Diners looking for a hot sandwich at lunch can satiate their hunger Tuesdays at Superette, Mint Mark’s adjoining bodega at 1874 E. Washington Ave.
Mint Mark’s chef and owner Sean Pharr added the pop-up option in late May, an addition to its array of cold sandwiches and other grab-and-go offerings.
Recent Tuesdays have included a green garlic bratwurst made in-house and a ramp smoked pork shoulder sandwich with chili crisp on a French roll.
Whether “Chef Sean’s Super Special Sandwiches” will expand to other days of the week is to be determined.
“We’ll see what happens. Mostly it gives me something to do,” said Pharr, who in addition to running Mint Mark, co-owns the Muskellounge up north-themed bar and the adjacent Hank’s, which serves burgers and fish fry, at 4102 Monona Drive. He noted that during the pandemic Mint Mark had a busy takeout sandwich business.
Suprette opened in August 2024, and sells snacks, wine, beer, pasta and various sundries.
The building above the bodega is home to 290 apartment units, Pharr said. “Sometime someone’s going to need TP and a bag of chips and that’s what we’re here for.”
More sandwiches
A new deli and sandwich shop at 106 S. Webster St. in downtown Madison, Dinotto now offers sandwiches, take-and-bake products, gelato and other to-go items. The sandwich spot is an offshoot of D’Vino, the wine and cicchetti bar at 116 King St.
Diners can pick up Italian classics like muffuletta, meatball grinders, caprese and chicken Parmesan sandwiches. Take-home options include lasagna, pastas, canned tomatoes, meats, cheeses, wine and olive oil. Dinotto also serves house-made Italian pastries, salads and sauces.
What’s up in Windsor?
An enormous new restaurant and music venue is coming to the village of Windsor near DeForest.
The Windsor, which is planning a grand opening on July 5 with an outdoor event featuring ‘90s rockers Blind Melon, will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. The venue can host up to 300 people in its bar and restaurant. Also included at The Windsor, located at 4237 Deere Crossing, are several patios, a beer garden, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits and custom bag toss boards, which will host leagues.
The kitchen is closed
BelAir Cantina at 111 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. just off of Madison’s Capitol Square announced last month it would shut down after its last day of service on June 29.
The restaurant, which served a long list of special tacos and burritos, also has five Milwaukee-area locations and one in Green Bay.
Also shuttering its location at 2903 University Ave. is Novanta Neapolitan Pizza.
“After much thought and consideration, Novanta has made the decision to not renew its lease at our University Avenue location. Our last day at that location will be Saturday, June 28th,” the company announced on Facebook last month.
“Rising operational costs, staffing challenges, and other factors have led us to this decision — but our flagship (8452) Old Sauk location will still remain open — and ready to serve you for many years to come!”
A toast to the winner
Public Parking, 711 E. Johnson St., was recently named one of “The 9 best new bars of 2025” by Bon Appetit magazine.
“Led by JR Mocanu, who first showed the city his cocktail bona fides at Merchant 15 years ago, the folks behind the bar bring a heavy hand of helpful Midwest nice to complement their sophisticated creations,” the magazine reported.
In addition to cocktails, the bar serves slushies, punches, mocktails and a “Great British Bake Off”-themed drink called Mary Berry’s Soggy Bottom, served in a teacup, of course.
The wheel meal deal
Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green on Madison’s east side, launched its 2025 season of Food Truck Friday to kick off its summer event series. Running every Friday through Oct. 3, from 5-9 p.m., the series features a rotating lineup of 25 local and multicultural food trucks, along with free live music on the Garver patio performed by a variety of local musicians.
FEED Kitchens is a partner in this initiative as a culinary incubator that provides commercial kitchen space for many of the featured vendors. More than 70% of the food trucks using FEED Kitchens are women- or minority-owned businesses.
New this year is a tiny home pop-up experience near the patio and hosted by Living in Madison, a local real estate and lifestyle team. Visitors can view the tiny home, enter weekly giveaways and discuss neighborhood trends and real estate insights.
Refreshing its space
Bassett Street Brunch Club closed for a week in early June to refresh its menu and space. According to a post on its website, the restaurant at 444 W. Johnson St. would reopen the week of June 16 “with a bold new look and expanded food and beverage offerings, including a dedicated dinner service and an elevated cocktail program.” A “Brunch After Dark” menu was also in the works as of press time.
Blue Plate takes former Little John’s space
A former Fitchburg furniture store previously — and briefly — occupied by nonprofit Little John’s will be the new home of Blue Plate Catering, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. Blue Plate co-owner David Porto bought the building on Oct. 24 for $2.2 million with his brother, Michael Porto, and Blue Plate founder and Chief Executive Jodie Fowler.
The three are renting the 24,500-square-foot space to Blue Plate, which they own with three other partners. Construction work on the 5302 Verona Road spot is set to be completed by mid-August. The new building will provide space for food preparation, and a banquet room with a 150-person capacity will host corporate meetings, trainings and other events.
Blue Plate’s current lease on an 8,000-square-foot space in the Holy Name Heights building, in the Diocese of Madison on High Point Road, extends through the end of 2025. The business is Madison’s largest catering company, born out of Food Fight restaurant group’s Monty’s Blue Plate Diner on Atwood Avenue and employing 32 full-time workers. Blue Plate caters 3,000 to 3,500 events annually.
