La Taguara — Restaurant in Madison

I am tempted to change their Google category to Soul Food. While it doesn't fit the strict culinary definition of soul food, the food served here truly satisfies the soul of those who consume it. And with each flavor-filled bite, it's obvious that the kitchen is putting their heart and soul into each dish they prepare. I appreciate how the restaurant extracted so much flavor from the food despite working with the simplest of ingredients. If you appreciate this style of cooking, it worth making the trip to Madison's north side.

The restaurant is a bare bones operation; don't expect pictures of the interior to show up in the next issue of Martha Stewart Living. The interior is small with clean golden yellow walls, decorated with various Venezuelan knick-knacks. A muted flat screen mounted on the wall shows a looping slideshow of pictures from Venezuela. The standard issue table and chairs and the drop ceiling also fit right into the basic diner décor theme.

You order at the counter and they call out your number when your food is ready. The owner asked us if we had eaten at La Taguara before. When we said we had not, he enthusiastically provided us with a guided tour of the menu. He pointed out the most popular items on the menu and deftly explained the differences between arepas, empanadas and pastelitos.

I decided to go with the pernil (roasted pork) arepa lunch special ($7.99), which included a choice of soup or salad.

The soup option I selection, the sancocho, was a combination of vegetables, beef and chicken in a delightfully flavorful broth and helped awaken my taste buds for the rest of my meal.

The arepa is a Venezuelan version of the pita sandwich. The pocket bread is made from a white corn meal fried on the grilled behind the front counter. While the exterior was not crispy, it still provided a pleasant textural contrast with the shredded pork interior. Like the soup, the pork was expertly prepared, fork-tender and well seasoned. It was a wee bit dry but that was quickly remedied by added the tantalizing guasacaca sauce to the sandwich. If you have never tried this staggeringly tasty combination of avocado, fresh parsley and coriander, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, oil and vinegar, get off your hindquarters and make a beeline to La Taguara. It alone is worthy of a pilgrimage to this north side eatery.

My dining companion, who grew up in Bolivia, was equally impressed with his order of Pabellon (black beans, white cheese, shredded beef, rice and deep fried sweet plantain and an arepa).

I am not alone in my enthusiasm for the food at La Taguara. There was a steady flow of customers streaming through the restaurant on a Tuesday lunch service. Do yourself a favor...

When I saw that this restaurant had opened a new location with better parking near east town mall, I knew it wouldn’t take me long to get there. I have already enjoyed takeout and GrubHub from their location on E. Washington Ave. It’s so nice to be in a large restaurant with a cozy environment to enjoy their food without having to fight for a parking spot.

I stopped in today for lunch. I realize that this is now in the old Pizzeria Uno building. What a great location with lots of outdoor seating as well. I ordered my usual, the empanada and arepa sandwich meal. Imagine a big fried hot pocket but with expertly seasoned and simple meat fillings. I also had their beautiful avocado and Palm heart salad served with passionfruit dressing. I am not aware of any other restaurant in Madison serving such a salad. It’s worth it just to eat a salad here. Perhaps one of the best add-ons that they offer in this location though is their amazing passionfruit daiquiri. They are $8.99 each but worth every single penny. I have never heard of any restaurant in Madison serving a passionfruit daiquiri. They do not skimp on the food or the booze in this place.

I know this restaurant is owned by a brother and sister from Venezuela. You can feel the heart and soul that goes into their business and into their food.

I would encourage anyone who is seeking out comfort food and fantastic cocktails in a very casual environment to check out this place. The prices are also exceptional at lunchtime.

Two thumbs...

I am rating this a little higher than my taste buds would. The thing is, I don;t think I am really that fond of Venezuelan food so I am rating the quality of the food and the service rather than what my taste buds say. I ordered a salad with mango, kale and chicken and found it tasty. Though it was a little dry for my taste, the mango and chicken with the kale was a good combination. I had the corn pancake with cheese and pork, (Cachapa con Queso y Cochino Frito) one of the most highly recommended dishes that they've won with at festivals, and I thought it was kind of bland. I guess I thought the pork would be more luscious like pork belly, and it was just kind of overcooked dried up salty nuggets of pork without much spice or flavor. My sister had the Venezuelan answer to a gordita,called an arepa, and thought it was just okay. Everything was sooo salty! Except the corn pancake which was sweet but had salty cheese in it. So, I am not a big fan of Venzuelan food, but the owner gave us excellent advice and service and we didn't have to wait too long for our food.My sister did like one of the sauces, took mine too to shoozh up her food. And it is still fun trying out new things, so I recommend you give it a try and see, maybe you will like Venezuelan food a lot better than I. But one thing, the atmosphere is a bit tacky, very cheap (think lower end fast food meets Tiki Hut), and feels a little grungy... so if that is going to put you off, keep driving and find...