Keni Rosales
Jamie Hoang, masked, in the Ahan kitchen.
Jamie Hoang, one of Madison’s most talented young chefs, decided to go the food truck route when her kitchen, Sujeo, closed in August 2019. But her plans shifted over the past year, and her Ahan is now the new food vendor inside The Bur Oak, 2262 Winnebago St.
It’s an Asian-inspired venture from Hoang, formerly sous chef at Sujeo (Tory Miller’s casual Korean-influenced spot), and Chuckie Brown.
Ahan, which means “food” in Lao, features the Lao-Thai dishes that Hoang grew up with, including bún (a rice noodle dish), khao tod (crispy deep-fried rice croquettes), hot basil, pho, drunken noodle, some Indian dishes like butter chicken, and also some surprises like chevre wontons. Hoang is also adding new menu items from time to time, and there are lunch and dinner specials.
"So far, so good," says Hoang in a telephone interview with Isthmus. The khao tod and the drunken noodles have been the most popular dishes.
Before the COVID-19 restaurant shutdown in March, Hoang had been doing pop-ups with the Ahan food truck at such spots as The Robin Room and Garver Feed Mill. Hoang says she and Brown had been looking for a permanent space for a while, and while they originally considered using the kitchen at The Bur Oak as a place to prep for the truck, they ultimately decided to rent the space and serve out of it. The food truck is now on hiatus; Hoang hopes to go back to using it next year.
Food service from Ahan at The Bur Oak started Aug. 1. It’s open Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday 11am-9pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm for takeout and curbside pickup; first-come, first-served outdoor and tent seating is available Friday-Saturday from 5-9 p.m., where beer is also available. Online ordering is currently available via Square, but Hoang says she’s switching to Toast as soon as next week.
Keni Rosales
The chicken pho is a new dish on the menu at Ahan.
The Alliant Energy Center is launching Food Truck Fridays at Willow Island from 4-8 p.m., starting Aug. 14 and running through Oct. 31. Trucks and carts are all from Dane County; for the inaugural evening expect Pancho's Tacos, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, JD's of Wisconsin, Taiwan Little Eats and Happy Kitchen. In subsequent weeks, the panini cart Toast will also be joining the lineup.
Common Pasta has been serving out on East Main Street on the Capitol Square for much of the summer, but owners Brian Baur and Thomas Durbin have announced that they are both moving out of Madison and the cart is for sale. Common Pasta’s last day of food service will be Aug. 27. Anyone interested in buying the cart can contact Baur and Durbin through the cart’s Facebook page.
Other carts regularly appearing on the Square are El Burrito Loco, Caracas Empanadas, Caracas Arepas, and Surco Peruvian.
Also vending pop-up style is the Melted cart and its close sibling, Taco Local. The grilled cheese and/or Mexican menus have been available at the Melted kitchen at 709 Atlas Ave. (off Cottage Grove Road near Highway 51) as well as the n+1 Coffee and Beer Cafe in Verona. On Aug. 18, Melted will be at the UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital parking lot at 5115 N. Biltmore Lane near the American Family headquarters, and on Aug. 21, from 4-7 p.m. on a yet-to-be-determined block on the north side. Plus, more dates are coming at n+1, which is located at 507 Bruce St., inside the Rocket Bicycle Studio in Verona. Look for details next week on the Taco Local Facebook page.
Luchador Tequila and Taco Bar at 558 State St. opened Aug. 7 with limited indoor and patio seating as well as takeout. The drinks here are as crucial as the nouveau tacos — specialties include a watermelon jalapeño margarita and more tequilas and mezcals than you can count (honestly I just didn’t feel like counting them). The tacos range from traditional to trendy — there’s buffalo chicken, chicken tikka masala, and even a pot roast version (with gravy and potatoes!). Burrito and salad bowls are also on the menu. Luchador is currently open starting at 4 p.m. daily but will begin opening at 11 a.m. starting today. Luchador stays open until bar time.
Rent a boat and order a picnic to be delivered to Wingra, Brittingham or Marshall Park. Madison Boats has hooked up with EatStreet to make ordering food to these three Madison parks as simple as having a smartphone. Boats need to be booked online. Food can be ordered from any EatStreet restaurant and delivered to the addresses of any of these three parks, at a designated signed spot.
EatStreet will deliver to these green circle pick-up spots at Wingra, Brittingham and Marshall parks.
[Editor's note: The hours for Ahan at the Bur Oak were corrected.]
