🍸 Raise a glass to Madison supper clubs

🗳️ City Clerk Placed On Leave After Ballot Error

• With the spring election coming up April 1, Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into 193 ballots that went uncounted in the November general election.
• The error has sparked an investigation by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and a class action lawsuit by the progressive firm Law Forward.
• Witzel-Behl has been the Madison City Clerk for nearly 20 years. City Attorney Michael Haas will serve as acting interim clerk. In-person absentee voting for the April election begins March 18. [Isthmus, City of Madison]

🚧 From Hot Dogs To Housing

• Work is expected to wrap up in spring 2026 for one of the city’s largest low-income housing developments on land formerly occupied by the Oscar Mayer plant.
• The two buildings at the future Huxley Yards, one for families and one for seniors, will contain a combined 553 units. Both will have restricted rents for residents making 50% to 70% of Dane County’s median income.
• Dig deeper: How will Madison get out of its housing crisis? The mayor has a plan. [ 🔒 WSJ, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🥇 Madison Woman Competes In Winter Special Olympics

• Madisonian Annie Mulligan traveled to Turin, Italy this week to represent the United States in the Special Olympics’ World Winter Games.
• Mulligan, who works at UnityPoint Health - Meriter, strapped on her snowshoes to compete in several events, including the 200-meter race and the 4x-100-meter relay race. She is also competitive in several other sports through the Special Olympics, and won a gold medal in swimming in 2022. [WKOW]

Every Wisconsin resident thinks they know what a supper club is. But ask them to define it, or tell you whether a restaurant does or doesn’t qualify, and it might spark a serious debate.

To help settle the arguments, Madison Magazine editor-in-chief Andrea Behling asked her readers to come up with a list of “essential supper club criteria.” City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin talked to Behling about what readers came up with, from wood paneling to French onion soup.

Here’s a list of Madison-area restaurants that definitely qualify for supper club status.

Tornado Steak House

Behling wrote that she knew within the first few seconds of entering this iconic restaurant that it qualified as a supper club. Hit the restaurant for a perfectly cooked ribeye or a shrimp cocktail, or crowd at the bar for the perfect martini.

Toby’s Supper Club

A step inside this far east side spot is like a trip back in time, from the complimentary relish tray and bread bowls to the cheese curds “fried until the cheese screams to escape.” The key lime pie martini is the club’s signature cocktail.

Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club

Madison’s oldest supper club has been getting headlines lately for some behind-the-scenes ownership drama. Now,back open under family ownership, the north side restaurant prides itself on traditions like bacon-wrapped steak filets and the Friday fish fry.

Rex’s Innkeeper

The Waunakee supper club has stayed in the family for decades, with son Austin Andres taking over for his late father Rex. The Innkeeper is a particular favorite for special occasion banquets and large groups, including upcoming Easter and Mother’s Day banquets.