🍝 Is it time to say ciao to Porta Bella?

🚌 Bus Drivers, City Close to Deal

• Over eight months after their last contract with the city of Madison expired, Metro Transit bus drivers may be close to a new deal.
• Teamsters Local 120, which represents the drivers, released a tentative contract that includes a 3% pay raise on par with other city employees and paid leave for workers assaulted on the job. That provision comes after a spike in bad behavior on Madison buses this year. [ 🔒WSJ ]

🍝 Porta Bella May Be Casualty of New Apartment Building

• A proposed 16-story apartment building for students on Gilman Street would require the demolition of Porta Bella, one of Madison’s oldest restuarants.
• Porta Bella has been at the same location on N. Frances St. since 1967, and is a throwback to an earlier era in dining, with upholstered booths and chicken parmesan on the menu. Co-owner Wally Borowski told the Wisconsin State Journal he has been approached by a buyer but declined to discuss further.
• Austin-based Villas Student Housing wants to build a 115-unit building with a top-floor fitness center and rooftop pool. The project follows another proposed 16-story student apartment building that went before the Urban Design Commission last week. [ 🔒 WSJ]

🏗️ Proposal Would Raise Height Limits To Encourage Housing

• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway unveiled new initiatives that would encourage new forms of housing and loosen zoning requirements. A majority of Madison City Council members say they support the measures, which include allowing two accessory dwelling units in a detached building, increasing the maximum allowed height for some multi-family structures, and reducing lot sizes for residential homes.
• The changes will come before the council at its Sept. 16 meeting. More proposed changes are coming in October, including allowing “cottage court” developments, in which several small homes are clustered around a common space. [City of Madison]

Fall is here, and along with the flannel shirts and maple lattes comes an uptick in colds and other seasonal illnesses. Everybody has their favorite home remedies, but sometimes it’s our favorite comfort food and drinks that give us as much emotional support as medical.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians about the best things to drink and eat in Madison when you’re under the weather.

For me, there’s nothing like a big steaming bowl of ramen to chase away the cold-weather blues. Here are some of Madison’s best ramen spots.

Check them out on Overlook Maps!

Strings Ramen

The Madison outpost of this celebrated Chicago ramen chain features ramen from different regions of Japan and China. If you’re looking for a shock to the system, try the ultra-spicy Monster Hell Ramen Challenge, where you get a $50 gift certificate and a T-shirt if you can finish the bowl in 20 minutes.

Trio Ramen

This popular Middleton spot aims to be inviting to all members of the family, with handmade noodles and vegan and gluten-free ramen for diners with dietary needs.

Zen Ramen

This east side restaurant on Cottage Grove Road is committed to authentic Japanese ramen, but does through in some fun twists, including a house special that appeals to American’s love of fried food by combining pork broth and fried chicken.

Izakaya Kuroyama

This State Street bar evokes the vibe and the flavors of a late-night izakaya bar in Japan. The ramen offerings on their menu include tonkotsu ramen and spicy sapporo miso ramen.