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HOME ● LUNCH MENU ● DINNER MENU ● DESSERTS ● WINE LIST ABOUT US ● REVIEWS ● EVENT CALENDAR ● PHOTO ALBUM CATERING ● PRIVATE PARTIES ● GLUTEN-FREE ● DIRECTIONS ● LINKS |
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REVIEWS |
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Bunky's Menu Bridges The Mediterranean Wisconsin State Journal January 12, 2006
By Gwen Evans
The southern shores of Italy aren't all that removed from the north shore of Africa. However, the cultures and cuisines are quite distinct. At Bunky's Cafe, the distance is shortened with a hands-across-the-water menu that reflects the ethnic heritages of the owners.
Teresa Pullara-Ouabel contributes the Italian side; husband Rachid Ouabel is from Morocco and is responsible for kabobs, stuffed grape leaves and other North African delights. This, then, is true Mediterranean food. Why didn't anyone think of this before?
Pullara-Ouabel has a lengthy Madison restaurant pedigree. Her great-grandparents and grandparents were also in the restaurant business. The first Bunky's was on the corner of Park and Regent streets; Pino's (run by Pullara-Ouabel's great-uncle) was in the basement. Great-grandpa Vito Capadona's nickname was "Bunkaletto," which gave both restaurants their name.
"We named our restaurant in honor of my great-grandparents," says Pullara-Ouabel. "I'm kind of the new female Bunky. When I tell people I'm not Bunky, they call me Mrs. Bunky."
Ouabel is a civil engineer whose heart was in the kitchen. He came to Madison on vacation, met Teresa and stayed. Pullara-Ouabel takes care of the front of the house and the books; Ouabel works in the kitchen along with head chef Jesse Matz.
Open for two years, the restaurant is stuffed with funky treasures from thrift shops and antique stores. The walls are crammed with old family photos and bric-a-brac. A party room in the back is festooned with vintage clothes, aprons and toys. The entire place (even the bathrooms) is a happy, colorful jumble.
"It looks like my great-grandmother's dining room minus the plastic covers on the furniture," says Pullara-Ouabel.
The menu is as unpretentious as the decorations, and Italy and Morocco are well represented in the entrees. Customers select Mediterranean dishes slightly more often than Italian.
From Morocco, there are chicken, lamb and beef kabobs, which are marinated and slow-roasted and served with vegetables, rice, hummus and homemade yogurt; grilled salmon, sea bass and shrimp, which come with rice and a side of either hummus or baba ghanouj; okra and eggplant stews; falafel; and chicken prepared with peas, peppers, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.
The chicken shawarma (marinated and roasted chicken breast) and kafta brochette (skewers of ground lamb) are popular, as is the seafood combination, which includes grilled salmon, sea bass and shrimp.
Italian entrees include pastas and pizzas; all are prepared using recipes from Pullara-Ouabel's family. Available pastas are a ravioli of the day; Bunky's pasta, made with chicken in a marinara cream sauce; meat and veggie lasagna; spaghetti with mussels, shrimp, scallops and salmon; penne primavera (sauteed veggies with marinara sauce); and fettuccine with artichoke hearts in a cream sauce. Pasta puttanesca, chicken and mushroom pasta in a chipotle cream sauce, penne gorgonzola and pesto fettuccine alfredo were recently added to the menu. Chicken and shrimp can be added to any pasta as well.
Bunky's also serves spaghetti on the board. With this plateless feast, diners eat from a communal pile of unlimited spaghetti and meatballs heaped on the middle of the table, pulling what they want toward them. Pizzas are prepared with the original Bunky's crust, and diners can choose their toppings or select a specialty pizza.
"My grandfather was the first person to serve pizza in Madison," Pullara-Ouabel says. "It has a medium thickness, and we use my grandmother's recipe."
Bunky's keeps its prices affordable and the portions generous. A choice of salad or soup is always included.
"My heritage is big, Italian food. We don't want people to leave and still be hungry," says Pullara-Ouabel. "Many regulars know to pack up part of the dinner to save room for dessert." ■ |
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