I was familiar with the meats of Jordandal Farms through its stand at the Dane County Farmers’ Market, so I was intrigued by the restaurant the farm’s owners opened late last year in Verona. Called The Cookhouse, it’s take-out only, although there is one table outside, and all meats come directly from the farm while other products are locally sourced (e.g. ice cream from Sassy Cow Creamery).
There are about a dozen items on the menu, plus daily specials, which range from pizza to tacos to Banh Mi. I was a fan of the Patty Melt ($9) for its bacon mayo and raw milk cheddar. A juicy quarter-pound beef patty centered two buttery pieces of rye bread. You certainly don’t need to add ketchup to this flavorful sandwich.
The Braised Lamb Pita ($10) grew on me. At first, I was thrown off by the shredded pieces of lamb since I’m used to the sliced variety in a typical gyro, but the creamy cucumber sauce and hummus made me realize I was eating an upgraded gyro. Another standard item, the Cubano ($9.50), was just fine save for the slow roasted pork, which was a bit dry. At least the ham and Swiss were stellar.
If you don’t like kimchi, you could learn to like it via the Korean Beef ($8.50). It’s miso chili-braised beef chuck topped with Ssamjang mayo and a much milder (re: less pungent) version of kimchi. It was a creative sandwich, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.
On other hand, the White Cheddar Mac ($8.50) is something that I would recommend. It had just the right amount of creaminess, and you can add bacon or polish sausage for a small fee.
All the sandwiches I ordered came with a side. I had the quinoa salad (good), the salami and cheese (tasty), the sweet potato salad with bacon (I may never get regular potato salad again) and the coleslaw (too dry).
As for desserts, I enjoyed the M&M cookie and loved the decadent caramel cheesecake.
Jordandal Cookhouse is open Tuesday-Saturday. You can find its daily specials on its Facebook page.
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