{"id":2428547,"date":"2026-05-22T20:10:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2428547"},"modified":"2026-05-22T20:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:10:55","slug":"a-stoughton-restaurant-closes-burger-week-recs-and-early-summer-reads-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-stoughton-restaurant-closes-burger-week-recs-and-early-summer-reads-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"A Stoughton restaurant closes, Burger Week recs and early summer reads | Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Editor’s note: Below is the Thursday, May 21 edition of the Food & Culture newsletter. If you want to receive it in your email inbox every Thursday (it’s free!), subscribe at\u00a0captimes.com\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Come a lily, come a lilac*\u00a0\ud83c\udf38<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Lindsay Christians, food and culture editor<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s May, and I\u2019m in the weeds.<\/strong> My husband and I spent the weekend ripping out rampaging violets, cutting burdock off at the knees, uprooting what my mom calls \u201ccrap trees\u201d (another friend calls them \u201cvolunteers\u201d) and eliminating thistle and garlic mustard. (Yes, I know I can eat garlic mustard. No, I don\u2019t want to right now.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a time of transition.<\/strong> Sorrel, parsley, chives and sage returned and are flourishing next to annual starts of basil (genovese, purple and Thai), nasturtiums and calendula. Weather sways my cravings and my mood. One night I wanted 3-hour braised short ribs<\/a> with lemon and garlic, courtesy of Alison Roman\u2019s new cookbook, \u201cSomething from Nothing.\u201d And after humid days in the dirt, I crave fresh lemonade and cubes of mango from the freezer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now that most of my plants are in, how to spend this lovely long weekend<\/strong>? On Saturday I\u2019ll pack a picnic blanket and sunscreen and head to Vegan Sausage Fest<\/a>. This has become one of my very favorite local food festivals, held this year at Breese Stevens Field. The lines can get long but the vibes, and the dishes, are excellent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A bit further ahead, look to the LunART Festival<\/a>, which celebrates women in music. Iva Ugrcic founded this event nine years ago to help women connect and support each other, and it\u2019s become a real source of joy. (So, too, has the Latino Arts Fest, now part of a larger conference<\/a>at Centro. See work from Issis Macias, one of the artists featured at that conference, in a new show opening at Imaginary Factory<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

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“Much Ado About Nothing” at American Players Theatre, 2024.<\/p>\n

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\n LIZ LAUREN<\/span>
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And lest I forget: Congratulations, American Players Theatre<\/strong>! The classical repertory company announced this week that it won the 2026 Special Tony Award for Regional Theatre<\/a>, making it the first Wisconsin theater company ever to do so. When I reached Brenda DeVita on the phone on Tuesday, the first thing we both did was scream. I\u2019m so delighted for them!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cheers, friends! \u2014 Lindsay<\/em><\/p>\n

PS: Congratulations to Patrick O\u2019Halloran<\/strong> on being named Madison Magazine\u2019s Chef of the Year! He spent years at Lombardino\u2019s making some of the city\u2019s best Italian American food, and since 2020 he and his team at The Deliciouser have completely reinvented my spice cabinet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

*The song \u201cWick<\/strong><\/a>\u201d from the musical \u201cThe Secret Garden\u201d plays in my head every spring. \u201cYou clear away the dead parts\/ so the tender buds can form\/ loosen up the earth and let the roots get warm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

What we\u2019re reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Weekly reading recommendations from Lindsay Christians and\u00a0Beck Henreckson<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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The 2021 short story collection \u201cAfterparties<\/strong>\u201d was a posthumous debut from Anthony Veasna So, a promising Cambodian American writer who got a publishing deal while still in grad school at Stanford. The stories are set mostly around Stockton, where So grew up, and wrestle with where immigrant identity intersects with queerness. \u2014 Lindsay<\/em><\/p>\n

The narrator of \u201cThe Hitch<\/strong>,\u201d Rose, is the kind of childfree person I never want to be \u2014 holier-than-thou, unknowingly self-absorbed and convinced she knows better how to raise her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan, than his own parents. I\u2019ve just started this one but I know from the blurb that things are about to go (darkly but humorously) sideways with Rose\u2019s Newfoundland. I\u2019m hooked. \u2014 Lindsay<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

I finally let the hype get to me and started \u201cYesteryear,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0the tradwife novel taking the internet by storm. I read so many bad reviews that my expectations were particularly low, which might be why they’ve been wildly exceeded so far. I think I expected to find the author’s tone very preachy, but it’s not, at all \u2014<\/em> it’s almost uncomfortably nuanced. I’m thinking about it every minute I’m not reading it; I need to know how this influencer ended up (literally) pulled back into the 19th century! \u2014\u00a0<\/em>Beck<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n

Restaurant news<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Wendigo in Stoughton has announced that it will close.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n MICHELLE STOCKER<\/span>
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W<\/strong>endigo<\/strong>, a new American restaurant in Stoughton, will close today (May 21) after 12 years on Main Street. Co-owner Cale Ryan told State Journal reporter<\/a> Samara Kalk Derby that he\u2019ll be investing instead in Famous Yeti\u2019s Pizza, a commercial kitchen with 11 food entrepreneurs, and Heron Hall, an event space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Primer Coffee Co.<\/strong> is now open inside Hotel Indigo, 901 E. Washington Ave. Primer roasts coffee in-house on a Bellwether roaster, and the shop\u2019s social media has been teasing a Dubai chocolate iced latte (how is that not \u2026 a mocha?). Primer is doing matcha lattes, London Fog tea lattes and nitro cold brew on tap. The cafe is open daily in the mornings (until 10\/10:30 a.m.) only.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

M&J Jamaican Kitch\u2019n<\/strong> has had a brick-and-mortar location open since February at 4692 Cottage Grove Road, but the grand opening is May 30. The menu includes jerk chicken, curry goat, rice and beans, mac and cheese and fried plantains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The owner of the Spring Green General Store<\/strong>, a casual cafe and gift shop at 137 S. Albany St. in Spring Green, is looking for a buyer<\/a> after more than three decades of business. The store serves sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and weekend breakfast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It sounds like CAVA<\/strong>, a \u201cMediterranean-inspired\u201d fast casual chain that\u2019s been expanding into the upper Midwest, has a location planned for the Hilldale Shopping Center. A Hilldale rep said she\u2019d pass on our request to confirm this for sure \u2014 details (perhaps!) to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Recent obsessions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Listening to: My husband says Kacey Musgraves<\/strong>\u2019 new album, \u201cMiddle of Nowhere,\u201d reminds him of Joni Mitchell. I agree, especially on strummed, introspective tracks like \u201cHell On Me.\u201d \u201cBack on the Wagon\u201d (\u201che\u2019s caused so much pain\/but this time he\u2019s changed\u201d) has the pedal steel guitar sound of George Strait; \u201cUncertain, Texas,\u201d a duet with Willie Nelson, has a cumbia beat. I\u2019ve got this album on repeat, and tickets to see her in September<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watching: The final season of the comedy \u201cHacks<\/strong>\u201d on HBO opens with a truce (finally!) between impulsive, idealistic young writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and imperious stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart). This show is so funny and smart, and the creators\u2019 stance on AI is refreshing. As Deborah says, \u201cArt is only art because of the humanity behind it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Drinking: I made a rich raspberry syrup (2 parts demerara\/1 part water) specifically to make a Clover Club cocktail<\/strong><\/a> with Death\u2019s Door gin, fresh lemon and egg white. But I discovered while planting my herb garden and garden-box annuals that it\u2019s also fantastic in a homemade raspberry lemonade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Brighton Beach bagel sandwich at Gotham Bagels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n LINDSAY CHRISTIANS<\/span>
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Eating: The Brighton Beach<\/strong> ($14.75) at Gotham Bagels \u2014 smoked salmon, caper cream cheese, red onion and cress for crunch on an everything bagel \u2014 has been my favorite farmers\u2019 market breakfast for close to two decades. I treated myself before my Saturday shop, and it still makes me dream of New York. \u2014 Lindsay<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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The Coopers Tavern’s entrant in Burger Week is\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Wisconsin Wellington Burger<\/span><\/a> is topped with prosciutto, mushroom, onion jam and rosemary aioli.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Burgers for Two<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most weeks in this space, we run a mini-restaurant review (Table for Two) or highlight our favorite budget-friendly fare in a series called $20 Dining. Both are newsletter exclusives (sign up here<\/a>). This week we’re sharing\u00a0where to go for the last few days of Burger Week 2026!<\/em><\/p>\n

By Beck Henreckson<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s become a tradition; every May, my friend Ray and I meet up at The Coopers Tavern for burgers and beer to celebrate Madison Burger Week. Coopers has been participating in Burger Week since the Cap Times began hosting it in 2022. The first time, I chose it as the spot to try because their burger sounded particularly good, but at this point I trust that whatever they enter into the competition won\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n

This year, their Wisconsin Wellington Burger<\/a> is topped with prosciutto, mushroom, onion jam and a rosemary aioli \u2014 I can\u2019t wait to see how it stacks up!<\/p>\n

Burger Week ends soon, but you still can cast a vote<\/a> for your favorite burger today and Friday. There are 21 vying for your attention this year, and I think it\u2019s a particularly good showing. If you want something creative and unusual, take your pick \u2014 toppings range from fried pickles and strawberry salsa to an entire chopped up bratwurst. As usual, Licari\u2019s Bar & Grill (a two-time champion) has a towering creation<\/a> you might need to approach with a knife and fork.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re more of a purist, I\u2019d recommend Hank<\/a>\u2019s Burgers & Fish Fry<\/a> and Union Corners Tavern<\/a> for straightforward, well-executed smash burgers. Those spots will have their burgers on the menu after this week ends, but if you want them taking home the trophy, act fast!<\/p>\n

A few more I wish I had time to try: the Kimchi Crunch Burger<\/a> from Bassett Street Brunch Club; the Ouisco Dip<\/a> from Graze (I need to taste that ramp dijonnaise); and the Matterhorn Burger<\/a> from Quivey\u2019s Grove, drowning in melty Raclette. Take a look at the whole lineup<\/a> and cast your votes.<\/p>\n

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