Chaat Cafe is an Indian restaurant and bakery that emphasizes street food, including its namesake, chaat. It’s a good place for takeout but not eating in, as there’s no atmosphere in the open and stark dining area. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘far west’
Chaat Cafe
Sunday, April 8th, 2018Lola’s Cafe
Sunday, December 17th, 2017
Lola’s Cafe is a small but uncozy diner that opened quietly this summer. I only noticed it because I was having lunch at Gloria’s, which is in the same strip mall on the far west side.
The restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Capriotti’s has a large, two-sided menu that has about 80 percent breakfast items, and the rest being sandwiches and salads. However, if you inspect the menu closely, you’ll see it’s mostly the same few items repurposed in different formats.
For example, there’s not much difference among the omelets, frittatas and scrambles here. I chose my frittata with kale, goat cheese and red peppers, and a similar version exists as a scramble. This frittata was very fresh tasting and pleasing to the eye, but it was bland enough that I had to add salt and pepper to get through it.
I also ordered a skillet dish. The ultimate ($9) is best described as hearty. The onions, mushrooms and green peppers are lightly sauteed, and there’s plenty of chopped bacon, ham and sausage. They are all resting atop hash browns that I would have preferred to be crispier.
I’m a sucker for grits, since you don’t see them on many menus in the Midwest. Lola’s version is solid enough that it holds together when you use a fork; in other words, I appreciate that they weren’t soupy. The biscuit, another side, is crumbly but dry, so get some jam or butter.
As expected at a diner, you’ll find pancakes and French toast on the menu.
French toast comes in two (“short”) or three (“full”) pieces. The ones in the banana, strawberry + Nutella ($7 for two, $8.5 for three) were flat, not fluffy, but they had a good eggy and buttery flavor. You get plenty of fresh strawberries and bananas but only a small smear of Nutella.
In case you don’t want breakfast items, you will find a few traditional American lunch items such as a burger and chicken sandwich. I was craving a Philly cheese steak at the time, and Lola’s version ($8.50) didn’t disappoint. The bun was soft but firm enough to hold the contents, the diced onions and peppers were cooked through, the right amount of cheese whiz was slathered on and the steak was tender.
Lola’s Café is open every day for breakfast and lunch.
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See more photos in our Lola’s Cafe Flickr album.
Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant
Saturday, July 22nd, 2017
Gloria’s is a standard Mexican restaurant with a small bar on Junction Road. If you’re on the far west side and need your fix of Mexican food, then you’ll be satisfied coming here.
In the Mexican restaurant spectrum we have in Madison, Gloria’s is most similar to a Lalo’s or a Laredo’s. You get free chips and salsa, service is fast and you can have a margarita with your meal.
I don’t often see enchilada suizas (a cream-based sauce) on menus, so I ordered the reasonably priced suizas ($8.99) here. The shrimp is grilled, and there is more of it than the hardly existent crab. Still, the seafood flavor was present. Eat this quickly, as the tortilla gets pretty soggy under the sauce.
Other specialties include chile relleno ($7.99) and tus huevos ($10.99).
Under the category of “Estillo D.F.”–and I’m not sure if that’s a misspelling of estilo, which means “style”–there’s a hodge podge of items, such as flautas and tortas. The mole poblano ($8.99) features a big hunk of tender chicken smothered in a subtle mole sauce that has a small note of spice. It’s a filling entrée for sure.
The menu said not to leave without trying the best tamale ($2.50) in town, and I’m glad I did. The exterior was very moist, and there was plenty of pork and red salsa inside so that no bite was just the masa. Oh, and the flavor was great, too.
For smaller appetites, try the gordita ($3.50). I got mine with chorizo, and it had the right amount of spices and seasoning. The shell is firm but tasty, and it’s fairly dense, especially with refried beans inside.
The rest of the menu contains lunch specials, salads and fajitas. Basically, something for everyone.
Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner.
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See more photos in our Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant Flick album.
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