Laura Zastrow
Ultimate comfort: Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich paired with 666 Chili.
You likely know Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery, 2827 Atwood Ave., for cupcakes or as a popular brunch spot. But since opening six years ago, it has expanded its menu to include dinner. This isn’t new, but the extended hours still feel like a bit of a secret. Daisy’s not a late-night joint by any means; dinner service runs only until 8 p.m. Still, it’s a chill spot for a casual, early meal.
“Eclectic” is the word that comes to mind when looking at the dinner menu (which also includes the full lunch menu). Two pages are packed tightly with a wide range of options from cassoulet to cheeseburgers. Somewhat surprising is a cluster of Mexican-inspired dinner entrees including fish tacos and enchiladas. Curious, I had to start there.
The roasted vegetable enchiladas, filled with such seasonal veggies as corn, squash, zucchini and red pepper, came with a housemade tomatillo-avocado sauce. The vegetables didn’t show signs of actually being roasted, but were fresh and delicious. Served with a side of flavorful, long-simmered black beans and a steamed rice pilaf, this made a hearty, healthy meal. For a boost of protein, there’s an option to add chicken or Daisy’s homemade chorizo. My only complaint: The tortillas didn’t hold up well, crumbing at first bite.
Fish tacos were less successful. Here too, the tortilla wasn’t up to the job. A generous filet of wild-caught cod puts a small, single corn tortilla to an unfair test. The fried fish was nicely breaded in panko, but inside, it was chewy and bland. The tacos were garnished with a smear of tartar sauce and a sprinkle of tomato and lettuce. A few wedges of lime and a cabbage-based slaw would have helped brighten the dish.
Fans of fish might want to try one of the salmon entrees or a cod fish fry that’s available all week long. Served with garlic Parmesan potatoes, “fiesta” veggie slaw and tartar sauce, the fish fry can be a good choice. However, devotees of the classic Wisconsin fish fry might be slightly alarmed to see only one iPhone-sized piece of fish on their plate instead of two or three.
Where Daisy really excels is with vegetables. A perfect place to experience this is with a soup. The Cornucopia soup — more of a stew, really — was loaded with veggies (zucchini, red pepper and carrot). It was hearty and earthy, like something your hippie aunt would make.
The chunky, veggie-heavy 666 Chili starts off completely vegan (though adding chorizo is an option). It’s also completely delicious, loaded with six vegetables, six kinds of beans and six spices. Here, vegetables shine again. Red pepper, sweet corn, carrots and tomatoes all tasted garden-fresh, tender and not overcooked.
On a cool late-summer night, the 666 Chili paired with one of Daisy’s grilled cheese sandwiches makes for great comfort food. The Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich is perfectly put together: Swiss, Gruyere and cheddar melt into a gently grilled sourdough bread. More adventurous is one with roasted veggies, served with Daisy’s yummy tomatillo-avocado sauce.
Burgers are my top pick for carnivores. A generous patty is grilled to order and served with a side of slaw, edamame salad, breakfast potatoes or chips. The Wisconsin Pride burger is especially hard to resist, topped with cheese curds and bacon. The curds are a wonderfully gooey way to turn a burger into a cheeseburger, but the bacon, while tasty, wasn’t very crispy.
Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery is the kind of place to go on the night you just don’t feel like cooking, but still want something that seems like it came out of your own kitchen. Every dish isn’t perfect, but all of them are full of heart and made with fresh, quality ingredients.
Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery
2827 Atwood Ave., 608-241-2200, daisycafeandcupcakery.com,
8 am-3 pm Sun.-Mon., 8 am-8 pm Tues.-Sat., $7-$15
