💥 Gov. Evers puts Madison on blast

🧑‍🍳 Madison Chefs and Mixologists Up For James Beard Awards

• Semifinalists for this year’s prestigious James Beard Awards include a Madison bar, a chef, and a craft cocktail expert.
• Public Parking, a bar on Johnson Street that was recently named one of the country’s Best New Bars by Bon Appetit magazine, is a semifinalist for Best New Bar. Kasey Lee Cooke, executive chef of Mint Mark, is up for Best Chef: Midwest. And Hastings Cameron, who owns the Imaginary Factory cocktail bar, is a semifinalist for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. The award winners are announced in June.
• 🎧 Let’s dish! On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians about these local culinary heroes and the other Madisonians who have gotten James Beard Nods. [Cap Times, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

👋 GOP Candidate Josh Schoemann Drops Out of Gov Race

• One day after President Donald Trump endorsed Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany's gubernatorial bid, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann announced he was leaving the race.
• That leaves only Andrew Manske, a medical service technician from Franklin, as Tiffany’s sole competitor for the GOP nomination. By comparison, 10 candidates are running in the Democratic primary.
• When asked about Schoemann’s departure, Wisconsin Dems spokesman Emily Stuckey had a succinct response: “Who?” [ 🔒WSJ]

🏗️ 8-Story Hotel Okayed For Long-Vacant Downtown Spot

• That stretch of Wisconsin Avenue between West Dayton and West Johnson Streets that has been empty for years may finally be filled. The Madison City Council approved construction of an eight-story Drury Plaza Hotel at that location.
• The land was originally part of the downtown Madison College campus, but the college’s atrium and parking lot were torn down in 2020 to make way for another project by the same developer.
• That project was abandoned, and the prominent parcel of land has been vacant ever since. Construction on the hotel could start later this year. [🔒WSJ]

🗳️ Evers Puts Madison on Blast Over Absentee Ballot Lawsuit

• Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is normally in alignment with Madison’s city government. But recently, he sharply criticized the city for claiming that absentee voting is a privilege rather than a right in its defense of a recent lawsuit.
• The Madison City Clerk’s office is being sued by progressive law firm Law Forward in a class action suit on behalf of 193 voters whose absentee ballots were accidentally uncounted in the 2024 election. City attorneys pointed to a Wisconsin law that calls absentee voting a privilege, and therefore the citizens’ right to vote was not denied and the case should be thrown out.
• Evers filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs, saying that argument could lead to situations where absentee voters are treated as “second-class citizens.” [WPR]

Each month, we run down the best new restaurants in the Madison area that have either opened or announced plans to open in the near future. If you know of any that we missed, drop us a line at [email protected].

Himali Chulo (State Street)

Himal Chuli is gone. Long live Himali Chulo! The grandson of the founders of the legendary State Street Nepali restaurant is planning to reopen the spot in February with a slightly different name, similar menu, and many of the same employees.

Wish Upon a Wiener (Stoughton)

Gourmet hot dogs used to be all the rage in Madison with spots like O.S.S. Madison, and this Stoughton pop-up aims to keep that spirit alive. Can’t wait to try the PB&J-inspired The Teacher’s Pet.

Tall Grass (State Street)

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is getting a new restaurant from Ho-Chunk chef Elena Terry, who plans to turn the former gift shop space into a cafe with homemade soups and pastries, with an eye towards dinner service down the road. The opening date is as hazy as an impressionist painting, but Terry is thinking late spring or early summer.

Jinx Coffee (Sun Prairie)

What started as a coffee truck serving commuters on University Avenue has now become a charming coffee shop in Sun Prairie, with the shop’s namesake cat watching over the customers.

Eloura (Capitol Square)

Fresh off the success of their Indian-Italian fusion restaurant Zafferano Ristorante, the owners are planning to open a Mediterranean-East Asian restaurant on the Square in February.

Ba Lao (Willy Street)

Ahan said its new bar and snacks restaurant on Willy Street will open in February, the perfect spot to get a boba tea and a sandwich to go during the day, or relax with a cocktail at night.

Cold weather got you down? Warm your insides with good vibes from our City Cast Madison Neighbors! Our members get the chance to share Neighborhood Shoutouts, highlighting something that makes the city a little better, whether it’s a nonprofit doing good work, a locally-owned business bringing the community together, or just a darn cool thing.

📣 Ben R. wants to shout out his friend Shauna Jungdahl at Amalgam Improv! “Shauna has been leading fun and welcoming femme-identifying improv jams with Amalgam Improv. Shauna is helping to diversify the improv community in Madison.”

📣 Lisa C. wants to celebrate the Transformation Center! “It’s the west side's un-gym! If you're looking for a supportive community to get fit and find connection with great trainers and new friends, the TC is for you!”

📣 Andy A. wants to invite you to Arts + Literature Laboratory! “I volunteer there, so I’m biased, but I often think about how lucky we are to have it in Madison. There’s always something hip happening there. Have you visited yet? Check it out!”

I’m sure there’s something great about Madison that you want to share with the city. Become a City Cast Madison Neighbor and you can send Neighborhood Shoutouts too!