Jesse Steinberg, a former owner of far east side Madison’s Red Rooster music venue, bar, and restaurant is opening a restaurant in Prairie du Sac, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Steinberg, also a UW–Madison associate professor in philosophy, sold his share of Red Rooster to the club’s remaining partner Tim Payne in August.
Steinberg hopes to have the new spot, Water Street Social Club, open this spring. He is purchasing a 5,700-square-foot building at 550 Water St. and will close on it at the end of this month. The Water Street space was formerly home to Blue Spoon Cafe but had been on the market for a year. Jaybird Cafe and Spirits opened in February 2022 for a brief period as well.
Most changes Steinberg plans to make to the space are cosmetic. There will be table service as well as a patio area for customers. The restaurant will offer food similar to Red Rooster’s upscale bar cuisine, with a focus on local produce and vendors and several vegetarian and vegan options. It will also host live music around once per week, with the potential for more during the summer, as well as trivia, wine tastings, bourbon tastings, comedy nights, and private events.
Steinberg will run the restaurant with Tricia Raab, a former bartender and bar manager at Red Rooster, and is currently seeking a chef.
