by Glenn Minnis
One-time Madison-area stronghold Brasserie V is the latest neighborhood eatery to fall victim to the pandemic, with the owners recently taking to social media to announce its closing this month after 15 years.
“We are so very proud of our 15 years bringing a little bit of Belgium to Monroe Street,” the owners said in an Aug. 20 Facebook post. “We wouldn’t have reached this milestone without the talent, dedication and hard work of all of our amazing staff over the years.”
Nate Warnke is among those who remembered the good times the small-town eatery with the European vibe brought to the community.
“Brasserie V really brought that kind of European style pub into the Monroe Street area,” Warnke said in a recent WKOW news report.
In the end, staffing and ongoing supply chain struggles brought on by the pandemic proved too much to overcome, especially when added to the ongoing issues of inflation.
Warnke can relate after being recently forced to shutter his own Rockhound Brewing operation. He credits the pub for being one of his inspirations for starting his own business.
“It’s the place I would default to when I say ‘Let’s meet for a drink,'” he told WKOW. “It’s the place of default to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I know I can get good food there.’ That was a lot of what I was honestly trying to create on the opposite side of the neighborhood when I did open Rockhound.”
All over town, restaurants in the area have been shuttering their doors, permanently or temporarily, as they try to adjust to a changing post-pandemic landscape, one in which customers seem to want different things in changing times.
“One thing that hasn’t changed is the support from this incredible community,” the Brasserie V owners said in their Facebook post. “We count ourselves fortunate to have worked with so many local and independent farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, brewers and other artisan purveyors. The quality and passion they put into their work is an enormous part of what has made our food and drink so special.”
The announcement of the closing was met with over 200 comments mourning the loss and sharing favorite memories at the restaurant over the years.
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Photo “Brasserie V” by Brasserie V.
