 In April, Joanie took me to La Taguara in Madison, Wisconsin. I had read about it in Madison Magazine 
and wanted a see-for-yourself. Vivid, it was and yes, mad taystee. It’s a mad town all right and never fails to be freshly surprising.
Visiting Madison is always a food fest. Seems to me, when there is a little less from which to choose, the food tastes better and the adventures feel more personal.
La Taquara serves primarily Venezuelan food, punctuated by dishes of its Latin neighbors. In the words of La Taguara,
Due to its location in the world, its diversity of industrial resources and the cultural diversity of the Venezuelan people, Venezuelan cuisine often varies greatly from one region to another. Its cuisine, traditional as well as modern, is influenced by indigenous people and its European ancestry and is also influenced by African and Native American traditions. Food staples include corn, rice, plantain, yucca, beans and several meats and seafood.
The “bread” for this sandwich is squashed plantain, like a giant tostones. Crispy, crunchy, messy and delicious.
Our lunch choices were easy – the Patacon Pisao or “flattened plantain” and a filled arepa,  two wonderful sandwich species little known north of Latin America.
I won’t lie, our lunch was madelicious.
There it is in the magazine, the Patacon Pisao. Super nice photos, Mr. Musteikis.
Take me home, sandwich roads.
Photography for the magazine by Paulius Musteikis
Patacon 101
FOR plantain lovers, it may be the best thing since sliced bread. In fact, a patacón (paht-ah-CONE) — the full name, patacón Maracucho, identifies its birthplace as the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo — is a sandwich that dispenses with bread entirely. In its place is green (that is, unripe) plantain that’s been sliced lengthwise, fried, pressed flat and fried again. Still warm, the golden discs embrace shredded beef, roast pork, chorizo, chicken or cheese.
Read on in the Times here.
The Lunch Encounter 