The late night tour for the Madison Hospitality Zone Assessment began with a trek to the oldest of Madison’s traditional bars – the Essen Haus. The small but hearty tour group held up to the pressures of a bootful of beer, a two-piece polka band and lederhosen-laden servers. The group observed that the German-themed bar was a destination for many demographics; frat boys and bachelorette parties, young professionals and seasoned vets, families and singletons; and polka enthusiasts of all ilks.

The tour group progressed on to King Street to observe other watering holes. The next stop was the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, another popular site for a diverse crowd of older students, families and professionals. The group was treated to a sampling of the brewing company’s signature and specialty beers; a variety to please all palates. Dane co-owner Ted Peterson led the group on a tour of the pub and laid out the background of his successful bar/restaurant strategy. Ted emphasized the Dane’s commitment to quality, tasty foods in an evolving menu and training hospitable and dedicated servers to keep the ambiance safe and inviting as a bar and as a restaurant.   

From the Dane the group took a walk to the other end of the geographical bar scene spectrum – the Memorial Union, student hangout extraordinaire. On the way they stopped into Woof’s, a gay, metal-themed sports bar; the Bartell Theatre, home to many theatre troupes and neighbor to a boisterously loud Café Montmartre; and Frida Mexican Grill, a Thursday night Latin dance club with a few obvious under-agers and even more obvious security guards. With occasional forays into other venues including the KK and State Street Brats, the troupe noted the diversity of patrons and music choices available on a typical night downtown. The Memorial Union offered a relatively quiet reprieve even though it was only the second visited venue to offer live (not DJ) music.  

 From the Union the tireless tour group marched on to Brothers Bar & Grill to witness a unique mix of hip-hop and teeny-bop students dancing around an unruffled security staff. Then the tour got really exciting when the group caught up with two Central District Community police officers on their rounds to dragnet under-agers in Johnny O’s Restaurant & Bar. The officers described their usual methods for sweeping bars and spotting under-aged patrons and what usually happens to the individuals and bars after such issues occur. They noted that bars and police work more effectively when working in cooperation to enforce age laws and a safer and friendlier environment for patrons prevails.  

After tagging along for a sweep, the tour group took a break for some pizza at the popular Ian’s Pizza to regroup and recharge.  From there they crossed the street to Wando’s Bar & Grill and closed down the evening talking to owner Jay (Wando) Wanserski. Wando shared his philosophies and standards for creating a safe, clean and welcoming bar for students and patrons. Wando chooses to focus on training his staff to make safety a priority – security staff and bartenders are supposed to be aware at all times of environmental hazards, such as a broken glass, and social hazards, like intoxicated individuals, and are required to step in to intercept potential dangers. In Wando’s opinion, a bar that does well has no need to take safety risks such as letting in under-agers and serving already intoxicated individuals.

At closing time the bars emptied out and the streets filled up. As there are few late-night options for public transportation and limited opportunities for taxi services, most of the people who were until recently partying hard now had to either make their way home on their own or find food to sober up.  A popular spot for the latter, Ian’s Pizza, features fast service and well-lit dining areas to improve safety. Many restaurants that are open late have hired their own security to handle the late night swell of customers. A campus police officer met with the group and discussed what happens to many of the individuals that try to walk or drive home on their own and how the campus and city police work around and with each other to control the outpouring.

By that time it was well into the wee hours of Friday morning and the tour group felt they had seen all that could be seen in one night of downtown Madison revelry. The group parted ways and walked or taxied home. The hospitality tourists learned and observed much about the late-night culture and will be presenting their notes alongside the other assessment groups at the HZA roundtable discussions June 3^rd and 4^th.

For more information on how to get involved in the HZA process, contact Sarah Hoover or check out the official Madison HZA website.

DMI is not endorsing any candidate or position in this spring election, but we want to encourage our members and Madison and Dane County residents to participate and take part in their civic duties.

One of the biggest issues will be the determination of a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Incumbent Justice Louis Butler will face Circuit Court Judge Michael Gableman in the culmination of a sticky race similar to last year’s Supreme Court Election. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has a handy Voter’s Guide available online if you need a crash-course on candidate qualifications.

Wisconsin residents will also be able to vote on a proposed ban of the governor’s “partial veto” power. The proposed change to the state constitution asks if there should be an amendment “to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating a new sentence by combining parts of two or more sentences of the enrolled bill?”.

There are also 17 seats up for grabs on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. The Isthmus has answers from each candidate about what’s most important to them in their district.

If you live in Madison, click here to find your polling station. Dane County Polling locations are listed here. Stations are open from 7am to 8pm.

More information on candidates and issues can be found at the Wisconsin State Journal and Wispolitics.com. Now go out there and get your democratic process on!

Winter may not be over but the first harbinger of spring is coming this weekend – St. Patrick’s Day!

What better way to celebrate real and imagined Irish heritage than to spend it downtown, enjoying the emerging green(ish) grass and the ubiquitous emerald t-shirts.

Here is a list of the best spots and events to say “slainte” and pay respects to those crazy Celts:

Friday March 14th

St. Pat’s Pub Crawl

Where: Starts at Brocach Irish Pub, ends at Brass Ring

When: 5:00-7:30pm

 The crawl “plans” to hit up Genna’s, the Great Dane and Argus as well and will be accompanied by the Curley Family Pipes & Drums.  When’s the last time you drank Guinnessi (that’s the plural form of Guinness) alongside a bagpipe?

“The Lieutenant of Inishmore”

Where: Bartell Community Theatre, 113 E Mifflin St.

When: 8:00pm

Cost: $15

A dark comedy about an Irish Liberation group that is hell-bent on avenging the death of their leader’s cat. Kind of like that time Wisconsin voted on making feral cat hunting legal, only different. Produced by the Strollers Theater.

 Saturday March 15

Dane County Shamrock Club St. Patrick’s Day Buffet

Where: Coliseum Bar

When: 12:30pm

Cost: Donation, canned food donation

Corned beef and cabbage. ‘Nuf said.

UW Women’s Tennis: WI vs. Miami (Ohio)

Where: Nielson Tennis Stadium

When: 1:00pm

Support  women’s sports and celebrate Title XI in national Women’s History Month. Saturday March 8th was International Women’s Day, but there’s no reason you can’t celebrate twice.

“My Name is Rachel Corrie”

Where: Overture Center

When: 7:30pm

A powerful one-woman play that recounts the life of a young American activist killed in a peaceful protest in the Gaza strip. Not Irish, but a significant story on conflict and the imprtance of cultural acceptance in the quest for peace.

Sunday March 16th

Too much to list here, so go to stpatsmadison.org to get a full view of what’s going on and then try to fit it all in. High on our list is the Shamrock shuffle at 10:00am and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1:30pm. There will also be a raffle for a FREE trip to Ireland at 3pm outside of Brocach – awesome! 

St. Pat’s Eve Celebration

Where: High Noon Saloon

When: 3:00-9:00pm

Performances by Rising Gael, Tairis, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, Greenfyre, Cashel Dennehy School of Irish Dance,  and West Wind. Trad music, step dance and wind quartets, oh my!

Monday, March 17th, St, Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day Party with The Kissers

Where: High Noon Saloon

When: 8:00pm

It’s the Kissers’ 10 year anniversary and CD release party all on the greenest party day of the year. We have found the place to be on Monday night – Tuesdays are never good days to work anyway.

Tickets to the DMI Frostiball are in the mail, meaning the event is less than 2 weeks away. It’s crunch time  if you’re still looking for a last-minute dress or accessory, trying to get fitted for a tux, and rallying the troops for a festive night out.

 Although there are many couples that attend the event, the party is not exclusively for pairs.

The night is an excellent opportunity for singles to cut loose in style. For example, last year saw the debut of Women Behaving Badly, a group of women (some single, some not) that took Frostiball as an opportunity to strut their unique flair. For them the night became a showcase for their personalities and individuality and a chance to show attitude in the ambiance. Group members were given points for “bad behavior”, such as wearing non-traditional dresses, wardrobe malfunctions (none as racy as Janet Jackson’s), and dance theatrics. The night became, for them, the Frosti-brawl; an outlet for their inner, irreverent debutante.

It’s the time of year when the big holidays are over but it’s still freezing outside and the winter doldrums are about to set in.  What better time to break out the black ties and satin skirts in glamorous Overture Hall? 

This year marks the 22nd annual Frostiball, coming directly to downtown Madison on February 2nd. This year’s event will feature 3 different venues within the Overture Center for the Arts, food from Catering a Fresco, and music by the Dick Judson Orchestra. This is the event in Madison; a signature night of pure and simple celebration, unique from any other event downtown. 

Susan Schmitz, who has attended nearly every Frostiball since its inception, says that the event is much more than just a “grown-up prom” because “you can do so much more with it”. Although it’s black tie invited, the welcoming and open atmosphere encourages people to step out of the normal formal-wear boundaries. Other than Halloween, this is the day of the year that you can wear a ball gown, top hat, dress kilt or feather boa in front of a crowd. Whatever your interpretation of dress-up is, wear it to the Frosti.

Like Halloween, some have been planning their Frostiball ensemble for six months. Others may scramble in these last few weeks before the event, checking out downtown boutiques, local designers, consignment stores or even a friend’s closet. Both Elizabeth Wewerka of Lady Moxie and Schmitz noted that many women will recycle dresses and accessories or trade with friends, a sensible option considering there are few other occasions in Madison with so much style. (Just try to search The Daily Page  for “gala”.)

If you’re still out there looking for what to wear, there are still plenty of classic and trendy options to go with. According to Susan, long skirts and black are always timeless and elegant.  Lately long gloves and bling bling jewelry (large, glittery pieces) have become very trendy items. Her best advice to men and women is not to limit yourself, especially with dramatic pieces; “Where else would you wear it but to the Frostiball?”

Elizabeth also has good advice for Frosti-goers: “Sexy  or trendy is what you feel good in. If you feel uncomfortable, it’s going to show. Wear something that you feel good in and that confidence will be hot.” She contends that Frostiball is a great event for people to have fun dressing up; short skirts, long skirts, tuxes, kilts and suits are all acceptable. Even a minidress could work if done right.

So, whether you want to stand out in the crowd or just do your own thing, the Frostiball is a welcoming reprieve from the ordinary.

Madison bars are known for offering great selections of brews, rails, darts, pool, air hockey and televised sports events. However, if you are looking for a slightly more upscale venue and entertainment, the isthmus has some new offerings that DMI members and staffers are currently digging. 

If you haven’t heard the tinkling of ivories yet, you are missing out on Downtown Madison’s growing musical scene. The Ivory Room on West Mifflin and the Brink Lounge’s Piano Bar on East Washington offer classy accoutrements to the bar scene downtown. Patrons can request songs to be played by local, master pianists at the Ivory Room in an intimate setting. Thursday through Saturday individual and dueling pianists are featured at the Brink Lounge, offering guests keyboard rivalry to beat “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.

The newly remodeled Majestic Theatre has concerts and events that range from emo to extravagant. Though the building purportedly lacks a single 90 degree angle, the theatre boasts a look that is sophisticated and inviting. Seating is comfortable and situated for excellent stage-viewing. It’s hard to not feel trendy while taking in a show or an après-work drink.

If you’re looking for a more relaxed scene, Brocach is a beacon to those with real or imagined Irish heritage. The large, two level badger den is intimate no matter where you sit. Local artists are featured throughout the week and range from bluegrass to country to Irish trad (as in, traditional).

It can be very difficult to track events at these locations and others, that’s why we have The Daily Page and Madison Verve to keep us in the loop.

These are staff favorites at the moment, but we’re always willing to try new places to discover, Any suggestions?