hall. Sausage, cheese, schnitzel, probably a beer. Yeah, let's go. Oh my God, I think we scared our waiter when we ordered this, and now I can see why. Yeah, now we scared ourselves.

Yeah, this is insane.

So we got a pork schnitzel with some spätzle, added gravy. Half— this is half— this is half of the pretzel.

So big. Oh my God, some cheese curds, which are awesome, and we've already dug into those.

Yes, and then this is a small sausage board which has a ton of things on it.

Warm potato salad, Black Forest ham, pickles, gherkins, cabbage, and sauerkraut. And I can't remember what they said about that one.

I don't know, but it's basically like a, uh, what do you call those? We've gotten them at all dinners. Yes, relish tray. Relish tray, all in one pile. But yeah, check that out if you want a lot of food. And some good beer. Oh yeah, we also got beers.

So cool.

Yes, and it's beautiful. All right, that was a lot of fun.

So that was quite the experience.

So we just thought we were randomly showing up there and having lunch, and there was an Arsenal game, and apparently there's a lot of Arsenal fans. Who liked to go there and watch that?

It was fun. I've never seen such excitement from a soccer game in a German restaurant before.

There you go, in America. But yeah, it was a great time. I thought the food was very good.

It was good.

Definitely recommend. The Monona Terrace is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed community and convention center that opened in 1997. 56 years after its initial conception. Situated on the shores of Lake Monona, its design seamlessly blends with the natural surroundings, offering panoramic views of the lake and downtown Madison. The building serves as a central hub for events, meetings, and public gatherings, hosting a variety of activities for locals and visitors alike. I think the view from the lake would be even better, but the view from above was pretty great as well. We were just kind of like wandering around.

Yeah.

And came across a spot where we're gonna buy some cheese curds later, which they say they travel well but only 6 to 8 hours. So we're gonna wait until last minute.

The last minute, yeah.

We found an apparel store, which if you need to buy some Wisconsin gear, you should definitely check it out. I think it's called Insignia.

Yeah, it was huge.

Tons of stuff. And now—

We randomly made it.

To the campus.

To the campus.

Yeah.

We didn't plan on it. No, we're just wandering and now we're like, we're at the campus.

Yeah, so we're gonna check things out over here. Um, we have heard that this is one of the few campuses that has a— is it a brewery or a bar?

Yes, one of the two. I cannot remember now.

Yeah, so if we stumble across that, we're gonna try to check that out too. All right, so we decided we needed cheese curds at least one more time.

Because we haven't had enough cheese this weekend at all.

So we stopped here at State Street Brats. We got a couple of bratwursts and some cheese curds. It says these brats have been around for 70 years. It's got to be good.

And they've got football on the TV, so that helps too.

That helps. Working our way back to the hotel to grab our suitcases and It's time to get some cheese. Wisconsin cheese mart.

Cheese curds.

Muenster cheese curds. Oh, that sounds really good.

Yeah.

We'll have to try some other curds down here.

White cheddar cheese curds.

Oh, that sounds good. Yeah. And they're cheap too. It's only $6.40.

I know.

$4 for that one. All right, let's try these sour cream and onion as well. And of course they have some samples. I like the Muenster.

$40 worth of cheese and a little cooler to hopefully get it home.

Yeah, we are checking this, so hopefully that'll help keep it cool in the underbelly. But we gotta make our way back to our hotel. I don't know, well, probably We gotta take in a view or something before the end of this, I think.

That's true. One more, one more stop before we head home.

Yeah. All right, so our final drink, we're actually at the top of our hotel from earlier. You can see the heck of a view of the Capitol.

It's so beautiful out there.

And we waited until the final drink of the trip to have the state drink of Wisconsin, apparently.

Yes, that's what I've read.

Which is a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, which is all the same ingredients, bitters, sugar, orange, Luxardo cherries, except for they use brandy instead of whiskey. First time trying it.

Josh asked me if I'd ever tried brandy, and I haven't because I actually said I think it's an old people drink, but maybe it's not.

Um, I do also notice that they like to muddle the cherries and the orange in there. I think it tastes good. I don't know, like, it's not as strong as a whiskey one, I would say, so it's gonna be a little easier drink, but it's good. All right, I want to clarify, there is one more element to this drink that I I did not know about, and it wasn't on the menu, but they do put a little bit of like 7-Up or Sprite on top of it. So there's a little bit of carbonation in there, which changes it up a little bit. So if you don't make it to a cheese shop, the good news is you can get some yellow cheese curds here at the airport. So if you're not like us and you find a cheese shop, you can get it right here. All right, and just like that, we are back at the 48 hours in Madison went by like that.

It did.

Um, so if this is your first time watching our videos, we do like to end these with our best bite and our best moment. What do you want to go first?

Best bite.

All right, best bite. Do you want me?

Yeah, you go first.

Uh, the steak.

Damn it.

Night 1. Yeah, yeah, the Harvey House just like set the mood, set the tone for the entire trip. It was fantastic. Loved it. Great service, great food. I could have picked almost every dish.

I, I agree with that. So I'm gonna go a little different. Okay, I'm gonna go the pork schnitzel today at lunch at Prost. That was a fun environment. It was super interesting, exciting. There was a sports game going on and people were just having fun.

Yeah, we definitely were not prepared for that. No. All right, and how about favorite moment of the trip?

So mine was today finishing up the 10K here in Madison. That makes my 45th state I've ran in, and it's just— I'm mind-blown. It's surreal. So I'm pretty excited about that. And one of my goals, if you haven't been watching us, is to run in all 50 states. And so to have only 5 left, I'm just— I'm truly just like, I'm beside myself.

Yeah, I would say my favorite moment was also at the end of that because I was struggling for a bunch of that, and so I was really happy to be done. Yeah, it was, it was a struggle for But otherwise, I would also say I thought inside the Capitol was beautiful. I'm so glad we did it. We weren't sure if we're gonna go in and do the tour, but I had a great time doing it. It's a beautiful place. You should definitely go up there. And then to be able to go outside, up around the dome area, like, we were not expecting that. So that was a really cool thing to be able to do.

Agreed. It was just impressive.

All right, well, let us know what you think we missed for our time here in Madison. I think we did pretty good though.

I think we did too for 48 hours.

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Later.