- Mike Sula
- A fungal mother-in-law, River Valley Farmer’s Table
Maybe you’ve visited the River Valley Ranch and Kitchens farm store in Burlington, Wisconsin, not far from the Illinois border—but if not, that’s too bad, because it’s a wonderland of edible fungi: fresh, pickled, dried, and deployed in soups, salads, spreads, pasta sauces, salsas, and dips. It’s more likely you’ve run across their stands at farmers’ markets all over the city, pretty much every day of the week during the summer. But what are you gonna do in the middle of January when you need a fresh bag of shiitakes and a jar of their nearly narcotic Spicy 5-Cheese Garlic Spread?
River Valley’s mushroom MIL is an impressive sight to behold. It’s two deep-fried house-made tamales—mushroom and kale stuffed on my visit—set upon two slices of the house mushroom baguette, topped with the house portobello chili, onions, and the 5-cheese Garlic Spread. On their own, all of these are tasty. The chili is chunky and packs some heat. The baguette is chewy and dense, and the deep-fried tamales are crispy and light. Unfortunately, the bisected baguette can’t hold the package together like a good old hot dog bun could—and it certainly couldn’t handle a more appropriately generous application of chili. Sadly, the mushroom mother-in-law is something less than the sum of its pretty admirable parts. But this development bodes well for the profile of the humble south-side snack. If just one more bar or restaurant puts an upscale mother-in-law on the menu it’s a trend.
