The Mango Lassie

There are no taquerias to speak of in New York. By taquerias, I don’t mean taco restaurants dolled up with Dia de los Muertos decor and run by a hipster gringo chef. New York has its fair share of those. No, I’m talking about the authentic little holes-in-the-wall that used to be favored stomping grounds for Empanada Boy and me when we lived in Chicago. These did not have fancy decor. For the most part, they didn’t even have table service at all. What they did have was fresh corn tortillas, house-made chorizo, fresh horchata and marinated pork spinning on a spit for tacos al pastor. The flavors were authentic because there was no pretense to the operation. Mexican people were their primary customers, and there was no reason to be unconventional, only the best at evoking the flavors of home.

The dearth of truly authentic Mexican food (apart from the taco truck on 96th and Broadway and the places that undoubtedly exist in the far reaches of the outer boroughs) is obviously a result of the relatively small Mexican population in this city. New York’s Latino population is mostly comprised of Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. Los Angeles and Chicago, on the other hand, have the first and second most Mexican-born residents of any city in the U.S., respectively. As it turns out, Madison, WI, is also home to a large Mexican population, and the culinary offerings there reflect that.

On a recent visit to Madison, EB and I were reminded how much we missed being able to walk across the street for fabulous tacos. We went to Taqueria Guadalajara with EB’s friend Hamentaschen. He has been wanting us to try this local hangout for a while, and we were excited to find out why he was so into it.

Of course, we all ordered tacos, but I could tell I was going to like the place when I tasted their salsas. There were two different varieties, a salsa verde and another tomato-based one. Neither of them held back on the heat. This was obviously not a restaurant that catered to gringos, although there were a number of us there.

The tacos were delicious. I tried one made with carne al pastor, which was moist and spicy with a touch of sweetness to counteract it. I also tasted a taco de lengua, made with tender beef tongue and a chorizo taco. The latter was flavorful but didn’t quite have the crispy texture achieved by EB’s favorite chorizo chef at Erick’s Tacos in Chicago. EB ordered the tripe, which had a chewy center and a crispy exterior, making it better than the completely fried tripe we’d tasted.

Everything was fresh and vibrant. Hamentaschen, EB and I happily chowed down, devouring everything on our plates. These were the flavors we had been missing!

Until we can get back to Chicago or Madison, or the West Coast, or any place where more Mexicans live, EB make do as best we can. We grill skirt steak on our stove top griddle and heat store-bought corn tortillas on the meat-juice-coated surface. We grill onions and eat our tacos with some of EB’s homemade salsa made with tomatillos and guajillo and chipotle peppers. We never go out for Mexican food— it’s just too disappointing. We may be a couple of gringos, but after you’ve tried an authentic taqueria, there’s no going back.

Taqueria Guadalajara
1033 South Park St
Madison, WI 53715
608.250.1824

Empanada Boy and I went to Madison the weekend before last, ostensibly for him to play a gig at his brother Drumstix’s law firm function. Little did EB know, but Drumstix had cooked up an elaborate scheme to surprise him with a bachelor party. The party was at one of the increasingly popular Brazilian steakhouses where you pay a flat fee and then chow down on as much grilled, skewered meat as possible. The flowing taps at the Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin, numerous drinks purchased for him by friends, a stop at another bar and a beer-filled hotel room made for a drunken night for EB. The morning left him feeling pretty worn out and ready to swear off bachelorhood forever. And what better place to cure his hangover than an old-time diner specializing in traditional breakfast fare, including giant pancakes, sweet rolls, milkshakes and malts? Popcorn Princess, Milkman and I met him and Drumstix at Mickie’s Dairy Bar.

Mickie’s is something of a madhouse on a weekend morning, with many a college student working off the evening before just as EB was trying to do. We were able to get a good seat, though, in one of the tight little booths with Formica topped tables installed around the open kitchen area. The frying and grilling is all done behind the scenes, but ice cream, coffee and milkshakes are doled out from this central ring. Mickie’s is not the best place to visit when you’re on a pre-wedding diet (and EB never lost track of this overriding goal even in the thick of his Brazilian feast), so EB and I decided to share. Together, we ate two tasty sunny-side-up eggs with toast and well-seasoned potatoes, with a side order of corned beef hash. I’m including a picture of the latter here, despite its brown, lumpy appearance, to demonstrate my main beef with it— namely, that there was not enough beef. The corned beef hash was weighed down by too much potato, making it starchy and less juicy than my favorite hash at O’Rourke’s in Middletown, CT.

Popcorn Princess ordered an omelet that looked like it took four eggs to make. It came with toast and potatoes. She couldn’t resist a side slice of the blueberry crumble coffee cake that was being dished up from a huge sheet pan from the central station. Drumstix ordered a rather compact looking breakfast sandwich— meat, egg and cheese on an English muffin.

The food was solid, the old-time atmosphere priceless. Indeed, the old fashioned decor made it clear why so many people turn to Mickie’s as the go-to weekend stopover. I’d still like to try a milkshake someday soon. Madison may have better breakfasts, but when it comes to killing hangovers, it’s best to stick to tradition.

Mickie’s Dairy Bar
1511 Monroe St.
Madison, WI 53711
608.256.9467

The May issue of Gourmet magazine was all about cooking schools around the world. One of the schools was in Laos, and the blurb about it said that Laotian food can be distinguished from Thai food by its heavier use of herbs, and its more bitter, less sweet profile. I knew I had tasted dishes at places like Pok Pok that were supposed to be Laotian in origin, but I was eager to try them again with these new rules in mind. My chance came less than a week later when Empanada Boy and I were in Madison. We hadn’t seen EB’s friend English Muffin Pizza for months, so we asked him if he would join us for dinner on Sunday before we left town. He suggested a number of places, but the one that stood out to us was Lao Laan-Xang, a Laotian restaurant so popular it had to open another location. As it turned out, EMP had been there the night before to celebrate his birthday. Still, he said he didn’t mind going two nights in a row because it is his favorite restaurant. Now that is dedication.

The smaller, original location isn’t open on Sunday nights, but EMP says he likes it for its intimacy. We were limited to the larger spot, which is perfectly pleasant. It was also completely packed when we arrived. We waited at the bar for a while and sampled a Laotian beer, fittingly called Beer Lao. It had more substance than many of the mass-produced Asian beers I’ve tried, and it hit the spot. We finally got a table about half an hour later and were able to order our food. The service was pretty slow from here on out, but delicious food greatly diminishes such concerns. In an attempt to get at the heart of Laotian cuisine and put the bitter vs. sweet question to a test, I decided to order one of the “House Specialties.” The description focused on the side salad— made with unripe papaya, dried shrimp and chili peppers— so much that I thought is was the main component of the dish. But when it arrived, I was surprised to find the chicken leg piece dominating the plate with a green papaya salad on the side. I was surprised, but I was not disappointed. The chicken had wonderful, crackly, spice-laden skin, recalling some of the chicken I tried at Pok Pok. The meat beneath it was a little dry, but the depth of flavor kept me interested. The accompanying papaya salad was bright with tangy fish sauce and vibrantly spicy. I had ordered it “adventurous” on the restaurant’s spicy scale, just one step below “native.”

Empanada Boy tried another choice from the list of specialties. His was a catfish filet coated in dill and a little spicy chili and cooked in a banana leaf. It came with a spicy-sweet dipping sauce and steamed vegetables. The fish was incredibly moist and flavorful when he unwrapped it. The dill played a significant role, but there must have been something else giving it an extra layer of flavor. Perhaps it was the banana leaf itself. The steamed vegetables were a somewhat boring side note, but the fish was superb, dipped in a little of the sauce and eaten with a bite of sticky rice.

English Muffin Pizza ordered something different from what he’d had the night before. It was a peanut curry with sweet pineapple and tofu. The flavors were interesting, but not as complex as either of the other two dishes. I also found the peanut and pineapple combination to be a little too rich and a little too sweet. It needed more spice or more of the tang that comes from fish sauce or bitter herbs. This dish was similar to the curries I’ve tried at many a Thai restaurant and seemed to be more oriented toward flavors that appeal to an American palate.

But, hey, what do I know about Laotian food? Not very much. As I thought about the food I tried, I had a hard time recognizing the bitterness that the Gourmet magazine article had described. While spicy, my green papaya salad definitely had sugar in it. And it was similar to one I’d tried at Spoon Thai in Chicago. My chicken was savory, but not what I would call bitter. It too probably had some sugar. The sweet curry was obviously not a good example of this principle. EB’s dish may have fit the bitter, herbal description the best out of all of ours. Still, those weren’t really the first descriptors that came to mind. Maybe, despite its hardcore spice scale, Lao Laan-Xang is toning the traditional flavors down for its clientele. Or maybe Laotian food is more diverse than the brief magazine article suggested, with some regions sharing more Thai characteristics than others. Or perhaps it is a combination of both factors. All I know is when you face such unanswerable questions, the only thing to do is break away from the analysis and enjoy the food. And that is exactly what I did.

Lao Laan-Xang
2098 Atwood Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
608.819.0140

or

1146 Williamson St.
Madison, WI 53703
608.280.0104

Empanada Boy and I went to Madison after work on Saturday (yes, we both had to work) to meet his new nephew. Popcorn Princess and Drumstix had their first child on Thursday, and we couldn’t wait to meet him. It was also my first time meeting EB’s new niece who was born a little more than a week earlier to his sister French Vanilla and her husband Beer-Boiled Brat. It was baby city in the Empanada family! I was proud to accompany the younger of the two cousins to his first restaurant. Feeling like some warm, flavorful food, EB, Popcorn Princess, Drumstix and I took him to the family favorite Sa-Bai Thong. EB says this has been one of his favorite Madison restaurants since it opened. And with good reason; this is adventurous, authentic Thai food in a classy, but unassuming, location.

EB, Popcorn and Drumstix started things off with delicious Thai iced coffees enriched with sweetened condensed milk. EB commented on how difficult it was to keep any of his in the glass until the food arrived. But when the food did come, it immediately took center stage. EB and I have been seriously into Asian soups lately. We stuck to that trend, ordering what turned out to be some of the most flavorful and varied soups I’ve tried. My selection (pictured here) was Suki-num. It was a clear broth spiced with the traditional soy-chili Suki sauce. Floating in the broth were translucent mung bean noodles and beautiful slices of celery, bok choy, Napa cabbage and green onion. An egg dropped in and cooked by the hot broth added excellent texture and depth of flavor. I chose shrimp as my other optional protein. Empanada Boy’s Tom Ka soup was made with a chili-spiced coconut milk broth. It had fragrant lemongrass, galanga and cilantro along with earthy sliced mushrooms. He selected calamari to be added to the mix. These marvelously complex soups were the perfect thing on that grey day. Needless to say, EB and I almost finished every last drop.

Sa-Bai Thong is also known for its curries, which Popcorn Princess and Drumstix say they can almost never avoid ordering when they come. PP’s order shown here is called Pa-Naeng. It is a bold red curry mixed with peanut sauce zucchini, peas and pleasantly firm tofu. Chicken and shrimp are also options. Drumstix ordered another vibrant vegetable curry with a creamier texture and the same fluffy tofu.

This was a delicious meal that hit the spot. I felt full in a good way as we paid the bill and picked up my future nephew who had been sleeping in his car seat throughout the meal. I can’t wait to come back to Sa-Bai Thong with him when he can sit, talk and eat this delicious food with the rest of us!

Sa-Bai Thong
6802 Odana Rd.
Madison, WI 53719
608.828.9565

Madison, Wisconsin was the place to be this weekend, or so Empanada Boy and I determined. We decided to drive up after hearing that Drumstix and Popcorn Princess were having a shower for the upcoming arrival of their first child, Herbert. We also took the opportunity to catch up with EB’s friends Po’boy and Milkmaid.

After a few beers, Po’boy commented that he’d read my previous entry on Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts. He asked if I’d tried the doughnuts (donuts?) at the Greenbush Bakery in Madison. Not only had I not tried them, but EB, the true Madisonian, hadn’t tried them either. Despite our dinner and beers, Po’boy insisted we couldn’t end the night without trying some doughnuts. It was to be “Portland vs. Madison: a doughnut showdown.”

Like Voodoo Doughnuts, the Greenbush Bakery is open late— until 3 a.m. on Saturday nights. Unlike Voodoo, there was no crowd of drunk hipsters waiting on line outside. In fact, we were the only ones there. One thing that automatically makes the Greenbush unique is the fact that it’s kosher. This fact is advertised all over the restaurant. Another major selling point is the fact that all doughnuts are fried in trans fat-free oil.

Milkmaid and I both ordered the traditional glazed cake doughnuts. Milkmaid ordered a sour cream one, and mine was chocolate. Both were quite tasty with a pleasant density and moist interior. Unfortunately, the chocolate had very little chocolate flavor, but the tang of sour cream made both more interesting. These were better than the basic doughnuts I’ve tried at Voodoo.

Po’boy and EB ordered Oreo doughnuts, fittingly made with cream fillings. I found these overly decadent and a little disgusting. EB loved them and pronounced them better than those he’d raved so much about at Voodoo. We also tried a maple-glazed round and an un-doughnut-like apple pie thing.

Both EB and I were partial to the doughnuts at the Greenbush, but EB made a good point. He said he appreciated the creativity, wackiness and sense of humor that has made Voodoo a Portland institution. Greenbush had old-school appeal, but less of the cult status. In general, I tend to agree with EB’s assessment. I don’t really like doughnuts enough to seek them out on a regular basis, but a funky atmosphere goes a long way toward enhancing their appeal. The final assessment: Voodoo wins on vibe, but the Greenbush takes the cake (if you will) on doughnut quality.

Greenbush Bakery
1305 Regent St.
Madison, WI 53715
608.257.1151

I accompanied Empanada Boy up to Madison again this weekend. After a pleasant weekend with EB’s family, almost everyone had plans on Sunday evening. But EB’s brother Rocky Roccoco— hereon after to be known as Drumstix— had some free time and wanted to redeem himself after his earlier, infamous pizza selection. He took us out for dinner at La Hacienda, or “La Haz,” as EB’s family fondly refers to it.

Empanada Boy and Drumstix both insisted that the thing to order was the parillada, an assortment of meats grilled on a charcoal grill and then served on a platter atop a gas flame. (Drumstix doesn’t usually get to order it because he’s married to a vegetarian.) It’s traditional in Central Mexico and in meat-loving countries like Argentina and Peru. The name comes from the Spanish word parilla, which means a charcoal grill. We got the small, which was more than enough for three. It came with ribs, carne asada and chorizo. Mixed in were sweet grilled onions, crispy green onions, thin disks of potato and a large chile de arbol. A basket of corn and flour tortillas came alongside in addition to a platter of beans, rice guacamole and pico de gallo.

The meat was juicy and flavorful, especially the tender, fatty rib meat, which was served still on a thin disk of bone. The chorizo and the thinner pieces of meat cooked quickly on the heated platter, leaving small, dark crisps on the plate. I could have done without the rice and beans, but the guacamole and pico de gallo tasted fresh and lively. We piled meat, vegetables and sauces into a tortilla and ate them like fajitas or tacos.

This feast would have been enough, but Empanada Boy couldn’t resist ordering his favorite chile relleno. La Hacienda’s offering was a surprisingly tasty one. The battered exterior was light and flaky, and the stuffing was made with an excellent, stretchy Mexican melting cheese like Chihuahua. La Hacienda’s chile relleno was far superior to the one we tried in Nogales.

The rest of La Hacienda’s menu is a mix of traditional Mexican offerings and widely recognized Mexican-American choices like burritos and enchiladas. The dishes we tried seemed quite authentic, a fact that was emphasized by the number of Mexican-American people in the restaurant. La Hacienda is an unassuming little restaurant that I would likely never have tried without help from Drumstix and EB. Madison’s may still not be the first place I’d go for great Mexican food, but Drumstix did well to open my eyes to the joys of “La Haz” and the parillada.

La Hacienda
515 S. Park St
Madison, WI 53715
608.255.8227

Empanada Boy and I drove up to Madison after work on July 3. We were planning to ride up to EB’s family home in Eagle River with Tofuti Cutie, Popover and Popcorn Princess the next day. That morning all five of us— plus two dogs— piled into EB’s parents’ old van, which was towing a trailer full of motorcycles and bikes. The first sign of danger to come came when we stopped for gas and the van failed to start up again. We got a jump and were on our way back to switch cars when all the systems in the van began to fail, one by one. The alternator had given way. Tofuti masterfully conducted the car to the side of the road, and we called AAA. While we were waiting, a car miraculously pulled over and out jumped a guy who knew all about fixing cars who said he could get us a new part, install it and have us back on the road in a couple hours. (Only in Wisconsin!!!) Popover decided to take a chance on him. And we opted to pass the time by meeting Rocky Rococo for lunch at The Old Fashioned. (My camera was in the van, so these photos were taken with Empanada Boy’s cell phone camera).

The Old Fashioned gets its name from the brandy-based drink that is typical in Wisconsin’s North Woods. The restaurant’s menu is supposedly shaped around the state’s most traditional food and drink, but it seemed pretty similar to the fare at many of the country’s better gastropubs. I was pleased at the use of seasonal ingredients as in the delicious cold beet soup (pictured above) and in my lovely beet salad with Gorgonzola.

The cheese on my salad was made in Wisconsin, but the most typical Wisconsin dish at our table was probably the grilled cheese sandwich that Rocky and Popover ordered. It came with local cheddar and Swiss cheeses, roasted red pepper and bacon. Cheese was the theme that linked Empanada Boy’s order to the rest of ours. His shaved prime rib sandwich came topped with a thick slice of local aged white cheddar.

The meal was simple but pretty good for what it was. It certainly seems to be the kind of food that would make any Wisconsinite feel at home. And it greatly contributed to putting us all in better spirits after our discouraging morning of delays. Best of all, we got a call from the Good Samaritan mechanic about fifteen minutes after finishing up. He fixed the alternator for a better-than-reasonable fee, and we were on the road again by 2 p.m. That got us to Eagle River in time for dinner and fireworks.

The Old Fashioned
23 N. Pinckney St.
Madison, WI 53703
608.310.4545