On the east end of Madison, not far from Interstate 90, is Ella's Deli. Since 1976, it's been serving kosher-style foods (and ice cream) in an atmosphere that's over-the-top enough to get it listed on Roadside America.
The outdoor carousel is nice, but the thing I wanted to see was the animatronic characters inside the building.
I was seated under Batman's flight path, with the Simpsons as spectators, rotating inside half a golf ball.
Harry Potter flies past the cashiering station.
The Yellow Submarine made its way past Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band.
Every table had a different collection of toys or an interactive game. Our table was a a giant "wooly willy" toy. The white thing that looks like a tampon is the magnetic wand used to move the metal shavings around under the surface.
Many of the characters in the restaurant are familiar from popular culture, but the ones I liked best were just oddities that came out of the sculptor's head:
Animatronic, anthropomorphized food...
...big bands, with all their instruments...
...and best of all, this family of feet with faces. (Shudder.)
Ella's is a bit like the overwhelming House on the Rock -- only on a scale that feels human and fun, instead of nauseating. Plus there's matzo ball soup.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Ella's Deli in Madison, Wisconsin
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2 comments:
I was there years ago, before all this characters, I think. Had to laugh... I'm so glad you find House on the Rock nauseating. I kept finding people who thought it was wonderful. Finally I stopped admitting I'd ever been there.
I visit Ella's whenever I'm in Madison. I've taken grandkids there but they don't seem nearly as delighted as I am with the place.
I detested--loathed even--House on the Rock! It was like being in a nightmare. I would never go there again!
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