Carolyn Fath Ashby
There’s a new cheese shop headed to State Street. The Wisconsin Cheese Mart will take over 119 State St., formerly the Red Elephant chocolate shop.
“We’re all Wisconsin cheese,” says owner Kenneth McNulty. “That’s all we do.” There will be more than 300 varieties of Wisconsin-made cheese in 24 feet of refrigerated space. “You will see a wall of cheese,” says McNulty.
In addition to selling blocks of cheese, the new store will have a six-person bar and an eat-in table for 20, “mostly for tastings and beer and cheese pairings,” says McNulty. The proposed menu will feature Wisconsin cheese boards, curds, soft pretzels, a half-dozen specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and Usinger’s bratwurst.
Nomad World Pub at 418 E. Wilson St., is likely to be headed to the former Brickhouse BBQ at 408 W. Gorham St. Nomad, a soccer pub, has not found the former Cardinal Bar space to be a good fit, says owner Mike Eitel: “It’s the wrong location for the concept.” He thinks Nomad would benefit from having outdoor space (the Gorham building has a rooftop patio) and needs a full kitchen, especially for its weekend match day breakfasts when folks show up to watch European games as early as 6 a.m. While the lease for the new digs has not been finalized, Eitel has applied for a liquor license there. The new Nomad could be open by mid-August, says Eitel. The Wilson Street location will likely remain open as Eitel thinks up a new concept for the bar. Can we have The Cardinal back?
Game Day Madison will be bringing a novel lure to the second story at 508 State St.: golf simulators. In addition to four “open bay” golf simulators (for groups of four to eight), there will be a private room simulator as well as a bar and restaurant area, says co-owner Colin Smith. The menu focuses on appetizers, sandwiches — “golf clubhouse food, but more upscale,” says Smith; the room will have an “upscale country club look.” He is also looking into installing a chair lift to make the second floor accessible; the building, which dates from the 1890s, does not have an elevator.
The simulators are Full Swing, “the same ones Tiger Woods or Jordan Spieth would use,” Smith says. Clubs will be provided. The simulator makes it possible to play 88 different PGA courses. Or hockey. Or Zombie Dodgeball, for that matter. “We’re hoping to attract students, professionals, families,” says Smith, for fun — and also, over the long winter, real golf practice. Smith is excited that Game Day will offer a way for students to “hang out without focusing solely on alcohol consumption.”
Now open: 107 State, a New American-style restaurant at 107 State Street.
