Carolyn Fath Ashby
Crisp filled pupusas and tart curtido slaw come from El Salvador via Finca Coffee.
As much as it would be nice to be able to hop on a plane any time to experience new sights or tastes from around the world, we don’t always have the money or time to make that happen. And now of course, we can't feasibly do it at all.
The good news is that many of the world’s flavors exist right here in Madison. It’s possible to take a culinary tour through Central and South America, hopscotch across Europe to the eastern tip of Africa, and leapfrog over the Himalayas to Southeast Asia, while utilizing only Madison Metro.
While many Latin American cuisines may seem similar, there are influences by country and region that set them apart.
Salvadoran cuisine is influenced by the country’s indigenous Mayan-Pipil peoples as well as its Spanish colonizers. It employs fresh fruits and vegetables, and the ingredients speak for themselves, in simpler presentations.
Marleni Valle is bringing Madisonians a taste of El Salvador at Finca Coffee, the cafe that’s part of the Novation Campus on Madison’s south side. Her quesadillas are not the Mexican variety familiar to Americans; these are more like delicate corn muffins.
The pupusas are thick, handmade rounds made from masa harina (ground nixtamalized corn), that are stuffed, sealed and grilled until slightly crisp. Fillings include beans, cheese, and slow-roasted, shredded pork, all wise choices. They’re accompanied by a tart cabbage-jalapeno slaw called curtido and a thin, tomato-based salsa for dipping.
Finca is part of a pilot program developed by The Alexander Company, which aims to bring more diversity to the entrepreneurial market; in this case, it’s also brought diversity to our restaurant scene. Finca is currently open for takeout, indoor and patio dining. See updates on its Facebook page.
La Taguara is no longer Wisconsin’s only Venezuelan restaurant, but it was a pioneer when it opened in a former gyro joint on East Washington Avenue in 2013.
In Venezuela, there is again a focus on preparing ingredients simply. The cuisine has been influenced by the foods of the country’s indigenous peoples, European explorers and colonizers (Spanish, Italian, French), with African touches as well.
Arepas are a signature item at La Taguara. They differ from pupusas in that they’re made with masarepa, a precooked corn flour (it’s a somewhat lighter corn flavor), and griddled before the filling is added. At La Taguara, the arepa is a pocket bursting with a choice of ingredients: cheese, ham, roast pork, shredded chicken, ground beef, black beans, shredded beef, even shredded eggplant. The roast pork — pernil — is traditionally marinated in a wine sauce seasoned with rosemary, thyme and oregano. The shredded beef — pabellón — is considered the country’s national dish. The accompanying green sauce is guasacaca, divinely creamy from avocado and perfect for dipping. La Taguara's dining room is once again open, or you can order online for pickup or delivery.
French cafes are small, intimate celebrations of the country’s cuisine. The quaint, homey dining room at Willy Street’s La Kitchenette is arranged mostly in tables for two.
Here, buckwheat crepes are mostly savory, filled with rich proteins (prosciutto, bacon or smoked salmon), classic cheeses, and often topped with either a fried egg or bechamel sauce. Sweet crepes come with tangy lemon curd or creamy Nutella.
Frédéric Bouché
Lavender is an extra French touch atop the crème brûlée at La Kitchenette.
La Kitchenette may be best known for its lavender crème brûlée. Yes, it’s a dessert custard, but made elegant with a caramelized, hardened sugar crust. Fragrant vanilla joins a floral hint of lavender in the custard; the dessert is also sprinkled with dried lavender. La Kitchenette is open for takeout only as of this posting; order online.
Faycal Belakhdar’s much-loved Mediterranean Cafe showcases his Algerian roots as well as Greek, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. The cafe has been serving healthy, delicious, low-cost meals on State Street for over 20 years, always offering vegetarian options. In fancier surroundings, Belakhdar could probably charge twice as much for every dish. But the diners who crowd the place every noon (the cafe is not open for dinner) don’t mind its modest, student-centric vibe.
Med Cafe’s great strength is its rotation of daily specials, written on a chalkboard up front and shared on the restaurant’s Facebook page. Thursday seems to be the day for chicken apricot pie, a variation on lasagna or moussaka. Seasoned roasted chicken is layered with rice, dried apricots, and sliced almonds; it’s all topped with a fluffy bechamel. It’s the perfect trifecta of sweet, salty and meaty.
Mediterranean Cafe is open for takeout, curbside pickup and delivery. Order online. Menu specials are largely Thursday-Saturday.
Buraka, on the Madison dining scene in one way or another since the early 1990s, is currently the only spot in town to get Ethiopian fare. Owner Markos Regassa runs a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Williamson Street and a food cart.
With its mountainous terrain, Ethiopia has stayed protected from outside influences when it comes to culture and cuisine. However, trade routes between Europe and the Far East brought spices into the region, which Ethiopian cooks rely on for preserving meat (due to limited access to refrigeration).
The most popular, can’t-miss dish here is the dorowot, a hearty stew of chicken and carrots in a rich red sauce. It’s enhanced with a blend of spices called berbere — the heat comes from chilies, augmented by ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin and other spices. Although dorowot can be served on rice, get it with the more traditional injera, a spongy, sour flatbread used to scoop up stews and meat.
Eric Tadsen
Ethiopian dorowot is popular with the injera at Buraka.
Home of the storied “Spice Islands,” Indonesia remains one of the world’s top producers of spices. It’s fitting that many of the country’s traditional dishes are quite aromatic; more influences come from nearby China, Thailand and Vietnam.
Buraka is open for indoor and patio dining, takeout and delivery.
Bandung, on Williamson Street, serves traditional Indonesian cuisine, plus the occasional shake-up of tradition. The Indo Mac is a fun play on words, but it doesn’t really resemble American mac and cheese. Thick rice noodles, green and yellow onion, bamboo shoots and mushrooms are stir fried and mixed with a creamy red curry sauce that’s both spicy and soothing. Consider choosing the housemade tempeh as your protein. The fermented soybeans are served fried in small bites in this dish. Even if you’re a full-on carnivore, you’ll appreciate the smoky nuttiness of this meatless powerhouse.
Bandung is offering takeout and delivery as of this posting.
Little Tibet focuses on serving Himalayan specialties from Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. The cuisine of Bhutan, a small country on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, is seldom seen in restaurants in the U.S. While it bears some resemblance to Nepalese and Tibetan food, it is spicier, with very hot peppers in most dishes.
The Bhutanese ema datshi, a stew of chilies and cheese, is considered the national dish of Bhutan. Little Tibet, located on East Johnson Street, offers several variations of the dish, including shakam datshi, made with a homemade beef jerky. This is much thicker, yet less chewy, than American jerky. The beef is simmered in a white sauce thickened with creamy gouda and sharp blue cheese, with plenty of heat from Thai chilies and jalapeños. There’s a nice addition of daikon radish, too. Unless you’re Bhutanese, or one of the lucky few who are able to travel to Bhutan, this could be one of the few places you can try datshi.
Little Tibet is open for takeout and delivery as of this posting.
[Editor's note: This story was originally written to publish in the Isthmus Dining special section in April. Restaurant details have been updated to correspond with each restaurant's current status during the COVID-19 restrictions.]
