Carolyn Fath
Chef-owner Shinji Muramoto
Restaurant Muramoto is moving a block up from its current home at 225 King St., to 108 King St., the space that was most recently home to 43 North (also owned by Muramoto). Then it will be rebranded as Muramoto Downtown, while sister restaurant Sushi Muramoto, located at Hilldale, will change its name to Muramoto Hilldale.
Chef-owner Shinji Muramoto opened his first restaurant at 106 King Street in 2004.
In that space (now empty due to Red Sushi’s recent move to West Washington Avenue), veteran Muramoto chef Matt Morris and his wife Francesca Hong (once of 43 North) will open Morris Ramen, a traditional ramen shop. Muramoto Downtown and Morris Ramen are both tentatively scheduled to open in November.
More Latin food on the east side
La Taguara is now open at 827 E. Johnson St., once home to the Spot, a neighborhood bistro that closed in April.
The Venezuelan and Latin American restaurant is a sister to the La Taguara on East Washington Avenue. The new location serves the same dishes, has indoor and outdoor seating, takeout and delivery. Unlike the Spot, La Taguara won’t have a full bar, but a selection of Central and South American beers will be available, as well as wine.
The Madison Common Council has approved a liquor license for Fuegos Tacos and Tapas, slated to open in November. Fuegos bills itself as a Spanish-style steakhouse with ample vegan selections on its Latin-inspired menu. It’s expected to open in the new mixed-use building at 904 Williamson St. this November.
The license comes with a host of conditions added to gain the support of the Marquette Neighborhood Association. Fuegos must meet the legal definition of a restaurant (majority of sales must come from food.) Alcohol can’t be served after 10 p.m. on weekdays or 11 p.m. on weekends. The restaurant’s outdoor patio can seat only 12 patrons and must close at 9 p.m. on weekdays, 10 p.m. on weekends. No live or amplified music will be allowed on the patio. Fuegos will also be prohibited from 24-hour production of food or use of exhaust hoods — a nod to the ongoing dispute neighbors are having with That BBQ Joint, which smokes its own meat, directly across the street.
Hello, Cambodian food!
Madison will soon have the state’s first restaurant serving primarily Cambodian (aka Khmer) cuisine. Angkor Wat, Khmer and Thai Cuisine, 602 S. Park St., is slated to open this month in the former home of Inka Heritage, which served its last Peruvian dish in September.
Cambodian food is similar to cuisine from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam. But the use of chilies — a New World ingredient introduced to the region in the 16th century by Spain and Portugal — never caught on in Cambodia. Khmer cuisine also tends to shy away from sugar and coconut milk and cream.
