A Taste of Tibet in Madison, WI

If you're up for something a bit off from the typical fare, there are a million ethnic restaurants on State St. in Madison. You gotta love a college town for the plethora of coffee houses and decent Asian restaurants.

After a nice walk down State street, we ended up at Himal Chuli. There, they serve tasty Himalayan cuisine, very similar to Indian but still distinct. Their dal is more like a split pea soup than the lentils you'd get at a traditional Indian restaurant, but the flavor is stupendous. Their menu, like a good indian menu, covers a wide variety of vegetarian options as well as lamb, chicken, beef, and what looked like very tasty soups (perfect for a frozen day or to help you recover from a cold). The brown rice was a bit "al dente," but overall it was delicious and the lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender.

The Place: Himal Chuli, 318 State St, Madison WI

The Food: Vegetarian options galore, succulant lamb dishes, and tasty rice pudding

The Price: Under $20, but most Veggie dishes under $10.