Work is currently being done to transform the former Stone Creek coffee on East Washington Avenue to a second location for Grace Coffee. The art is by Madison's Julie Vornholt.
Grace Coffee, which opened in the former Sacred Feather at 417 State St. in late spring, is already opening a second location. Owner Carlos Falcon confirms that he will be taking over the former Stone Creek Coffee space at 1216 E. Washington Ave., which closed at the end of June. “It’s been a quick process,” says Falcon, who hopes to have the new location open by Nov. 20.
The space is “three to four times the size of the State Street location,” says Falcon, and he has big plans. The new location will have a full kitchen, and he will be applying for a liquor license for a large selection of beer, “espresso-based and brunch cocktails.” He’s also bringing in a rare and pricey hand-crafted Slayer espresso machine. As at the State Street location, Falcon will brew with beans from Portland-based Heart Coffee Roasters as well as from Onyx Coffee Lab.
Shake Shack is heading to Hilldale sometime in 2020. The New York hamburger chain, founded by chef Danny Meyer in 2004, features burgers made from 100 percent Angus beef with no hormones or antibiotics. Also on the menu: a fried chicken sandwich and hot dogs, including a Chicago dog, and premium custard and shakes. Shake Shack’s custard contains real sugar, no corn syrup.
The famed burger patties are thin, smashed into the griddled and fried so there’s a crisp crust. French fries are crinkle cut. Sound familiar? Shake Shack headliners resemble local chain Culver’s, although the Wisconsin chain uses a “special blend of three cuts of beef: sirloin, chuck and plate” in its burgers, and includes corn syrup as an ingredient in its custard (as well as sugar).
Many Shake Shacks serve beer and wine. Shake Shack did not return a call asking if this would be true for the Hilldale location.
Hilldale spokesperson Kate Hagen says she does not know the timeline for the opening. Shake Shack will occupy the former site of Cafe Porta Alba, which closed Oct. 19.
The Winnebago, 2262 Winnebago St., will be changing its name. Co-owners John and Jake DeHaven announced via the cafe’s website that although they had chosen the name because of the cafe’s location, they had come to realize that “Winnebago” was an unfair appropriation of the name of a Native American people “and we had no right to use their name.” The DeHavens apologized “to the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, and indigenous populations as a whole for our participation in the continuing appropriation of their cultures and names.” The change will take place in January. No new name has yet been chosen.
