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Back in the early 1970s, Madison restaurants typically served staunchly Midwestern fare: sausages, steaks, fish fry. There were few other options. But by the end of the decade there was a beachhead for the ethnic cuisine that was to come: Hsn's, a Turkish restaurant, opened at 547 State St. in 1979. In time, Hsn's was joined on the same block by Buraka East African Cuisine and Kabul Restaurant, serving Afghani and Mediterranean food.

That modest building's great run ended last year, when it was demolished to make way for the Hub, a mixed-use development of apartments, retail space and parking. Construction is under way.

Kabul fortunately found new space upstairs in the former Gino's just across the street. The second-floor location is triple the restaurant's original size.

While the menu is not radically different, the new location creates a whole new experience. A bigger kitchen space allows for a more sophisticated menu, a modern and updated version of what Kabul had offered before. Photographs and paintings are set off by red and green light accents. The centerpiece of the new room is a bar that runs perpendicular to the windows overlooking State Street.

There are some terrific plates on the lunch menu, starting with the zucchini, potatoes, mushrooms and green peppers spooned over fluffy vegetarian couscous. Trout with cilantro chutney is only $8. Hummus is also a good deal and spiked with just enough garlic that it never overpowers the chickpea mash.

There's plenty to like before diners even get to the entrees. Dinners come with a side of soup or salad. Afghan soup with garbanzos, chicken, and kidney beans in a tomato base has a mellow, slow burn with mild heat in a delicate collision of flavors. A fresh salad is set off with a sublime yogurt-mint dressing.

Bread is served with a spicy roasted red pepper-garlic sauce. Other appetizers include sabrosas, deep-fried triangular pastries stuffed with potatoes and served with a mint-cucumber sauce. Baba ganoush is creamy, smooth and subtle. Large chunks of cucumbers distinguish the tabouli.

Entrees are mostly chicken- or lamb-based, and some come as curries, or served over couscous or chalow (white rice seasoned with cardamom).

There's also a nice selection of vegetarian dishes: fasuliya (green beans cooked with onions and split peas), bamya (okra with garlic in tandoori masala) and lubya (red beans with tomatoes, cumin, and coriander).

Sweet potato with lamb curry carries delicate undertones. Lamb and chicken kebabs with tomatoes, green peppers and onion fared the worst -- the lamb was dry and too tough, and the dish lacked any punch or finesse.

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The return of Kabul on State Street

Tanger Outlet Branson announced new stores opening in the recent $3 million mall and parking lot improvements.

Tanger Outlet Branson General Manager Jamie Whiteis said Sunglass Hut opened Oct. 24 and three others are set to open before the holiday shopping season. Pandora was scheduled to open Oct. 31 and Talbots and Helzberg Diamonds are set to open Nov. 7, he said. Pandora is going in on the east side of the mall in existing space.

An Adidas store, Calendar Club & Go Games, and an Express are scheduled to open some time next month, though Whiteis said the exact dates are unknown at this point. Whiteis declined to disclose the final store that will fill in the newly constructed retail space because a lease had not been finalized.

The mall is also getting parking lot and pedestrian improvements. Whiteis said construction is slightly more than halfway complete on the parking lot improvements, though work will be halted as the mall experiences a higher volume of shoppers for the holiday season.

The Bank of Missouri will also be breaking ground on a 7,100-square-foot building Nov. 3 at 1313 Missouri 248 in Branson.

The community is invited to the ground breaking at 9 a.m.

We are very excited to begin this next phase of our presence in Branson, said David Cook, community bank president for The Bank of Missouri in Branson.

We appreciate the support we have had from our customers since we opened in August 2012, and we look forward to serving them from our new state-of-the-art building.

Hollister

The Taco Bell on Gage Drive in Branson opened Oct. 29. The $183,000 project got underway in August.

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Tanger announces retail shops, Taco Bell open

First came what the tabloids referred to as W-jinin, the resignations of two female Cabinet members Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yuko Obuchi and Justice Minister Midori Matsushima on the same day.

The W in this case conveys two nuances: the first being double, and the second as the initial letter in the word women.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abes placid composure and quick response in nominating Yoichi Miyazawa as Obuchis replacement won him a temporary respite from media critics. But within three days Kyodo News discovered that, buried in Miyazawas political fund report for 2010, was an entry dated Sept. 6 for an outlay of 18,230 to Mazan, a bar that features sadomasochistic sex shows in Hiroshimas Naka Ward.

Miyazawa himself appears blameless, telling reporters he had never even heard of the place. While the public seems inclined to take him at his word, that hasnt kept the media from nicknaming him the SM METI Minister (METI being the acronym for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).

The blogosphere was nevertheless determined to have fun with the latest revelation. One wag described the bar expenditure as having been for the purpose of SM seiji katsudo, coining a pun by substituting the kanji for seiji in seiji katsudo (political activities) with the kanji for seiji (sexual) to create sexual activities.

Yukan Fuji (Oct. 25) reported that Mazan has been in business for over 10 years and has, up to now, managed to stay out of the headlines.

Its a cozy place combining cubicles and a counter, that seats about 16, one of the bars regular patrons tells the tabloid, adding that two or three female performers typically make use of candles and whips in their S&M shows.

The shows, performed twice each evening, last 15 and 30 minutes. At some events, participation by up to three customers is permitted.

Customers arent allowed to touch the girls, and no nudity is involved, the patron says. Male customers are billed 4,000 for all they can drink, and females 2,000. The 18,230 receipt issued to Miyazawas office is likely to have covered several customers.

It appears that a staff member of Miyazawas office in his 40s accompanied four other people, a local news reporter tells Shukan Shincho (Nov. 6). SM establishments have long been famous for exercising discretion. For that reason, they are favored by academics, politicians, company owners and the like. As they are specialized places, what goes on inside doesnt get leaked out into the social mainstream.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - ??Here is a list of road projects around the Heartland scheduled for Sunday, November 2.

Butler County, MO

Route 72 in Bollinger County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform shoulders repairs. This section of roadway is located from Old Route 72 to Route B.

Existing lanes of Route 67 from CR 323 to Route 160/158 will be signed as Route C. The north end of Route C (existing Route 67) will remain closed for about two months as work is completed at the intersection of Route 67, Route C, and CR 323.

Cape Girardeau County, MO

Route AA will be closed while crews replace a pipe under the road. This section of road is located between County Road 422 and County Road 266. Weather permitting, crews will be working on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Route AA in Cape Girardeau County will be closed as Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the roadway.This section of roadway is located between Oak Street and West Daisy Street.Weather permitting, work will take place Monday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The City of Jackson's annual Asphalt Street and Sidewalk Improvement Program is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, weather permitting. The schedule includes:

Starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, contracted concrete slab repair and replacement will begin on Silver Springs Road between Independence Street and Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau. The work will cause lane closures. The expected project completion time is about four weeks.

MoDOT plans to replace the bridge on Route 61 over Hughes Creek - two miles from Route CC. Construction is set to begin in 2015.

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Heartland road projects for 11/2