One Wisconsin Restaurant Serves Italian Food In A Historic Office

The first, second, and third rules of real estate, or so we're told, are location, location, and location. But what does it mean if the location in question is a repurposed real estate office? Well, one Italian restaurant seems to be doing just fine in the Stark Building which was constructed in the 1920s to serve the needs of Stark Company Realtors in Madison, Wisconsin. Nearly a century later, Stark's is still in business, but the firm has relocated to different quarters and its one-time HQ — which was the first real estate office building in Madison — is now home to Cento Ristorante.

Cento, which opened in 2014, is owned by the Food Fight restaurant group, a company that operates a string of other Madison eateries. Cento's unique location, however, gives it a certain cachet that transcends the corporate vibe. Even the name is a nod to its address; Cento means 100 in Italian and the restaurant's address is 122 West Mifflin Street. The 100 block is part of Madison's State Street historic district and, as such, is listed on the National and State Register of Historic Places. Inside the building, original interior brick walls, beam ceilings, wood floors, and stained glass windows all add to the restaurant's antique ambiance.

Cento does not claim to be a true "farm to table" restaurant. While it obtains some items locally, others are imported from Italy, while some, no doubt, come from wherever they come from. Still, Cento has that upscale hipster aesthetic, and the menu is heavy on au courant dishes such as pork belly with apple and pear mostarda and wine-poached beets with goat cheese. There are Italian classics, although these also come with trendy touches: Instead of pairing meatballs with spaghetti, Cento goes with bucatini. (We suspect this tubular pasta appeared on everyone's radar around the time pasta straws became a thing.) The cocktail menu avoids local classics like Wisconsin's own take on an old fashioned. Instead, it leans on popular Italian cocktails like the negroni, Aperol spritz, and negroni sbagliato, a drink that had a major moment back in 2022. 

Cento also offers a dining experience called kitchen table. This five-course meal starts at $125 per person, although you can pay up to $180 if you want to try the high-end wine pairings. You also get a show to go with your dinner since the table offers a view of the kitchen. As for the menu, this may change depending on the chef's whims or ingredient availability. However, the food tends to be seasonal. For example, one May menu featured asparagus soup, strawberry-orange salad, lemon ricotta ravioli, roast lamb with artichokes, and a nettle cake with carrot zabaglione.