Fresco, the restaurant on the top floor of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, recently opened the city’s first “broth bar” in the street-level lobby of the museum. Called Good Broth, the little food stand tucked beneath MMoCA’s glass staircase, will be around only for a little while. Open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 2 p.m., Good Broth will cease to exist completely after March 16.
Fresco chef Giovanni Novella uses fresh ingredients to create his chicken and beef stocks, and that’s all Good Broth serves. Diners — or make that drinkers — have a choice of classic chicken broth ($5 for 10 oz. or $7 for 16 oz.) or “Good Broth,” a stock that combines chicken and grass-fed beef ($6/$9).
The chicken broth is made from chicken meat and bones simmered with miso, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, parsley, San Marzano tomatoes, apple cider vinegar and fresh herbs. The Good Broth is made from the same ingredients, plus beef and beef bones, which creates a fuller, richer flavor. The broths are a lot like the nutritious variety Grandmother might have made back in the day, but at Fresco, customers can request add-ons of ginger, garlic, scallions and coconut milk.
“MMoCA has been wanting us to do a pop-up in the lobby for 15 years,” says Caitlin Suemnicht, chief creative officer of Food Fight, the restaurant group of which Fresco is a member. “But Fresco’s menu isn’t conducive to that and we couldn’t come up with an idea that wouldn’t result in food waste. This is a low-risk way to utilize the stock that Giovanni is preparing in the kitchen anyway.”
Suemnicht came up with the broth bar idea while recovering from a broken arm earlier this winter. Her friends and family had been drinking broth for some time for its low sodium and high nutritional benefits. She gave it a try and found it beneficial to her recuperation.
“It started selfishly for me because I didn’t want to go through the long preparation process myself,” she explains. “I’m a busy person and I wasn’t ready to do that.”
Novella first roasts his locally sourced beef and chicken meat and bones, then simmers them with other ingredients for up to 24 hours. He uses grass-fed beef shin bones and knuckles. The latter is high in cartilage, which gives the broth a thicker than usual texture.
For the chicken broth, Novella boils the bird’s thighs and feet — adding collagen to the mixture.
Like most bone broths, Novella’s stocks are rich in vitamins, nutrients and amino acids. Various health and nutrition sites tout bone broth’s restorative powers, including detoxification, improved joint and gut health, boosting the immune system and tissue regeneration and protecting the heart.
In addition, the broth’s collagen is supposed to make skin look younger and hair shinier. The presence of glycine in the mix also is rumored to improve brain health and cognitive performance, lead to better sleep, and prevent or even cure some types of mental illness.
“I drink it for the warmth,” says Suemnicht, who prefers the meatier Good Broth to the standard chicken stock.
The stocks are carryout only. There is no indoor seating at MMoCA, and food is not allowed in the museum’s galleries, though there is a small bench next to the pop-up where a cup could be consumed in a pinch. In addition to cups, the broth is sold in 96-oz. “hot boxes,” 30-oz. frozen containers, and is available for delivery through the online app EatStreet.
Although new to Madison, broth bars have been an emerging foodie trend in cities worldwide for the past few years. One of the best known is Brodo Broth Co., a “window” located next to Marco Canora’s New York restaurant Hearth. Canora has recently expanded his concept to three Manhattan locations, including the maternity ward at NYU’s Langone Medical Center. Other top broth bars are located in London, Sydney, Vancouver, and Portland, Oregon.
Grandmother would be proud.
