Sisu Café Adds Nordic Flair to Creative Entrées

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Thousands of immigrants from northern Europe settled in Wisconsin during the mid- to-late 1800s, and thus, Nordic restaurants, along with foods like lefse and traditions like fish boils, dot the state’s landscape. Sisu Café (2121 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), which opened this past July, is one of our newest Nordic eateries. Sisu, a Finnish term for determination and tenacity, is the latest venture of Francisco “Frankie” Sanchez and Ruben Piirainen, owners of the popular Sabrosa Café & Gallery, also in Bay View. Piirainen is Finnish.

(Fun fact: The terms Nordic and Scandinavian are sometimes used interchangeably, but most scholars concur the Nordic Region encompasses Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Faroe Islands, while the Scandinavian region refers to only Sweden, Norway and Denmark.)

Breakfast, Lunch and Beyond

When Sisu Café first opened, it had a breakfast and lunch concept with a limited menu of Finnish-inspired fare, coffee and espresso drinks, and a bakery case with Finnish pastries. In November, the bakery case was removed to make way for a bar as part of Sisu’s nighttime transition to a steakhouse, which operates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

For those seeking a hip breakfast and lunch spot with Nordic flair, fear not—Sisu Café still has breakfast and lunch specials. The café is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most items on the breakfast menu are comfortingly familiar, such as pancakes and egg dishes, the Avocado Smash Up and Chorizo Breakfast Burrito. The Icelandic Yogurt Bowl is one of the breakfast items that comes with pastry.

Nordic inspired specialties highlight the lunch menu. As a fan of both potato and zucchini pancakes, I was intrigued to see that another vegetable was available in pancake form on Sisu’s menu: Danish Cauliflower Pancakes. My mind was immediately made up.

My order included two large savory pancakes made with finely chopped cauliflower, carrots, green onion and parmesan cheese. They were served on a bed of greens with lingonberry sauce on the side. The pancakes were nicely browned, and softer on the inside. The classic, subtle flavors of the ingredients complemented each other nicely.

I ate one pancake plain and the other one drizzled with lingonberry sauce. Lingonberries are small, tart berries with a hint of sweetness. In sauce form, they add a pop of flavor to both savory or sweet dishes, much like cranberries or currants.

The versatile lingonberry sauce appears alongside other menu items, such as kaalikääryleet, a Finnish style ground beef cabbage roll. The savulohi ruisleipä is a smoked salmon plate with cucumbers, pickles, mixed greens, cream cheese, capers and tomatoes, in a dill cream sauce. It’s served with a French roll and rye bread. Other lunch specialties are the Swedish meatball sandwich, and a beef pasty. A sandwich selection includes choices such as the Café Burger, Sisu Club or Ham and Cheese Panini.

Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., Sisu Café transitions from a cheery café to a classy steakhouse, with white tablecloths, draped curtains and dim lighting. Out comes a carefully curated wine selection and cocktails such as the Finnish lonkero, a gin-based cocktail starring lingonberry juice. Appetizers and salads feature Nordic touches like leipäjuusto (cheese made from cow’s milk that has been recently calved).

Diners can choose from one of three locally sourced Choice Angus steaks: ribeye, porterhouse or bacon-wrapped tenderloin. Salmon, chicken, lingonberry and roasted apple pork chop, and the vegetarian portabella parmesan risotto are the featured entrées. There’s a menu of specialty sides to choose from. New is the Friday fish fry, featuring beer battered walleye.

For more information, visit sisucafe.com.