Dylan Brogan
Duck fat fries were a big hit at the recent Isthmus Food Cart Fest.
In 2016, Nathan and Markelys Overland saw an opening for a Madison-area food cart focused on French-inspired cuisine. In April, the husband-and-wife team launched Métropolitain — named after the Paris subway system.
“We’re trying to bring more of a fine-dining vibe to what we are doing. We have some people come up to the cart and say, ‘Wow. That’s some fancy stuff,’” says Nathan. “Our goal is to compose higher-end salads and unique sandwiches with a nod to French technique. But we have a lot of fun with the menu and make food that we like to eat.”
Métropolitain serves several craft po’ boys: duck confit, slow-braised roast beef, breaded rock shrimp and an avocado hummus with coriander and lemon.
Salads are another big part of the menu: A Parisian-style grain bowl, a beef (or tofu) and blue cheese, a duck confit and a curried chicken salad. Métropolitain’s sides menu includes duck fat fries, apple broccoli slaw and shibuya sesame tofu. Tap kombucha made by Madison-based NessAlla is also for sale. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are marked.
The Overlands both have experience in the hotel and hospitality industry. Nathan is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. He was the food and beverage director at Devil’s Head Resort for several years and more recently, at the Double Tree near the Kohl Center.
Nathan says moving from a corporate kitchen environment to owning a food cart has been a challenging, but exciting change of pace. “Our prep kitchen is at FEED Kitchens. The one thing that’s helped us out the most is the veteran food cart owners at FEED,” says Nathan. “We’ve been learning a lot from them and they’ve been very welcoming.”
Métropolitain regularly vends during lunch hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays outside of American Family Children’s Hospital, 1675 Highland Ave., and Wednesdays at University Research Park-Rosa Road. On first and third Mondays of the month, Métropolitain serves lunch at Hilldale near the BMO Harris Bank; on second and fourth Mondays (as well as Fridays), they vend lunch at the UW Health Administrative Building on Excelsior Drive. Wednesday evenings they’re at the Capitol View Farmers’ Market on the far east side for dinner. The Overlands hope to secure a regular lunch spot downtown for the 2018 season.
