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Bunky's is back
New cafe brings Old World Italian charm to Atwood Avenue
www.thedailypage.com
By Jerry Minnich
Bunky's Café is new to Atwood Avenue, but the roots of Teresa
Pullara-Ouabel's restaurant go back more than half a century, to the
corner of Park and Regent streets, site of the original Bunky's. It was
there that Teresa's grandmother, Ninfa Capadona, served up spaghetti to
hungry UW students for 35 cents a plate. And it was there that Madison had
its first taste of pizza.
Teresa, it seems, is destined to serve food to people. From her first job
as a teenager at Hardee's, through years at the Seafood Centers and
Monty's Blue Plate Diner, food has been her life. And now she has what
she's always wanted — her own restaurant. And a good one it is.
Taking over the site recently vacated by Sole e Sapori, Teresa has put her
personal stamp on the restaurant's décor. The walls of the main dining
room are lined with Victorian bric-a-brac and early family photos from the
old Greenbush neighborhood — and the original Bunky's. The restrooms are
another story, full of enough kitsch to make you linger longer than you
should, smiling.
Everything about Bunky's says "comfort." It's a comfortable neighborhood
restaurant that already has attracted a loyal clientele.
"I didn't want people to look in the window and see white linen
tablecloths. I'm afraid it would scare them away," says Teresa. "Besides,
I didn't want to have to wash them." Instead, she puts a crocheted doily
on each table — "like my grandmother used to do."
Teresa makes her food from scratch whenever possible. Hummus begins with
dry garbanzos. Eggplant stew begins with fresh eggplants. Stuffed grape
leaves (dolmas) are rolled and stuffed in the kitchen — by Teresa. "Eighty
percent of Chicago restaurants," she says, "buy pre-made dolmas from a
distributor." Not at Bunky's. Teresa keeps costs low, prepares food from
fresh ingredients and loves her customers. A sure-fire combination in my
book.
You might suppose that the menu here would be Italian. But you would be
only half-right. The other half of the menu is devoted to Mediterranean
cuisine, the product of Teresa's husband, Rachid Ouabel, a Moroccan native
who worked at the Shish Café. Luncheon sandwiches include falafel, kafta
and chicken shawarma, but there are also Italian meatball and marinated
beef sandwiches. Luncheon platters include several kabobs, all served with
rice, hummus and homemade yogurt sauce. The hummus, incidentally, is
marvelous — creamy, fresh and flavorful — and the rice is enlivened with
sliced almonds. There is also a spaghetti-and-meatballs plate, served with
salad and bread, for only $6, and some great pizzas.
Appetizers include baba ghanouj, Mediterranean veggies, bruschetta and —
one of my sentimental favorites — fagiolini verdi con pomodori (fresh
green beans sautéed with tomatoes, cilantro and garlic).
Dinner is a stepped-up version of the lunch menu, with some very
attractive additions. Among appetizers, those additions include sautéed or
stuffed shrimp, sautéed calamari, and baked cheese with tomatoes and green
peppers. I loved the tabouli, sparkling with cracked wheat, parsley, green
onions and tomato.
There is one soup — lentil — and it's good.
Dinner entrees include lamb chops — three grilled chops, which are served
with rice, vegetables and that wonderful hummus. Seafood entrees include
grilled salmon and shrimp. There are also three vegetarian entrees — okra
stew, Mediterranean eggplant and falafel — in addition to meatless
lasagna, penne primavera and fettuccine carciofi (artichoke hearts and
garlic, sautéed and served with cream sauce).
Other pastas include Bunky's signature farfalle, prepared with broccoli,
onions, mushrooms and chicken, served with marinara cream sauce and
Parmesan cheese. The meat lasagna is the best you will ever have,
anywhere.
For a real treat, there is "Spaghetti on the Board," a special experience
for two or more people in which spaghetti, marinara and meatballs are
served in the Old World fashion — on a board, on your table, without
plates. You just dig in and have a ball. A meat ball. (Yes, there are
forks.)
There is a full complement of beverages, including some very nice wines
and some great beers: Guinness, Schell's, Spotted Cow, Capital and more.
Besides wine and beer, desserts are about the only thing not made
in-house, but they are wonderful, especially the cheesecakes, which are
provided by Lisa Lathrop, the "Cheesecake Lady." Do save room for
cheesecake, and for coffee — Johnson Brothers Fair Trade Organic Blend,
several levels above the ordinary.
Bunky's is a great addition to the Atwood neighborhood culinary scene.
Grandmother Ninfa would be proud. ■
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