Café Tarragon — raw, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian

Those seeking vegan, gluten-free, raw, or vegetarian fare at last have many savory and sweet options. Café Tarragon, 2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., located inside Future Green, a retail store featuring fair trade, recycled, and organic products, is a miniature café busting out fine flavors via an original and thoughtfully conceived menu.

Two chefs design the daily menu and collaborate in food preparation. Cassandra Comerford, boasting 20 years’ experience in professional kitchens, is a graduate of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Evanston, Ill. Future Green co-owner Lisa Sim is a graduate of the Milwaukee Area Technical College Culinary Arts program and owned and operated The Lunch Connection in the late ’80s and early ’90s in Milwaukee.

The day that my guest and I stopped in, the menu featured a grilled veggie panini on gluten-free bread or wheat-based Italian. It was served with an array of chips, a savory vinegar-and-oil-dressed slaw, and a homemade pickle spear. The sandwich itself was succulent-made with grilled and caramelized red bell peppers, mushrooms, red onions, and garnished with fresh spinach and vegan rice-based “mozzarella.”

Sim and Comerford plan to offer two soup choices each day, one broth-based and one purée. We sampled a truly lovely vegetable soup with a richly flavored broth and vegetables, and garnished with slices of raw bok choy and gluten-free dumplings. The purée soup was golden beet, rich and satisfying.

The spinach salad combined crumbled tofu and thinly sliced red onions with a side of hot miso and puréed mushroom dressing. My dining companion declared the dish “really freakin’ good!” Another salad, one of the all — raw offerings, was comprised of an array of greens and vegetables including “spiralized” red and golden beets and an excellent vinaigrette prepared with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and agave nectar. They also offer a vegan creamy garlic peppercorn and Dijon honey mustard, all three homemade. Other salad options are two “potato-like salads.” One stars sweet potatoes and another jicama. We sampled the former. Served cold, it melded a mild dressing with the mellow flavor of a gently boiled and diced sweet potato.

More raw and vegan offerings available are marinated mushrooms stuffed with a vegetable/nut purée and vegetable roll-ups with a shoyu-based dipping sauce.

Sim and Comerford offer raw options each day plus “Raw Saturday” where more raw options are available, including the jicama salad. In time, they plan to include a hot lunch buffet, “no-fish fish fries,” Sunday brunch, and on Valentine’s Day, a special menu for the first 10 couples who sign up.

Except for the Italian bread option for the panini, all baked items are gluten-free, and the day we dined, there were apple/cranberry muffins, scones with golden raisins, plus a raw sweet potato pie.

The sweet course we sampled was raw candy made from dates, coconuts, and walnuts and a vegan chocolate truffle. Both were fine, in part because they were not cloyingly sweet.

Beverages include local fair trade Sven’s coffee and another from Sandra Farms in Puerto Rico. Tea, chai, and Aztec hot chocolate are also served.

Café Tarragon
Lisa and Swee Sim, owners
2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Tu-Sat 11am-4pm, but deli items are available until 6pm
(414) 294-4300
Menu: About 20 items mostly gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and/or raw
Prices: Moderate: Soup cup $3.75; bowl $5.25. Sandwiches and salads: $7.99-$8.99.
Smoke-free.
No booster chairs, diaper changing station, or children’s menu (yet).
Organic/Local: Not entire menu.
Take Out: Yes; Delivery: No.
Organic, local, whenever possible, no processed foods, 98 % gluten free.
All carry out containers and utensils are 98% compostable.
Find good  profile of Café Tarragon here.

Honeypie Bakery and Café

I thought it was because of their wonderful dessert, but Honeypie is named after the Beatles’ song. Their sign, a turquoise pig, should have been a clue for me that the restaurant has an affinity for bacon.

The restaurant is retro with the décor of a rural Wisconsin tavern replete with taxidermy, wainscoting, large booths lined up along the wall, and scattered wood tables and chairs. The bar/counter is large and curved.

But not too large and it contributes to the cozy feel. A large blackboard behind proclaims the daily specials, including one for fish and another for the pasty.

The menu reads, “Midwestern food from scratch from our pickles to our pie crust, we believe that good food is rooted in the way our grandparents used to cook.” Their fare, indeed, is cozy, good comfort food.

On recent lunch visit, my friends (one of them a vegetarian) and I ordered salads made of mixed greens, sprouts, carrots, and pea pods; cups of lovely, warm butternut squash soup; and slightly sweet corn muffins. I also ordered chicken and biscuit pie, which was a delight. The flaky crust covered a rich broth, tasty chicken, potatoes, corn, bell peppers, onions, and carrots. For dessert we all had pie, the best restaurant pie I have ever eaten, and locally roasted Anodyne coffee. The menu offers many sandwiches all piled high with meat, veggies, and cheese, some fashioned with innovative twists on old favorites, like the pork BLT, or the Composter, a variation of a standard veggie sandwich, piled with fresh vegetables, sprouts, mixed greens (fresh and varied), tomatoes, cream cheese, and dill sauce.

The menu is light on vegetarian offerings but the kitchen will alter seven of their sandwiches to make them vegan, as well one of their pasties. And 10 items are or can be made vegetarian. Note: they offer a pasty of the day, and they’re made by hand.

The menu states that they get their food from local vendors, like Growing Power, as much as possible.

Now let’s talk about the pie. There are many options including pumpkin, berry/peach, and blueberry-all with flaky crusts like mother used to make (well, not my mother) and an unusual pistachio with an especially good graham cracker crust. The pie, as they say, is to die for, and considering the cholesterol…

On another visit, my friend and I tried the twice baked potato. They harkened back to our childhoods with the rich filling topped with sour cream and green onions. I ordered the Davenport, a plate of generous slices of roasted turkey accompanied by a bit of mustard grain/cranberry sauce, and horseradish mashed potatoes topped with tomato, onions, and bacon. I had them hold the Gruyere cheese sauce. My companion ordered Fancy Mac-mac and cheese made with cheddar and Gruyere with a breadcrumbs and bacon topping. Because we hadn’t ingested enough calories, we asked for a taste of their homemade French fries. We were given more than a taste, and they were delicious-salty and tastier because part of the skin was left on.

And, of course, we had more pie! We left then, not because we wanted to, but because we had to stop sometime. On the way out, we couldn’t resist taking a couple of their lovely frosted cupcakes home, a German chocolate and a hazelnut cream.

Next time pasties and more pie.

More Information

• Honeypie Bakery and Café
• Scott Johnson, Leslie Montemurro, Adam and Val Luck, owners
• 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
• M-F 10am-”around midnight”; Sat. & Sun. 9am-2:30am
• Brunch menu served Sat. & Sun. 9am-3pm
• Main Menu (not brunch): About 27 items, 7 can be made vegan, 10 are or can be made vegetarian.
• Prices: Moderate. Sandwiches and non-special entrees range $6-$11.
• Smokefree
• No children’s menu, but they will make small portions/Booster chairs/Diaper changing station in women’s bathroom
• Organic/Local: Not entire menu, but some items are local.
• Take Out: Yes; Delivery: No
• Outdoor Patio
• Full bar including 150 bottled craft beers and about 15 organic and/or biodynamic wines.

Horny Goat Brewing Co.’s Horny Hideaway Brewpub

Going to a brewpub without tasting the brew is like going to Europe and dining only on Yankee fast food, but that’s what I did. I had to work after dinner, so I ordered coffee. We will sample and write about their brew another time.

Horny Goat Brewing Co.’s Horny Hideaway, the smokefree pub and microbrewery that opened in October, is located in the former Pump House, 2011 S. First St., along the KK River’s south bank. The main floor features seven flat screens, each broadcasting basketball, football, snowboarding, etc., while the sound system plays rock. The high-ceilinged space is commodious with a bar and about 10 tables on the first floor with additional dining on the wraparound balcony.

I ordered the Gobbler ($7.95), a panino/wrap hybrid. Instead of the ineluctable ennui of the indifferent tortilla or faux ciabatta and focaccia that typifies wraps and panini, the sandwich was enveloped in a thin multigrain flatbread grilled to perfection, just enough to inspire the grains to subtly declare themselves.

Wrapped were smoked turkey, red onion, avocado, lettuce, and a dab of herb/roasted garlic aioli. I asked the kitchen to hold the cheese so mine was served sans provolone and mozzarella. It was tasty, light, and served with chips and a pickle.

My dining companion ordered the quarter-pound hamburger that he said had good flavor, but wanted the option of a larger beef patty. He elected waffle fries that were fresh (clean oil) and golden-crisp on the outside and moist, but not gummy, inside.

Marketing and branding veteran Jim Sorenson, a Waterford, Wis. native, is managing partner and CEO of Horny Goat Brewing Co., a start-up launched in January 2009. He said he prides himself on their European-style brews. His menu goal was not gourmet, he said, just good pub food. He was offering samples the night we were there.

We sampled the bruschetta appetizer ($6.95), three fragrant goat cheese coins served on a thin layer of marinara sauce, accompanied by three bruschetta, brushed with olive oil and scented with a scintilla of garlic. The Three Little Pig Wings appetizer (baked pork ribs) ($7.95) was pronounced “Flavorful!” by my friend but he added, “One was just a little tough.” Our pizza was served on a thin crust lightly coated with a marinara sauce and a judicious layer (not top-heavy) of Italian sausage, chicken, and mozzarella. A food allergy prevented me from tasting it but it was pronounced “Good!” by my dining partner. The guacamole, served with blue corn chips ($6.95), was fresh and mellow, studded with red onion and tomatoes.

The moderately priced menu includes five appetizers ($5.95-$7.95); three burgers ($5.95-$6.95); brat with kraut ($5.95); chili cheese dog ($5.95); 11 pizzas ($8.95-$11.95); two salads ($6.95 and $10.95); 10 non-burger sandwiches including wraps and panini ($4.95-$10.95); one dessert-a warmed chocolate chunk cookie with vanilla ice cream ($4.95); chili, soup of the day ($4.95); plus a children’s menu-hot dog, grilled cheese, burger, or chicken tenders (all items $4.95).

More Information

• Jim Sorenson & Partners
  2011 S. First St.
  (414) 482-4628
• Open every day, 11am-2am
• 40 menu items: 2 vegan, 15 vegetarian, 4 on the kids menu
• Smokefree
• Children’s Menu/Booster Chairs/No Diaper-Changing Stations
• Organic/Local: None, but owner said he plans to buy and employ soon.
• Take Out: Yes; Delivery: No.
• Large outdoor patio next to river where fish fries will be staged in warm weather.
• Beer, wine, full bar, soda. Horny Goat brews are $3 a pint.
• House brews: Exposed Saison, Hopped Up ‘N Horny, Horny Blonde Lager, Red Vixen Vienna Lager, Stacked Milk Stout, Wheat.
• Friday night is charity night. $1 for every pint sold is donated to area charity.

Yum Yum

You could miss the sign that reads “Yum Yum-Ethnic Cuisine” hanging on the front of the restaurant, but you’d be sorry that you did.

Yum Yum, 4125 S. Howell Ave., is a Middle Eastern restaurant that opened in September in the old Boy Blue Ice Cream building, half a block south of Avenue Liquor. Until a few months ago, it was Sahara Café, and you can spot the small building by looking for the yellow Sahara sign, still on the roof.

Orders are placed at the window in the shallow “lobby,” as my friend Larry called it, or as I dubbed it, the front porch. We had been warned we might have to wait for our food, and wait we did. But we didn’t care because we while we waited, we were offered cups of wonderful pureed lentil soup laced with a little bite that was probably produced by chili pepper. The co-owner and chef, Tarek Fleifel, told us he originally made his lentil soup mild, but his customers asked for more spice so he accommodated.

While we waited for our order, we sat in “the front porch” on padded deck furniture and ate our creamy lentil soup from little side tables. Fleifel wanted us to taste Yum Yum falafel and gave us each a sample. This falafel was about the best I have ever eaten. The exterior possessed a nicely browned crust and the chickpea puree inside was moist and flavorful. (A falafel sandwich is $2.99.) A friend joined us, and we sat happily munching and slurping while our order was prepared.

I learned that the owners met and married in their homeland Lebanon. Mrs. (Ola) Fleifel, her husband told us, had only “three years of childhood” before the outbreak of 16 years of civil war. They didn’t want that for their children, so they moved to Kuwait in 1984, where Fleifel mixed chemicals used to clean oil field pipelines. They emigrated to the United States in 1994. “I used to mix chemicals,” he said. “Now I mix food.”

We ordered an appetizer called fuul ($2.99) and ate out on the porch while our entrees were being prepared. Fuul is mashed fava bean dip served warm with pita bread. The perimeter of the fuul is drizzled with Yum Yum’s bright, green olive oil. I could wax poetic about that olive oil. Stating that it is a virgin olive oil doesn’t even begin to relate how good it is, but know that it is up there with olive oil I have tasted in Italy, fresh from the local olive grove. Though part of the menu’s appetizer section, fuul could easily serve as a vegetarian entrée.

We took home their tabouli ($4.49) and three entrees: Chicken Shish Kabob, served browned and richly seasoned ($7.49); Chicken Teka Half, a small half-chicken marinated in its own dressing and grilled ($7.49); and broiled tilapia ($6.49) that had been marinated in fresh lemon and then covered with Fleifel’s sauce, which included onions and green peppers. The sauce was exactly right for the fish since tilapia by itself has little flavor. It added plenty of flavor and a little kick.

The tabouli was the freshest I have ever eaten, made with more parsley than bulgur and deliciously tangy with fresh lemon juice. The sides that came with the entrees included a very good turmeric spiced-rice, humus, and baba ganoush with a dollop of green hot sauce (dakka) made from olive oil and minced jalapeño, which you can scoop off, if you don’t like heat. Both humus and baba ganoush were also very good.

We were sorry we had no room for dessert. Next time we want to try the baklava or kunafa, a pastry topped with sweet cheese and served with sugar syrup and pistachios.

Beverages include coffee (Turkish and regular), a pot of tea, and soft drinks. And seasonally, if you are 18 or older, you might like to indulge in their hookah, which they will set up on the patio.

Yum Yum is definitely fine, fresh, and very affordable. And soon a daily special will be added to their offerings.

There is an outdoor patio on the north side of the building that is fine in warm weather, but for now, Yum Yum is just take-out. Free delivery will soon be available with a minimum $10 order. You may also call in your order, and if you wish, arrange to have it delivered to your car.

More Information

• Tarek and Ola Fleifel
  4125 S. Howell Ave.
• Mon.-Thurs. 10am-9pm; Fri. & Sat. 10am-11pm; closed Sunday
• (414) 489-7200
• 25 menu items; 8-10 vegan and/or vegetarian, 3 dessert
• No children’s menu
• Coffee, tea, soft drinks
• Take-out or delivery only