Kyle Nabilcy
Yes, that's steam rising from the biryani.
Picture the New Yorker who bemoans how that city used to be less tidy, more chaotic and, frankly, dirty, and how much they miss that. I used to roll my eyes at that brand of urban nostalgia. But now I’m realizing part of me, here in little old Madison, misses the low-slung, one- or two-person kitchen operation, not much more than a counter, with maybe not a lot of attention paid to (or time for), say, a fancy custom website or other bells and whistles. These are becoming much rarer here.
Step into Kosharie, a very small Regent Street storefront that for years was Campus Biryani, and you return to those days of cramped, proprietor-run kitchens. And I am here for it.
With Kosharie, Madison has a spot for Egyptian fare in addition to some college menu mainstays. It’s a rare upper Midwestern city, struggling to demonstrate a broader diversity, that nonetheless supports so many ethnicities in its dining landscape.
The restaurant’s namesake dish, hailed as Egypt’s national dish, is rightfully listed first on the menu. Kosharie (the English spelling varies) is a seemingly random mishmash of rice, chickpeas, lentils, macaroni, broken spaghetti, an acidic tomato sauce, and a heap of fried onions on top. You may have seen Anthony Bourdain praising it in a 2008 episode of No Reservations.
As we wait for spring to lift us out of the winter doldrums, a dish like kosharie promises to sustain those who eat it. It is hot, hearty and filling, and reheats well if you happen to retain leftovers — and you almost certainly will. The dish has Indian roots and Italian references.
Try it with a few aggressive shakes of everything bagel seasoning if the crunch of the onions has worn off; what’s one more cultural infusion?
Biryani at Kosharie is saucier than the fluffy Indian preparations I’ve had. It’s another dish that warmed me to my core while sitting in the small, drafty dining area. The cubed lamb was generous and seasoned simply, with an onion-forward mixture of vegetables to boost the flavor.
The eggplant parmigiana hoagie might best be ordered for dine-in; I ordered it to-go. The flavors were good, but the eggplant’s texture had gone soft by the time I unwrapped it. The less time it spends in the foil, the better.
Other menu items fared better as takeout. A gyro wrap, filled out a bit with bland shredded lettuce, still delivered bites of crusty-edged gyro meat with cool tzatziki. Even better was the chicken shawarma wrap, saucy and well-spiced. Fairly standard crinkle-cut fries, salted and peppered, are an optional add-on. Other familiar-to-Anglos items are fried chicken and Philly cheesesteak, if you’re interested.
Fawzy Mohamed, Kosharie’s hard-working owner, served me every single dish I enjoyed over my visits. Mohamed, who’s worked in American-style and Italian restaurants his whole career, has with his own restaurant the opportunity to cook dishes from his Egyptian background insead, and I could happily stay on that page from here on. Anything that comes with Kosharie’s buttery, griddled pita wedges, sprinkled liberally with dried herbs, starts diners off on the right foot.
I’ll tell you what I’m going to eat the first time I’m back: the beef kefta kabob. Three cigars of ground beef, deeply seasoned and tasting just a little of grill char, are laid over a mound of rice and roasted vegetables, and the whole thing feels like home cooking in the best way. Simple, comforting, satisfying.
The kefta is plenty of food on its own, but team it with a refreshing cilantro-heavy tabbouleh salad and you might not see me eat anything else for three consecutive meals, and gladly. The side order of falafel is a solid value play as well, but it would probably be better in a wrap; it’s a touch dry.
This is all without mentioning the desserts — an all-butter baklava requires warming up to truly enjoy it, though all the carrot cake needs is a fork. Add to the food the charm of Mohamed and his wife, the only employees I ever encountered. Over the summer, as I’d drive by and see Mohamed standing in his doorway taking a well-deserved breather, I’d swear the next time would be my first visit. Now that I’ve crossed that threshold, it’ll take far less to bring me back again.
Kosharie
1437 Regent St.
608-467-3991; kosharie.com
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m. 2 a.m. Fri.-Sat.; hours may vary when UW is not in session; $3-$20
This article appeared in the Feb. 3, 2022 issue of Isthmus under the headline "Down to Earth: Kosharie finds identity in its namesake dish and more"
