Acidulé Tartine
e ssential dining
La Kitchenette
by Anna Thomas Bates
Cozy La Kitchenette is tucked into a small brick building at 805 Williamson Street. Here you’ll find comforting French dishes, like beef bourguignon, onion soup with gooey cheese, buckwheat crepes, and lavender crème brûlée. Brightly colored
chairs dot the small dining room, and a wall-sized chalkboard displays the menu and specials. Warm lights hang from heavy rope, and weathered wood encases the front counter. The restaurant is so small, guests are treated to enticing
aromas from the kitchen the second they walk in. Owner Virginie Ok moved to Madison from France in early 2016 with the intention of opening her own restaurant. She began helping in the kitchen at Chez Nanou while she searched for the perfect location. Anne-Marie Rieunier, owner of Chez Nanou, decided to retire, and Virginie was ready to take over the space. After an interior makeover adding brightness and color to better reflect Virginie’s style, La Kitchenette opened in September, a mere six months after she arrived in Wisconsin. Virginie was born and raised in France by her Cambodian parents. As a child, when all of her cousins would play outside, she chose to be in the kitchen listening to her mom, aunts, and grandmother talking and gossiping while she watched them cook. “My mom learned how to cook French, but she was
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