Cancel the wake. "The Cardinal Bar will live," says Ricardo Gonzalez. As of Tuesday morning, the erstwhile proprietor of the landmark Madison nightspot is once again at the helm -- and expressing grand ambitions for returning the Cardinal to its glory days as a dance bar.
The trick, they tell me, is to form the tango connection. I learned that much when I studied tango one evening with the Madison Tango Society. The tango connection has to do with how the man and the woman -- or, in dance-class parlance, the lead and the follow -- hold each other. "The follow tends to push out a lot," said society co-founder Steven Fosdal. The pushing creates a certain tension, so that when the two dance, they move practically as one body.
Each year around this time, Isthmus readers pool their collective wisdom by voting in our Madison's Favorites poll. The nightlife rankings fascinate everyone, from eager newcomers to jaded old-timers.