Meal Plan: Lulu

In Meal Plan, The A.V. Club plays the part of your foodie friend, telling you what to order at area restaurants. This week, we plot out your meal at Lulu (2261 and 2265 S. Howell Ave., 414-294-5858).

To start off: Olive tapenade ($6.25)
Most of the appetizers at Lulu could pass for full-fledged meals, particularly the selection of house-made ciabatta pizzas. Then there’s the delectable olive tapenade, which comes with enough bread to fill several diners up for the night. So make sure to apply a heaping helping of spreadable, salty goodness on as few pieces as possible. You’ll be rewarded with an invigorating mouthful of ground-up Kalamata olives.

Main course: Santa Fe Cheddar Melt ($8.25)
Lulu is a place for noshing, not pigging out, so come prepared to enjoy a glass (or several) of red wine and a light but thoroughly satisfying meal. In lieu of ordering the special, which is almost always worth checking out on the chalkboard to your left as you walk in, there are a multitude of delicious sandwiches to choose from on the menu. Whether you go with a burger, pita, melt, or one of the “baguettes and buns” options, it’s hard to go wrong at Lulu. But one of our favorites is the Santa Fe Cheddar Melt, which tops cheddar cheese with avocado, tomatoes, red onions, bacon, and tangy jalapeno oil on toasted sourdough bread. Like most Lulu sandwiches, the Santa Fe Cheddar Melt is filling without being heavy, and incredibly tasty despite a seemingly simple formula. As with every sandwich at Lulu, you’ll get your choice of two sides: Asian slaw, which consists of cabbage mixed with carrots, scallions, peanuts, and ramen noodles; and Lulu potato chips served with tremendously zesty bleu cheese sauce. Fortunately, Lulu gives you the option of having a bit of both.

Wash it down: Mango-peach sangria ($5)
The wine and beer list at Lulu is extensive enough to cater to most tastes, but if you’re looking for something a little different, go with a specialty drink like the mango-peach sangria, a sweet and sassy beverage that can serve both as a drinkable dessert and a prelude to a fun, possibly woozy night on the town.