Cafe Continental
Nick Schiavo, owner of the long-lived Cafe Continental at 108 King Street, announced today via Facebook that the restaurant will be closing at the end of September. In its place comes a new restaurant, 43 North, from Chef Justin Carlisle and others involved in the Muramoto restaurant group. Carlisle is currently a chef and co-owner at The Haze BBQ, next door at 106 King Street, and was formerly a chef at Harvest.
Schiavo cites family reasons as the deciding factor in closing Cafe Continental after 25 years: "Sudden personal family reasons beyond our control have arisen that [the family] feel[s] are significant enough to bring us together more frequently to spend as much quality time with each other uninterrupted by the heavy schedules that currently limit our time together and the amount of time Tony and Rose Marie have to spend with their grand children," he writes. "This is a very difficult time for us and we feel it is best spent together."
Schiavo also thanks the restaurant's patrons: "We would be remiss not to mention that your support, especially in the last couple of years, has made us a stand out success." Some customer appreciation specials are in the works between now and the time the restaurant closes its doors.
The new 43 North, named after Madison's latitude, will join a number of other new dining spots in the space of about a block where King Street meets the Capitol Square, including King & Mane, Graze Gastropub, and the relocated L'Etoile.
