Optimal road trip includes Viroqua’s Optimo | July 27, 2011 Cap Times
Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:00 am
VIROQUA — There are lots of cutesy names for people who gravitate toward food grown or raised not too far 
from home, without pesticides or antibiotics. Between foodies, locavores and farm-to-table advocates, it can be hard to stay abreast of the trendy taxonomy for what once upon a time, before refrigerated boxcars and overnight shipping and Hot Pockets, were just called “eaters.”
Madisonians who want a heightened sense of connection to the source of their food are luckier than most urban dwellers. Our fair city is located smack in the middle of some of the most fertile — and picturesque — agricultural land in the lower 48. Viroqua, located less than two hours west of Madison, is a perfect spot to take in the glories of a landscape where not only is the corn currently as high as an elephant’s eye, you can dine in style only a stone’s throw from the farm where it was cultivated.
Optimo Café, in the middle of Viroqua’s main drag, is the kind of restaurant travelers might be surprised to see in a small town. After all, only recently have back road travelers had any reasonable expectation of finding a latté outside of major urban centers. But a perusal of the menu immediately gives the lie to the presumption that a town this small lacks culinary sophistication. The restaurant’s motto — “Soul, Sustenance, Seasons” — is a reflection of its commitment to using local produce to craft a seasonal menu that showcases the best Wisconsin has to offer.
Optimo is located in the historic Viroqua Public Market, a space that contains a charming, ramshackle assemblage of antique booths, local arts and crafts, an independent bookstore and a psychic, all anchored by a grand stone fountain. The vibe is something akin to Willy Street dropped in the middle of Mayberry, a place where a Ten Commandments billboard and strings of Tibetan prayer flags can be found on the same block. I’m pretty sure Viroqua is the smallest town in the United States where a djembe can be purchased.
The menu is the perfect expression of this small town/big planet ethos, featuring Cajun aioli, house-made ciabatta, and enough vegan and gluten-free options to satisfy even the most particular appetite. Prominent on the lunch menu is the 1/3-pound burger made with local, grass-fed beef — cheddar-bacon and blue cheese and bacon varieties are available for $7.50, with seasonal greens and house-made ketchup.
Optimo is not messing around when it comes to making most of their food on-site. I went for the calzone 
(base price $7, with an additional 50 cents for vegetable and $1 for meat add-ons), which is said to take 15-20 minutes to be delivered from the kitchen. I take such warnings as evidence the dish is being made to order, and was not disappointed. The Optimo calzone is a generous serving of local cheese and vegetables wrapped in a steamy, crispy dough that’s soft and chewy but not wimpy. Pesto added brilliant green color and fresh flavor to the filling (tomato sauce is also available).
Because the cooks at Optimo are nothing if not overachievers, there’s also a selection of house-made baked goods to enjoy as you make your way back through the Driftless Area to Madison. Cookies are $1 apiece; the salted chocolate chip is a standout. For $3, you can get a triple-chocolate mocha brownie of Brobdingnagian proportions (ours served three).
If you’re headed to Viroqua to visit your CSA farm or canoe the Kickapoo River, stop by Optimo for a meal that was practically grown out the back door.
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