We spent most of yesterday staring at our MacBook Airs at a local coffee shop right in downtown Madison.
While we got a lot of work done — trust me, I’m not complaining — I did want to sample the local cuisine. I mean, I didn’t fly 4,700 miles from Honolulu to Madison to eat oatcakes and bagels in a coffee shop!
So Derek took me to one of his favorite restaurants in Madison, a place he frequents so much he’s already got favorite menu items.
We walked — yes, walked in 20-degree weather — a couple of blocks from the cafe to Kabul Restaurant, a popular little restaurant serving a fusion of Afghani and Mediterranean cuisines.
And it blew away my expectations.
See what we ate:
Appetizers
There were so many appetizers I wanted to try, including the sambosa (fried pastries filled with chick peas and ground beef) or the stuffed artichokes (hearts filled with veggies baked in white wine, topped with Parmesan cheese). But we went with the bulani ($5.25), fried potato and scallions in pastries served with a cilantro chutney and minty yogurt sauce. It was like a pierogi in a won ton. So good.
Kabul Restaurant, 541 State St. in Madison, WI. Phone: (608) 256-6322
Follow my adventures on Twitter (@thedailydish) and Facebook. Powered by Oceanic Mobile.
7 Comments
I think I may have eaten here when I was in Madison three years ago. Either that, or it was another Afghani restaurant on State Street. The place I went to looked more like a hole-in-the-wall, though, so maybe they did renovations (or maybe it was a different place). Gah, I wish I took pictures of every place we ate; I only took pictures at L’Etoile.
I remember my friend got a lamb pilaf, which I was going to order. I don’t like getting the same thing as other people, so I got the lamb kebabs instead. My kebabs were dry and overcooked, but I tried her pilaf and it was amazing.
It must be the same place. It’s pretty much a hole-in-the-wall, but a little nicer than most.
OoOooO, L’Etoile! It’s on my list! You recommend anything?
The menu changes with what’s available. I think they try to feature fresh Wisconsin products, so it depends on what’s in season. I hope you guys get to go, though, every person I spoke to recommended L’Etoile.
BRRR!! What a difference from Hawaii!! The kebab looks like a great plate lunch! 🙂
Oh, what a great idea! Kebob plate lunch! I’d so wait in line at #EatTheStreet for that!
uncle ben’s rice?hmmm… Wonder if the Cat can find sticky white rice in Mad City?….
Looks very yummy!