Paulius Musteikis
Sujeo
Madison dining seems to be heading for new territory, and that territory is (envelope please...) East Washington Avenue.
Not the part of East Washington Avenue out near I-39/90, where the parking lots of the Olive Garden and Red Lobster, et al., always seem to be jammed. No, we're talking about that no man's land between the High Noon Saloon and the Avenue Bar.
Star Bar and Cargo Coffee opened in the new Constellation building earlier this year, but it was the fall debut of Tory Miller's Korean fusion Sujeo that made the 700 block of East Wash a destination.
But it's more than Sujeo. Another mega-apartment with ground floor retail (to include a grocery store) broke ground in the 800 block this fall. Julep and Barolo Winebar will be opening soon on the other side of the 800 block. And with new projects inevitable at the defunct Mautz Paint and Madison Dairy, this area looks like a best bet for a new restaurant row.
Heck, even the long-vacant 1344 E. Washington Ave. (formerly Fyfe's Corner Bistro) is being prepped to house another Pasqual's. With a new Salvatore's Tomato Pies taking over Madtown Pizza at 912 E. Johnson St., and Forequarter and Old Sugar Distillery very nearby, this area is poised to become as significant a draw as the Square, Williamson Street, Atwood Avenue or Monroe Street.
In the meantime, State Street's cool factor is dissipating, even though there's still no difficulty grabbing a bite to eat there. Another Tory Miller project, a tapas bar headed for the Ovation building just off State, may be what's needed to bring the balance back.
Off the beaten path
Other restaurateurs are embracing less obvious sites. The rejuvenation of the venerable Tip Top Tavern at the intersection of North Street and Commercial Avenue brought new cachet to the Eken Park neighborhood. Manna Cafe, another draw for near-north dining, expanded to dinner service last spring.
The Blowin' Smoke Barbecue cart opened a brick-and-mortar spot tucked away on a less-than-obvious side street in growing Waunakee.
Oliver's Public House, a craft cocktail/local purveyor-centric pub, brought new attention to the cul-de-sac end of "old" University Avenue, even as New Seoul decamped from that block to the Sauk Point shopping center.
Bunky's Deli, in a strip mall on Hwy. M in the town of Westport, closed, although its storefront is slated to be occupied by a new brewpub, the Parched Eagle. If Westport can sustain a nanobrewery, this truly is a new age.
On the other hand, Madison's oddest restaurant space -- the coat closet of the Cardinal Bar -- saw its second Latin American restaurant get rave reviews and then close, as La Taguara's window service ended as cold weather set in. (The original La Taguara remains open on East Washington.)
Centrally located
Cento provided a fresh approach to Italian near the Overture Center, while Rare Steakhouse offered dry-aged steaks on the Square. Rare took over space formerly occupied by Mirch Masala, which moved to 449 State, formerly Redamte Coffee House, which closed in June.
Quirky State Street favorite Dobra Tea closed, replaced by a chain new to the area, Firehouse Subs. A second Firehouse location opened on Emil Street. Which Wich, another new sub chain, opened at 411 State St. (along with Middleton and Sun Prairie locations).
Short Stack Eatery opened, quickly erasing bad memories of T. Sushi/Chi Asian-Infused. Short Stack wins for this year's craziest hours: 7 a.m. Thursday-11 p.m. Sunday, continuous. (Not that we are actually handing out awards.)
Kabul, the Afghani-Mediterranean restaurant displaced in the construction of the Hub apartments, reopened on the second floor of the former Gino's in August. Palmyra Mediterranean Grill made the old Yellow Jersey bike shop into restaurant space, as Mad City Frites did with the old Shakti bookstore. Myles Teddywedgers Cornish Pasty got new owners, who renovated the shop and brought back some of the original pasty recipes from the original Myles. The Red Rock Saloon opened in the former Logan's Madtown.
O.S.S., featuring a raft of inventive sausages, opened its doors on Regent Street. Vientiane Palace on Regent closed, replaced by noodle shop Hong Kong Station. Taco Bros. replaced the Taco Shop on University. Bluephies Downtown Deli, Electric Earth Cafe and Viet Bistro all closed.
Points east and north
Williamson Street suffered a net loss: Two tropical favorites, Cafe Costa Rica and Jolly Bob's, closed. Atwood Avenue was also quiet after several years of growth -- although Monsoon Siam opened in the former Surge sandwich shop.
Crandall's took over the East Side Club's Friday fish fry. On Monona Drive, Rosie's Coffee Bar and Bakery opened in the old Kim's Noodles. Swad Indian opened next to La Rosita Grocery, while Salad Creations, in the same strip, closed.
Papa Bear's Barbecue, one of the few walkable options for the Elvehjem/Heritage Heights neighborhoods, closed. Mad City Diner opened in the former Blooming Grove Family Restaurant -- and closed. Mexican buffet Happy Grill closed, with a Harold's Chicken Shack soon to replace it. La Zacatecana became Don Pepe and then closed altogether. La Nena closed, and the Mexican bakery Pan & Pan moved in.
Doolittles Woodfire Grill opened at East Towne. And in the far east Target/Costco sprawl, new outposts of Wisconsin Dells casual restaurants MACS Macaroni and Cheese Shop and Monk's have opened.
And Brat und Brau closed in the Northside Town Center.
South, and south of the (Madison) border
On Park Street, Asian Sweet Bakery opened, and King of Falafel branched out with a carryout service at the Amstar gas station.
We lost two soul food restaurants: JB's Eat-a-Bite BBQ and the redoubtable Melly Mell's (still open for catering.) Mabuhay, Madison's only Filipino restaurant, also closed.
In Fitchburg, Veranda Restaurant & Wine Bar, the last representative of the Schiavo family's restaurants, closed. Chimmie's, a South American-style sub shop, opened and closed -- though new operators are prepping to reopen it in the new year. Next door at 3050 Cahill Main, the new Sabores Michoacanos serves ice cream and savory snacks.
Craft beer pub the Flying Hound opened on McKee Road, while Namio's Sports Pub on Seminole became Funk's. Haveli Indian moved into part of the old Fitch's.
Heading west
A Great Harvest Bread returned to Madison, this time at Shorewood Shopping Center. Fuzzy's Tacos closed on University and Fitchburg's Curry in the Box opened a second location there.
Bonefish Grill and Jason's Deli came to West Towne, U Like Asian Buffet and VIP Asian to Odana Road. U Like, unliked, closed.
Pasta Nuovo closed at 1900 Cayuga St., a location that has had difficulty retaining eateries; a third Takara opened there in mid-December.
TGI Friday's on Deming Way closed, and so did Greenway Station's Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Brews Brothers, a craft beer pub, opened on Junction Road in Middleton, opened a second location in Verona, and changed its name to Mr. Brews Taphouse. A downtown branch is now in the works for 2015. A banner year.
