🌹 Olbrich Gardens wants to grow

🌹 Olbrich Gardens Plans To Update and Expand

• As attendance at Olbrich Botanical Gardens continues to grow, officials are looking at ways to update and expand, including upgrading its aging visitors’ center and adding additional parking.
• Olbrich director Tanya Zastrow said the visitors center was built in the 1970s to handle 150,000 visitors per year and annual attendance now doubles that. Olbrich is in the middle of a nine-month design process and is holding public input sessions this spring. Ideas on the table include expanded children’s play areas, art installations, and additional garden and meeting spaces.
• The second public workshop is March 17, and residents can review final plans on May 20. [Isthmus]

🐷 Pink Heifer BBQ Saloon Brings the Heat to State Street

• A new barbecue restaurant opened Tuesday in a former Summit Credit Union location at 567 State St., offering such Texas specialties as smoked prime brisket and mac and cheese bowls. This is the second location for Pink Heifer BBQ Saloon, a pared-down fast-casual version of its flagship location in Monticello, and the owners hope to add more locations in Madison and Milwaukee.
• In Fitchburg, Fairway Lounge opened this week in the former Benvenuto’s Italian Grill location on Triverton Pike Drive. When golfers are done playing a round on the lounge’s indoor golf simulators, they can enjoy Salvatore’s pizza and drinks from a full bar.
• In Middleton, Altim Bakery & Sandwich Shop has opened on University Avenue, offering Eastern European fare like blinchiki crepes, lamb kebab, and honey cake. The owner, who goes by “Chef Natalia,” is a Russian refugee who started the business as a catering company with the help of Jewish Social Services of Madison’s Tables Across Borders program. [Channel 3000, Fairway Lounge, Uber Eats, Madison Magazine]

🚨 Madison Sees Drop in Violent and Property Crimes

• Madison Police say that the city experienced a decrease in certain crimes in 2025 compared to recent years, including a 16% drop in burglaries, a 24% drop in stolen vehicles, and a 23% drop in thefts from cars compared to 2024.
• Madison Police Chief John Patterson credited his department’s community outreach efforts and data-driven policing strategies, which he said allows police to deploy resources more effectively.
• Madison is seeing a spike in auto thefts in the first two months of 2026, mostly on the city's east and north sides.
• 🎧 Dig deeper: Get to know Madison's new police chief and his priorities for our city's police department. [City of Madison, City Cast Madison]

A half-century ago, Odessa Piper opened L’Etoile at 25 N. Pinckney St. on the Capitol Square. Fittingly located across the street from the Dane County Farmers’ Market, L’Etoile quickly became the nucleus of the Midwest farm-to-table movement, putting the locally-sourced ingredients used in its dishes front and center.

Piper sold L’Etoile in 2005 to its current owner, Tory Miller. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Piper and Miller together about how they are celebrating the restaurant’s lasting legacy.

As the restaurants celebrates its golden anniversary with special events, such as a dinner on March 31 featuring James Beard Award-winning chefs from the Milwaukee area, here’s what you need to know about L’Etoile past and present.

The Roots of Farm-To-Table Dining

Piper was drawn to move to Wisconsin by the organic farms that proliferated in the late 1960s. In 1972 (the same year the Dane County Farmers’ Market opened), she helped open Ovens of Brittany, a celebrated restaurant that sourced much of its food from its own farm.

She broke off on her own to open L’Etoile in 1976, inspired by the cuisine of northern France. Every Saturday, Piper would take her wagon over to the farmers’ market and load it up with ingredients to use at L’Etoile.

As a result, its menu wasn’t set in stone, but created in response to the growing seasons and what could be found at the market. Each dinner service begins with the server telling the diners exactly where their food came from, making each meal an education as well as an experience.

“At L'Etoile, we believe supporting our local farmers and artisan producers has a direct impact on our community,” the restaurant says on its website. “It strengthens local economies; it encourages variety and enriches our food traditions; it promotes health and wellness by offering menus made from natural, seasonal and wholesome ingredients.”

Her approach drew chefs from larger cities like Chicago and Minneapolis curious about her approach (and jealous that her restaurant was located so close to one of the country’s biggest farmer’s markets.). When she won a James Beard Award in 2001, Madison’s place at the center of the farm-to-table movement was secure.

One of the ways we say thanks to our City Cast Madison Neighbors is by hearing from them about the businesses, the nonprofits, and other cool things in Madison that make their city just a little bit better. We share these Neighborhood Shoutouts in the newsletter and on the podcast to let the rest of Madison know.

📣 Katelyn H. is singing the praises of Bierock! “Great food, friendly staff, and fun events - like live music and monthly beer bingo. Check it out if you haven’t yet!”

📣 Jody B. wanted to shout out the Ace Hardware Center on Williamson Street! “My car told me my key fob battery was low. I was SO happy. This meant I had an instant reason to go to the Ace Hardware Center on Williamson Street. With its wood floors, old school vibe, and great people: what can I build or break next?!!”

Want to send a Neighborhood Shoutout of your own? Become a City Cast Madison Neighbor!