Linda Falkenstein
Eat Xpress sign on exterior of brick building.
Eat Xpress has opened in the former Paul's Pelmeni on West Gorham Street, just off State Street. (Paul's Pelmeni moved to West Gilman Street.)
Eat Xpress, 203 E. Gorham St., is now open. The small storefront that was once Paul’s Pelmeni, just off State Street, has been empty since 2017, but at last it has a new tenant. Eat Xpress is a blend of dumpling house, pho shop and Asian cafeteria. A small menu of cooked-to-order items and pho options are joined by a dozen or so dishes in hot trays that can be ordered as one-, two- or three-entree meals; all come with soup and white rice. These count as a bargain in today’s economy — $7 for one entree, $10 for two, and $12 for three.
On a recent visit the hot trays were filled with scrambled eggs with tomato, beef in chili oil, stir-fry mixed vegetables, orange chicken, xin jiang da pan ji (‘big plate chicken”), braised spare ribs with potato, American-style fried chicken, and more.
The menu is rounded out with dumplings (shrimp, chive and pork, and three delight), fuzhou meatball, fuzhou fish ball, shumai, and xiao long bao (soup dumplings). Pho is available in beef, seafood and veggie versions.
Vaquero Mexican Grill, 3904 E. Washington Ave., is also open for business.
Taking the place of the long-gone Einstein Bros. Bagels in this strip mall near East Towne, Vaquero combines a little of the assembly-line nature of burrito spots like Habanero’s with the wider choices of a taqueria. Fillings of steak (asada), birria (shredded beef), pork (carnitas and pastor), and chicken (shredded and grilled) can be delivered via nachos, quesadillas, bowls, burritos, tacos and tortas. Churros and flan are available for dessert.
Changes in latitude
Fans of Bare Bones Bagels, which started operations out of the Harmony Bar and has been selling at the Sunday Northside Farmers’ Market, should know there’s been a change of name and of venue. Owner/baker Lisa Jacobson, former owner of the late Mermaid Cafe in Schenk’s Corners, is changing the name to Mermaid Kitchen Bagels and moving to the Dane County Farmers’ Market — which begins its outdoor season on the Square this Saturday, April 15. The hand-rolled bagels will be the same. For updates, follow @mermaidkitchenbagels on Instagram or The Mermaid Kitchen on Facebook.
Special tables
Yahara Chocolate, 261 W. Main St., Stoughton, is holding a Caribbean Vacation Chocolate Tasting
April 21 at 7 p.m. Samples will be of eight single origin dark chocolates from the Caribbean: Crayfish Bay, Grenada; Mirzam, Cuba; Pump Street, Jamaica; Honeymoon, Haiti; Yahara, Dominican Republic; Valrhona, Guanaja; Sirene, Trinidad; and Domori, Guasare. Plus there’s background info on their source farms and a slide show. Register at yaharachocolates.com.
The International Cooking and Dinner, held monthly (or so) by Madison International Partners at Christ Presbyterian Church, 944 East Gorham St., comes back around April 22. The event helps the international community share the cuisines of their own countries with others; the meal is free. Signup via internationalmadison.org. Cooking starts at 3 p.m.; dinner is at 6 p.m.
Hop Haus, 2975 Sub-Zero Parkway, Fitchburg, is hosting a family-friendly drag brunch for Mother’s Day, May 15, with all the regular brunch items and some special treats, along with mimosas and other fun drinks to help mom relax. Advance tickets at hophausbrewing.com, under “shop.”
