There’s no better guide to a city than someone who lives there, so we asked local news anchor Hannah Overflow for her perspective on the culture, food and drinks of the city she calls home.
Hannah Overflow moved to Madison in 2015 to anchor the morning paper on NBC15 WMTV, the local NBC affiliate. It didn’t take long for her to feel at home—which is especially convenient, since the work of a newscaster depends on acquaintance with people and places in the city. At first, the recommendations of colleagues came to him in a flash. But now she has become so familiar with the area that she can return her own. We’ve gone through their tips to get the most out of your time in the vibrant capital of Wisconsin.
Good food
In addition to the huge student population of the University of Wisconsin (almost 30,000), Madison is home to Epic, a huge medical software company, so there is a steady influx of young people, and wherever professionals with disposable income go, a trendy food scene follows.
In many urban centers, the designations” farm-to-table “and” hyperlocal ” are worn as a badge of pride. In Madison, it is practically a necessity, since Wisconsin is a huge agricultural state. It’s a “super food city,” Hannah assures-almost everywhere you go for a meal, the staff will tell you that the cheese comes from a cream factory that’s 30 minutes down the road, and the beef comes from a farm that’s not much further away.
Hanna’s many favorites cover the range. If the night requires an upscale but casual meal, graze, a modern restaurant near the Capitol, answers. Chef Tory Miller recently broke into the national food scene when he appeared on Iron Chef Showdown, defeating Food Network star Bobby Flay. At Graze, his dishes are Korean-inspired, but like in Wisconsin, cheese pops up on the menu. Cheese curd also appears in Lucille, a large, chic warehouse restaurant converted into an old bank and known for its artisanal cocktails and wood-fired pizza. The options for deep plates and thin crust are both thin, but the absolute necessity is the nacho pan. Yes, baked like a deep pizza, with Wisconsin cheese.
If you’re looking for an ultra-relaxed meal, head to the Plaza Bar outside State Street, a major thoroughfare. With leather booths, old-school arcade games, and a hectic open kitchen, it looks like it’s been intact since the 1970s, Hannah says. “It’s very Wisconsin,” she says. The place is famous for its burgers, which are smeared with creamy Plaza sauce. (The owner would have kept the prescription in a safe).
Then there are dinner clubs, Wisconsin meets steakhouse. They were a new discovery for Hannah when she moved here, and she suggests that every guest in the area should explore something. One of his favorites is the Tornado Steak House, a real classic with a speakeasy element: if you don’t know how to look for it, you may miss the discreet entrance despite being on a busy street. Like the Plaza bar, it does not seem to have changed over time. “The first time I took my boyfriend there, he seriously said he felt like a bandit,” she says. And pro tip: After 21: 00 the menu prices will be reduced.
A city of neighborhoods
Madison’s geography is distinctive: it is located on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, and there are four lakes in the city center. The Capitol is located in the center, and all the quarters radiate from there.
Locals refer to Madison as the most liberal place between Berkeley and Brooklyn, and this long legacy is perhaps best embodied by the moment after the 1960s, when the city erupted in opposition to Dow Chemical, the napalm gas producer. The neighborhood in the Middle East of the city center, known as Willy Street, perhaps best characterizes this free past. It is home to many young creatives and families with young children and offers a vibrant nightlife. Start with pre-dinner cocktails at Gib’s Bar, a converted old house so cozy it reminds Hannah of hanging out in a friend’s living room, and then dine at Texas Tubb’s Taco Palace wrap up the night across the street in Alchemy, a low-key seal with a reliable schedule of local groups.
Throughout the city, the Monroe neighborhood embodies a different atmosphere. Near Camp Randall Stadium, home to the university’s football team, the winding streets are lined with old houses and attractive architecture. The shops in the area are a bit more “uptown” than Willy Street, so to speak. Everly serves fresh, Californian-style dishes, a far cry from the region’s classic meat and potato dishes. Small independent companies abound. Hannah suggests visiting Zip-Dang, a company run by a man and a woman who specialize in funky prints, many of which are inspired by the man’s passion for Wisconsin folklore (see: Monsters of the Lake). And don’t leave the neighborhood without picking up cupcakes at the Bloom Bakeshop. However, the presence of all these pretty new shops does not mean that the neighborhood has leaved its history. Milk Bar Mickies is a relic that Hannah adoringly describes as a hole in the wall. Guests who are pampered with milkshakes, malt and classic breakfasts in the restaurant form reliable queues at the doorstep on weekends.
Travel
There is enough to keep a visitor busy for a long weekend—or longer-in Madison, but it would be a misstep to travel here and not explore the surroundings. Hannah still insists that her friends outside the city see Devil’s Lake State Park-in her opinion, the most beautiful thing the state has to offer. The lakeside park, lined with colossal cliffs, offers paddle boarding and hiking trails for all skill levels. However, it is best known for Devil’s Doorway, a colossal rock that precariously balances on a cliff. There are two roads leading there from Madison, each of which offers its own rewards. Route 113 passes through Lodi, a cute little enclave with a downtown that is worth a stopover, mainly because of the buttercream bakery, which is a local favorite, but Hannah prefers the 40-mile route along route 12, which passes through Prairie du Sauk, where the Blue Spoon Café is a vintage burger, breakfast and ice cream eatery. There is also an eagle observation center nearby.
