Fresco Opera Theatre repackages the genre Musical makeover Jay Rath on Friday 02/05/2010 It ain't your grandparents' opera. Fresco Opera Theatre is opera as if P.T. Barnum had to reinvent it for Lady Gaga: fast, sexy, short and as snarky as possible. Madison's newest performance troupe looks forward to madly combining the fustiest of art forms with children's tea parties, game shows, puppet shows and pro wrestling. >MoreOnline groups push to improve food at Madison schools A better lunch Lynn Welch on Friday 02/05/2010 While the national discussion over children's nutrition has heated up recently, Madison parents have long tried to get healthier food to kids at school. "My son came home one day and said the lunch at school is gross," recounts Susanne Swift, parent of two school-age children. >More
Master & chef Shinji Muramoto Restaurateur moves beyond cooking to guide his three fusion restaurants Erin Hanusa on Friday 02/05/2010 Shinji Muramoto is standing in the back kitchen of his flagship Restaurant Muramoto, explaining a bit of his restaurant philosophy. "We don't have a walk-in cooler because I want to try to get everything fresh every day," says one of Madison's most notable restaurateurs. "If we have a walk-in cooler, the cooks tend to overstock everything, so I just give them a little space for cooling and freezing." >MoreWood-fired oven dishes distinguish Las Cazuelas The whole chamorro Linda Falkenstein on Friday 02/05/2010 It might be a good idea to stop the revolving door at 15 N. Butler St. with its latest tenant, Las Cazuelas. It's been noted that this is not a spot that's been good to restaurateurs over the years. Yet with a triangle of restaurants clustered around the city's Brayton parking lot -- Las Cazuelas, Bellini's and the Bayou (plus, just a few doors further down Butler, Cafe Costa Rica), this sometimes overlooked area of downtown may have critical mass in terms of a dining destination. Call it TriABray. >More