Why, Madison, why?

Last night, weary and hungry, I revived considerably after a friend suggested we dash out for a quick bite to eat. Big Bowl! I offered. Closed, said he.

Why cannot we sustain a fresh and original Asian eatery in this town – one that wont break the budget and will reliably deliver ingredients in wonderfully simple, crisp and appealing presentations?

I am tired of people responding “what’s wrong with Imperial Gardens?” Plenty, and I’ll say this much here: I have a menu that I picked up (for take-out eating) at Imperial Gardens some twenty years ago. I am going to bet that absolutely nothing has changed on it since then. And the limp broccoli remains limp, and the waiters still have to scribble on the order form “customer requests no MSG.”

Having eaten frequently at Big Bowl off of Rush Street in Chicago, I looked forward for months to its arrival on the restaurant desert that is the west side of Madison. It is no more. Shame on us for flooding turkey eateries with our business and scorning places that offer fresh and healthy alternatives to the standard fare.