Musings from America's Dairyland: Weary Traveler

Over the past few months, Scott and I have slowed down our exploration of Madison quite a bit. I believe this is largely attributed to the winter weather. Last Friday night, we decided we needed to break out of our rut and try something new. We went to a restaurant I had heard of, but never been to: Weary Traveler.

Weary Traveler is near downtown on Williamson Street, which is called Willy Street around here. You may remember a previous blog post about a Jamaican restaurant I went to with Kori on Willy Street named Jolly Bob's. (link)

Willy Street is quintessential Madison. Like I wrote in the Jolly Bob's post, it's an area of tree-hugging, granola eating, patchouli wearing urban hippies. I don't say that with judgment or condescension. I say it with love in my heart. I love hippies.

Weary Traveler is perfectly situated on Willy Street as it seems a go-to spot for the urban hippy-types. It's located on the corner of a somewhat busy intersection in an older area of town that includes both commerical and residential properties. Weary Traveler is in one of those buildings where there are business establishments on the main level and apartments above.

The next photo is close up of the front of the restaurant. As you can see, there are a whole bunch of fliers on a post to the right. Gives it a feel of combination 'urban hippy meets campus'.

There is a door on the corner of the building, but entry to Weary Traveler happens through a non-descript side-door.

The inside is small and it was packed, but it felt warm and charming. Even though there were a lot of people in there, it had a comfortable, relaxed feel.

Scott and I sat at a table tightly snuggled amongst other tables. We agreed it would be a nice place to come back to on a weekend afternoon (when it isn't as busy with a dinner crowd) and sit at the bar for a few drinks.

If you're looking for a domestic beer, Weary Traveler isn't the place for you. There isn't one to be found on the menu. I, personally, like watery domestic beers. Since domestics weren't an option, I ordered a Pacifico. Or two. OH.....OK.....I ordered 3 of them. Who's counting???

The Pacifio beer was going down like water. Quite unlike the actual water, which you will notice is full in the glass above next to the beer bottle, which I'm certain was empty. Isn't beer mostly water though? I like to think so.

True to form for the urban-hippy types, a number of people in Weary Traveler had on knit caps of one kind or another.

Also true-to-form for urban hippy types, most of the women in Weary Traveler had very short hair (I fit right in in that respect) and seemed fit and healthy (I didn't fit in in that respect. I was by far the fattest women in the joint.) I need to lose weight so I can fit in with the urban hippies that I admire and adore. I want to wear knit caps and cool hippy clothes from Sahalie. (link to Sahalie)

To add to my fatness, I ordered one of the dinner specials: a non-traditional Reuben. This Reuben was made with pastrami and some other stuff, as described on the blackboard in the restaurant where the specials were described. And I love urban hippies too much to be mad that they spelled "rueben" wrong.

The Reuben wasn't bad. Not great, but not bad. I really liked the salad greens it came with and the potatoes. I have no idea what was on those potatoes, but they were unique and quite good. They had hippy-food flavor. I don't know what that flavor is and I can't really describe it, but I know it when I taste it.

Weary Traveler is known for its "Bad Breath Burger". That's literally what it's called on the menu. A burger? Right up Scott's alley. You know he had to order one. Actually, I noticed a lot of people in the restaurant ordered the Bad Breath Burger. I realize a burger doesn't seem like something you would find in a hippy-type restaurant, but it was organic and made with beef from some kind of specially fed cow that was humanely treated....well, at least humanely treated right up until the point it was slaughtered. Scott's burger came with the same greens and potatoes as my Reuben, which apparently are signatures of Weary Traveler.

I found an article on line about Weary Traveler that highlights the Bad Breath Burger. Much better pictures are included in the article than what I have here. It's a short, kind of fun article. If you want to check it out, click here.

I didn't finish my sandwich, so I asked for a to-go box. Of course, the to-go container is made of some kind of decomposable material. No bad-for-the-environment plastic or Styrofoam here.

It wasn't a surprise to me that the peace, love, and happiness vibe in Weary Traveler would also have a political element. I noticed the sign below hanging on the wall. This was just like one of the signs Scott and I saw at the political protest downtown last week (highlighted in a previous post).