Linda Falkenstein
Meat mlyntsi: appetizer of the year?
When Russia attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, there was an outpouring of Madison-area support, especially in the food industry. There were baking fundraisers, brewing fundraisers and some restaurants donated portions of their proceeds to José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen.
Now, Madison has its own Ukrainian restaurant, Touch of Ukraine, started by refugees from Zaporizhzhia, with help from Madison developer Gary Gorman. For anyone curious about the cuisine of the country, the eatery is a nice introduction, and the staff seems happy to try to answer any questions (sometimes with the aid of a smartphone translation app).
The restaurant opened in July in the former Union Corners Brewery (which received good reviews for its food in this growing area with few restaurants, but it folded during the pandemic). The space is obviously designed with a brewpub vibe: big bar, big TV screens. I hope it’s not too awkward a fit for what is essentially a homey Ukrainian diner, and I mean that in the best way.
A nod to the reality of the space is found in the restaurant’s full name “Touch of Ukraine Bar and Grill” — and who’s to say that incorporating some American style isn’t Ukrainian, too? A Google search shows plenty of bar/grill joints in Kyiv, complete with smashburgers. Touch of Ukraine has a solid local beer list and a full bar. The screens at times play Ukrainian travel documentaries showing fairytale-like castles and idyllic hiking paths — I wondered how much of what I was watching is now utterly destroyed.
The menu is focused on some Ukrainian standards, with a few popular U.S. dishes mixed in. Appetizers, for instance, nod to Wisconsin custom with fried cheese curds and onion rings — but it would be a mistake not to head directly to the Ukrainian options.
The varenyky (potato dumplings), pelmeni (meat dumplings), mlyntsi (crepes filled with either finely ground beef or a sweet cottage cheese) are all delicious. If I had to pick just one, it would be the meat mlyntsi, which has my vote for appetizer of the year. The dish combines the eggy richness of a crepe, slick with butter, with extremely finely ground beef and simple seasonings. My notes, verbatim: “Wow. It’s like a meat cloud. Soft, yielding, satisfying.” Sour cream, as a dip, comes with, and provides a nice tart touch. One day I made a lunch of the mlyntsi and a cup of the soup of the day — maybe not the wisest choice, since the mlyntsi are very rich, but the excellent homemade chicken vegetable soup (with fresh parsley, zucchini, corn and carrots) made me feel like I had redeemed myself.
Madison diners should already be familiar with pelmeni from the downtown favorite Paul’s Pel’meni; there, the tiny dumplings are filled with either beef or potato, and come with a curry sauce unique to Paul’s. Here the one filling is a combo of beef and pork, and it gives the dumplings that extra richness of pork; the 10 dimpled orbs arrive in butter with a side of sour cream. The varenyky are similar, and should please fans of potato fillings.
Of the three sandwiches, the fried chicken sandwich may be the most Ukrainian; the menu says the cutlet is “breaded and fried in a traditional Ukrainian style”; it’s not unlike a schnitzel. It’s topped with pickled red onions and chipotle mayo, and if that mayo makes it less Ukrainian, it’s still a worthy mashup of styles.
Entrees include chicken Kyiv, baked chicken Ukrainian style, and stuffed peppers. The chicken Kyiv comes battered in a crunchy crumb batter that separated from the roll pretty quickly, but no matter, the buttery, peppery chicken was just as good once the crust was gone. The chicken roll comes with a tasty garnish of shredded pickled carrots and beets.
The stuffed peppers were satisfying in a home-cooked way (they reminded me of a family recipe), stuffed with a loose mix of ground beef and rice. The red pepper itself was very thin; a bulkier pepper would have provided more of the sweet-savory flavor contrast. Entrees are rounded out by glazed salmon and barbecue ribs.
All entrees come with two sides: soup or salad, and choice of potato (fries, mashed or village style roasted) or seasonal vegetable. This may seem like a small thing, but the potatoes are very good. The mashed are smooth and rich (almost more like whipped potatoes). The village style roasted are maybe even better, with a melty interior that speaks of a long, slow roast.
The soups, while homemade and lovely, often taste like the same soup with slight ingredient variations. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the soups and I always loved the fresh parsley, an understated star.
Vegetarians are probably going to end up with the salad menu, which features a strawberry salad, a house salad, and a Ukrainian salad (not unlike a Greek salad, with feta and olives).
I understand why the kitchen is keeping the menu small for now. Even so, I would love to see the mushroom mlyntsi, listed on Touch of Ukraine’s catering menu, make it to the regular menu, along with some other typical dishes, like stuffed cabbage, goulash and potato pancakes. More than a touch of Ukraine.
Touch of Ukraine
2438 Winnebago St.
608-720-1028; touchofukrainemadison.com
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tues.-Sat.
$7-$20
