Improbable but true

New Mall-Concourse food carts are few and far between

by

I met a friend for lunch recently on the Library Mall. We are both longtime observers of the food cart scene in Madison and we agreed that the 2018 season so far has not blown us away with exciting new dishes. At the same time, some favorite carts from prior years have disappeared, further narrowing options on both the Square and Library Mall. And carts that could be filling in the gaps (El Wiscorican’s Puerto Rican food, The Ugly Apple’s local breakfasts, Sabor Queretano’s Mexican) are hidden away on the southeast campus (West Dayton at Charter Street).

Good news: Soho Gourmet is back consistently on the Square (at MLK and East Main). Very good news: After a long absence, Buraka and its African food has returned to Library Mall.

Missing from the current Mall-Concourse lineup are King of Falafel, Silk Road, Cali Fresh, Taquitos Marimar, Zam Zam and Slide. (Some, like Slide, vend elsewhere.) File under “improbable but true”: There is currently no Mexican food on Library Mall, and Banzo is the only remaining Middle Eastern cart.

At the same time, it seems as if Library Mall could support at least a couple more purveyors of the avocado spring roll. Lines at Fresh Cool Drinks, the most popular of the three carts that roll them, are often interminable between 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Here’s a look at several carts new to downtown and Library Mall.

Caracas Arepas

In front of the University Bookstore

This sibling cart to longtime Library Mall favorite Caracas Empanadas features modestly sized but satisfying arepa sandwiches. The cornmeal patties, made with masarepa, are light and mostly crisp (though their exteriors could be crisper) and they are stuffed, nay, overstuffed, with fillings.

The “La Catira” filling (chicken stewed with green peppers, onions and tomatoes) is juicy and really doesn’t need the green guasacaca sauce that diners can add, but why would you skip something so delicious? The pabellon, with black beans, shredded beef and sweet plantains, is another good choice, but maybe take the sandwich apart and reapportion the ingredients so the beans aren’t all on one end and the beef on the other. Again, apply that lucious green sauce with a free hand.

It’s all about the arepas here, and they cost $5-$6. That’s a good price for a cart — if you can feel full eating just one. If you need to order two, lunch can get a little pricey. However, you could augment your arepa with a side of sweet plantains ($3).

Nani Cart

In front of the University Bookstore and in front of Grainger Hall

There are actually two new carts from the west side dim sum restaurant Nani. There doesn’t need to be two of them.

Nani offers standard Chinese entrees like stir-fried beef, fried rice and garlic broccoli, along with such appetizer-like “sides” as a barbecue pork bun and a deep-fried crabmeat and seaweed roll. Nani also serves congee, a thick rice soup. The congee, beef flavor the day I tried it, needed salt, but was passable. The deep-fried crabmeat roll should have been deep-fried closer to the time I ordered it; it was limp and greasy. The filling in the barbecue pork bun was the best food I had from Nani — bright and tangy. One entree runs $8, or you can have congee and pick two sides for the same price. A combo of two entrees and one side is $10.

Métropolitain Handcrafted Street Food

200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Métropolitain isn’t new to vending this year, but it is new to the Square. This cart has a slight New Orleans vibe with its signature offering of po’ boys, but most of the sandwich fillings are neither Creole nor Cajun. The baguettes, baked fresh daily, are excellent. Popular fillings include the Hawaiian braised pork and the Nashville hot chicken, a breaded and fried tender-like patty. Neither is spicy, despite ingredient listings of jalapeno pickled pineapple for the former and “duck fat hot sauce” for the latter. The curried chicken salad could use more of a curry kick, too.

Other fillings thoughtfully take vegetarians into consideration (smoked mushrooms, sweet potato). There are four salad options, too, perhaps a nod to those avoiding carbs.

But the real attraction here is the duck fat fries, crisp and rich, with a roasted red pepper remoulade. Ordering a side of these alongside a po’ boy is immensely satisfying, but will bring your lunch up to $13-$17 (sandwiches and salads are $8-$12; the fries are $5). Or if your metabolism is running high, order the poutine: “duck fat fries, cheddar curds, neck bone and marrow gravy with roast beef debris.” With debris like this, who needs tidy?