🍕 Troy Farm brings back pizza nights

🍕 Troy Farm Pizza Nights Are Back, and The Borough Closes

• For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Troy Farm on Madison’s north side and the urban agricultural hub Rooted have brought back their pizza nights. Every Thursday through Sept. 18, the Community Support Agriculture (CSA) farm becomes an open-air pizzeria, serving up ‘za made from ingredients found at the farm and cooked in the farm’s wood-fired ovens.
• Dig deeper: Learn more about the work that Rooted does, including bringing fresh produce to underserved communities, on the City Cast Madison podcast.
• In sadder news, The Borough Beer Co. & Kitchen on Park Street closed last weekend. Co-owner Colin Smith said staffing turnover, including having seven general managers in its three years of existence, as well as issues with the city led to the decision. [ 🔒 WSJ, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🚓 Video of Sun Prairie Arrest Drawing Criticism

• Sun Prairie police say they are reviewing body-cam footage of an arrest that happened last weekend after video of the incident sparked an outcry online.
• Police say they were called Saturday after a report of a man assaulting a woman. Police said the suspect, Jerry Clark, resisted arrest, and force had to be used to take him into custody, including the use of a stun gun.
• Clark’s fiancee, Iysha Miller, told local reporters that the officers used excessive force and escalated the situation. [News 3]

☀️ Madison Solar Project Coming and EV Chargers Move Ahead

• The Madison Sewerage District and Madison Gas & Electric say a new solar project that could power 1,000 homes a year will come online in 2027. The project will be located on unused land south of Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• In addition, Dane County is moving forward on plans to install 14 new electric vehicle charging stations around the county. The county Office of Energy & Climate Change is advancing the proposed stations to preliminary design and environmental review.
• The stations are part of Charge Up Dane County, which aims to eventually install 60 to 70 stations in the county. However, long-term funding is uncertain under the Trump administration, which froze a $13.2 million grant for the project approved by the Biden administration. [WKOW, Cap Times, Dane County]

There’s just something special about getting a great meal at the same place where you pick up your dry cleaning. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin and Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians talk about their favorite strip mall restaurants throughout Madison.

We asked readers to submit their favorite strip mall spots in town. And boy, did you ever deliver! We couldn’t fit everyone’s suggestions into the podcast so here are some of our favorite responses. Thanks so much to everyone who wrote in! And check out this map of their favorites on Overlook Maps!

Oliva has amazing Mediterranean eggplant dishes and Italian (cuisine). Love their appetizer combo plate and their Turkish tea! – Joanne K.

King of Falafel on South Park Street! More of a gas station restaurant than a strip mall restaurant but it’s an amazing hole in the wall with excellent food. The owner and chef Adel Benmeftah has a great story and dedication to quality and authenticity in his food. He cares a lot about connecting with his local customers and many come on foot from the Park St neighborhood. – Kelsey E.

Nano Sweet Cafe -- best tiramisu in the city (Mineral Point Rd) – Liza D.

Amber Indian Cuisine is our favorite strip mall restaurant for dinner. Bear & Bottle would be our favorite for brunch if that counts, but that may be getting in the weeds of what we consider a strip mall location... love it though! – Rachel S.

Hot ‘n Spicy is amazing. Los Perez Supermarket has top tier tacos. – Dan F.

My husband Mark and I have three favorite restaurants that both happen to be in strip malls. The first is North & South in the Clock Tower strip mall on the corner of Mineral Point Road and Grand Canyon Drive. We love the vibe of it being a "neighborhood" bar and grill with lots of good smoked barbeque items.

The second is Oliva in the Alisha Ashman Library strip mall. It has a quiet genteel vibe with great Italian and Mediterranean food.

The third is Luigi's in the Sequoya Library conclave. It's small, with a limited menu, but great pizza and lasagna and definitely has a neighborhood feel to it, as if, if you didn't know the neighborhood, you wouldn't know it was there. – Peggy W.

Meze in Sun Prairie - some of the best Mediterranean flavors in the area in a tiny, unassuming space in a Main Street strip mall! – Kelly K.

One of the perks of becoming a City Cast Madison Neighbor is that our members get the chance to shout out something in Madison that means a lot to them, be it a business, a nonprofit, an event or some other cool thing. This week, our Neighbors have good local food on their minds!

📣 Harrison W. wanted to shout out Taco Madre on Atwood Ave.! “Delicious tacos, great guacamole, and friendly staff in the old Daisy’s Cupcake Cafe.”

📣 Dan F. wanted to give props to “Jared and the whole crew at Broken Board Coffee. The coffee and creative drinks are first rate and always fresh (coffee is a crop) and the conversation is always lively.”

📣 Jeff H. is a big fan of Bavaria Sausage in Fitchburg, which “provides a large variety of authentic German meats and products. This unique shop was one of our first draws to Madison. We appreciate that the newer owners have refreshed the shop.”

If you want to shout out the places that make Madison meaningful to you, become a City Cast Madison Neighbor! A big welcome to our newest member, Daniel V.! Looking forward to hearing your shoutout, Daniel!