Cocktail hour at the Wonder Bar Steakhouse in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cribbed from Google.

In Madison, Wisconsin for the weekend, we stayed at an Airbnb just off Park Street. It's a fine neighborhood for eating and drinking, and our genial host Coco mentioned that she often walked to a nearby establishment for cocktails, especially during colder weather, owing to the presence of a fireplace near the bar.

"You can't miss it," she said. "It  looks like a castle."

She was speaking of the Wonder Bar Steakhouse, and on Friday afternoon we decided to make it our destination for a Happy Hour round of cocktails. It turned out to be a refreshing 15-minute walk from our pad.

The Wonder Bar is located so near Olin Park (fest grounds of the Great Taste of the Midwest) that I'm surprised we hadn't noticed it before. The venue is an old two-story red brick building now overshadowed by a newer structure next door. From the main road, one can see an Old Style beer sign tacked to the Wonder Bar's backside, reminding us that La Cross (former home of G. Heileman) is only a couple of hours up the road from Madison.

The interior is a conscious old school throwback, and every bit as delightful as Coco suggested. We didn't eat, but Diana had a Gin & Tonic, while I opted for a Manhattan with Bulleit Rye.

Delicious, indeed -- and it does look a bit like a castle.

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