Uptowne Cafe & Bakery: Texas Born Architect, Chef, City Planner, Lover of Food and Family

I love the little I know about chef Adrian. Texas born architect, chef, city planner, lover of food and family. I will gladly eat her food not just because it’s to support our local peeps but because it’s an amazing treat to have a place like this in La Crosse.
Abram Dyke

Eater of Food, Drinker of Drinks

The Uptowne Cafe & Bakery came out of nowhere for me. I am a southside guy and typically I got enough food zones to juggle but after hearing a lot about Chef Adrian and her missions I was intrigued.  She has cooked at the James Beard House two fricken times and also has started a fundraiser, 40 Acres And A Mule Project that has garnered more national attention for this little town we call home. The mission is one of knowledge, education, and perseverance. With this project, she can create a path for black people to regain what was lost by years of discrimination and preserve a food pathway that has been chipped away at for years. I love that the goal is to educate and to offer an opportunity to those that deserve it. She is an architect, city planner, and mama juggles a lot of balls and still is a master of marvel in the kitchen.

They also have a series called A Chefs’ Story Presents. This one on May 25th is Mashama Bailey. She was featured in the Netflix series Chefs’ table. Mashama has been making waves in the southern cuisine scene since she opened up The Grey. This event allows you to cook along on a three-course meal with her and Chef Adrian with some good conversation with world-class chefs.

The crew at Uptowne Cafe & Bakery are awesome and I do what I normally do. That is to ask what they recommend.   The Brussels Bowl is a top seller but I have had a surprising amount of brussels this season. I went with the second option.

Southwest Bowl with Nashville Hot Chicken

This is a bowl that pleases my bowels. I would smoke one of these daily if I could. The crunchy sweet heat of the chicken pairs well with the filling bed of corn black beans, green peppers, onion, and rice. It came with a smoky chipotle sourcream that I would spread over pert near anything and it would make it better. This dish was picturesque from the container, just a great work of hearty art.

The Turkey

Sliced turkey, swiss cheese, baby spinach, house cranberry sauce, bacon jam. My partner ordered this and got it without the cranberry sauce and the bacon jam on the side. She uses a bit more caution in her food escapades. I wish I would have asked them to put both on the side so I could try but alas no. Needless to say even without the sauce it was really good, a nice crisp crust that gave way to a warm center of all the nice melty bits in the middle. The part that I was blown away by was the bacon jam, sweet and savory is probably my favorite combo and even though my partner didn’t use it all for some weird reason I fingered that ramekin dry.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This was a spur of the moment buy as I had watched them just unload the hot pan from the oven. They do a wee sprinkle of salt which I eat side up to allow the dark chips to be tasted before getting a salt shot of flavor at the end. It was the spectrum of what every cookie should be, crunch on the rim, soft under the crust, and gooey chocolate chips. It can bend before it breaks and that to me is the sweet spot.

Beignets

I fricken love these and with the lemon curd it just is amazing. The texture is so great.  Light crunchy pillows that just melt in your mouth.The lemon curd it comes with is an amazing addition to this cult classic.  If you haven’t had one before I recommend trying it. It to me is a lighter donut but served warm and fresh.

I love the little I know about chef Adrian. Texas born architect, chef, city planner, lover of food and family. I will gladly eat her food not just because it’s to support our local peeps but because it’s an amazing treat to have a place like this in La Crosse. The food’s top tier, the mission is great, and all I need to do is eat amazing food. Hell ya.

Abram Dyke

Abram Dyke

Foodie

Hey I'm Abram, a La Crosse towny. I am a person who is always curious. I love food, geology, hiking, biking and drinks of all kinds. I plan on learning more and more about a lot of different things. In my free time I like eating, cooking, gaming, and hiking.
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