Tucuma, located in Middleton, brings the savory and sweet tastes of Brazil to the Madison area.
The latter includes cakes, flan, honey bread and brigadeiros, which you must try. These round truffles ($6.50 for four, $20 for 15 and $30 for 24) come in Belgian chocolate, marble chocolate, nido (powdered milk), coconut, pistachio or walnuts and are coated with sprinkles. The decadent chocolate balls are small enough that you can pop an entire one in your mouth, but I savored each one in about four bites.
The rest of the menu is small, but every item was a hit. For example, the flaky pastry shell in the stuffed puff pastry ($4.50) is soft but sturdy, one of the best I’ve had in recent memory. You can choose chicken or spinach & feta for the filling. The liquid cheese and tasty ground chicken make this pastry a delight.
I liked everything about the crispy chicken sandwich ($13.50), including the brioche bun, the mild Brazilian cream cheese and the perfectly cooked bacon. I hate to say this because it’s not meant to be an insult, but the tender chicken cutlet tasted like McDonald’s McChicken.
The other sandwich on the menu is the picanha sandwich ($14.50), which I highly recommend. The steak was perfect. It’s cut into big chunks, each of which was tender and full of flavor, and paired with caramelized onion, cheese, mixed greens and tucuma sauce (sort of like a seafood-y thousand island) inside ciabatta bread.
Tucuma is open for lunch Tuesday-Sunday and dinner Tuesday-Saturday.
