While winter is not yet upon us, our quaint Midwestern party town abounds with definite proof that the gloomy season is on its way.
With about 15 minutes of daylight and a stinging chill in the air, the television becomes the center of our social life and power lectures are optional, at best.
Add in the Internet and hibernation becomes not just possible but imperative. Why venture outside of the apartment when you can see J-Lo's latest outfit on E! News Online?
Yet isolation can be unfulfilling at times. I can only tolerate so many penis enlargement e-mails and Elimidate reruns until I crave human contact.
So, whenever disconnected stir-craziness invades my being, I bundle up like the kid brother in \A Christmas Story"" and wander the streets of my neighborhood.
Lucky for me, I live in an area cool enough to make such ventures pretty interesting.
The Old Market Place neighborhood, bordered by Livingston and Butler streets to the east and west, and Lake Mendota and East Washington to the north and south, is an eclectic haven for all sorts of people.
Lee Christensen, the neighborhood association's 24-year-old president, sees the Old Market area as an ideal mix of spunky students and laid-back city folk.
""It's a pretty cool neighborhood, but not totally chaotic like Langdon street,"" Christensen said.
Indeed, the Old Market features a nice blend of distinct personalities. I share an apartment building with a free-styling postmodern beatnik named Dr. Dank and a pair of musicians who are known to play Sublime covers at 3 a.m.
Next door, two brothers write, direct, produce and star in their own movies. Cedarburg's answer to the Coen brothers, their films are actually quite funny. Maybe they can get together and produce a music video for my upstairs neighbors.
Christensen, the neighborhood president, is also well aware of the neighborhood's diversity. At neighborhood meetings,
he clears up property squabbles for posh lakefront property-holders, yet when he gets home he hears his neighbor Dave shouting the lyrics to '80s songs with no music.
Such variety has long been the case in the Old Market Place, the neighborhood with Madison's first black homeowners in Madison.
Regardless of sleeping habits, skin color or musical preference, everyone has to eat, and it should come as no surprise that a neighborhood as eclectic as Old Market Place should be home to an eating establishment as unique as Mildred's Sandwich Shop, 827 E. Johnson St.
I first happened upon Mildred's on an aimless Saturday night, when, walking down East Johnson, I was longing for some sustenance just as much as I wanted to chat with somebody.
The Caribou, 703 E. Johnson St., is a great place to eat and drink, but it gets a little too smoky and crowded on the weekends. Also, sometimes they get a little surly when you order food.
It's a different scene at Mildred's, where Brian, Dave, Pete or Chuck will be happy to take your order. I was lucky enough to meet Brian, a genial guy who likes to talk music and history.
Brian plays just about every musical instrument and listens to jazz on WORT. He also hails from Plainfield, Wis., also known as the home of Ed Gein, the crazed farmer who inspired the movie ""Psycho."" Suffice it to say, Brian lives in the near east side Old Market Place neighborhood.
Social niceties out of the way, I ordered something to eat. As a sandwich shop, Mildred's food mostly consists of some combination of toppings placed on some sort of bread. They feature white, wheat, rye and pumpernickel bread, as well as white or whole wheat pita.
Regrettably, Mildred's does not make submarine or baguette sandwiches. Also, those of you looking for the omni-present wraps can look elsewhere.
But, for what they make, Mildred's does a pretty good job. Nels, the owner and proprietor of Mildred's, got his restaurant experience working in classy steak houses and supper clubs around Madison before opening the place in 1976. His experience shows.
I ordered a turkey special ($3.55), which is a simple combination of turkey breast, white cheddar, lettuce and tomato on wheat bread. The sandwich, served warm (but not too much so) transcends its simple contents. The turkey was moist and obviously fresh, and the mellow melted cheese blended extremely well with the tangy mayo. The bread could have used a little more flavor, but it was still pretty hearty.
To quench my thirst from the thick sandwich, I gulped down a nice, cold Huber Bock ($1.25). The strong, pungent brew complemented the sandwich well and you really can't beat the price either.
On another visit, I also tried the soup selection. A bowl of cabbage soup ($2.20), a warm and earthy blend of cabbage, onions, carrots, potato and tomato, with cumin and garlic for flavor, made me forget all about the crummy weather outside.
Equally good is the veggie chili ($1.65 cup, $2.30 bowl), which features, as Brian likes to say, garlic, garlic and more garlic, but isn't too musky, as an assortment of beans and veggies keep the flavor light and aromatic.
Perhaps in order to please the assorted batch of artsy types that call the Old Market Place home, Mildred's features a rotating gallery of artwork to go along with their food.
