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Voting is now open for the Round of 64 in the State Street Region of the Great Madison Bar Bracket 2015. You have until Saturday at 6 pm CT to cast your vote for all eight matchups in the region. There are some monster matchups on State Street, so let's get right down to some analysis.
Matchup 1
(1) State Street Brats
- Located at 603 State Street
- Home of The Red Brat, an "alumni favorite"
- Killer patio
- Millions of TVs
(16) Nick's Restaurant and Lounge
- Located at 226 State Street
- A staple on State Street since 1959 located by The Orpheum and Overture Center
- Outdoor seating on State Street
- No tap beer, but a good bottle selection
Matchup 2
(8) Hawk's Bar and Grill
- Located at 425 State Street
- Nice outdoor patio on State Street
- Curly fries are great and they have a nice darts set up
- Karben 4, New Glarus, two Ale Asylum, Lake Louie, Capital and Furthermore on tap, separate whiskey and wine lists
(9) The Plaza Tavern
- Located at 319 N. Henry Street
- Plazaburgers y'all. Let's be serious, if you haven't had one... what the hell are you doing with your life?
- Ultimate dive bar, good jukebox, bubble hockey, pool, darts, cheap beer (sometimes in half-pitchers)
- I'm assuming it's the same bartenders working there from when I graduated, which is comforting
Matchup 3
(5) The City Bar
- Located at 636 State Street Lower Level
- Strawberry Vodka. Get it mixed with lemonade. Trust me.
- Limited cell reception, so you can hide from your friends/significant other
- Excellent food, trivia nights on Monday, nice tap beer selection
(12) Buck and Badger
- Located at 115 State Street
- Cool fireplace and Northwoods cabin vibe, nice patio on State Street
- 24 beers on tap and the bison burger is popular
- Website advertisers trivia on multiple nights (Tues-Thurs)
Matchup 4
(4) Mondays
- Located at 523 State Street
- The Ultimate College Dive Bar, please binge responsibly
- Strong drinks, no food, loud music, their website is literally a page with their logo, address and phone number
- Front patio and back patio for smoking and sneaking your underage frie... I mean drinking outside at night
(13) The Icon
- Located at 206 State Street
- While only three blocks away from Mondays, these two bars could not be more diametrically opposed
- Super wine list, nice cocktails, tapas style food
- Try the baked goat cheese
Matchup 5
(6) Paul's Club
- Located at 204 State Street
- There is a tree in the middle of the bar
- Comfy couches, good jukebox, nice beer selection
- Excellent, veteran bar staff
(11) 608 Restaurant and Bar
- Located at 212 State Street
- Serves brunch
- Outdoor seating on State Street
- Good cheese curds and Bloody Marys, couldn't find much about the beer selection
Matchup 6
(3) Whiskey Jacks Saloon
- Located at 552 State Street
- Huge space with live music on weekends sometimes
- Great for dancing and games (pool and darts)
- Extensive shot list, lots of beer, even more whiskey
(14) Irish Pub
- Located at 317 State Street
- This is an Irish pub/dive bar. Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking.
- They have a Ms. Pacman machine
- Guinness and Smithwicks for all my friends
Matchup 7
(7) AJ Bombers
- Located at 201 W. Gorham Street
- This place has peanuts. Lots of peanuts. They are delivered to you via some sort of Mousetrap-like system in a P-nut Bomb
- Decent beer selection with a number of local beers
- Awesome burger menu
(10) Capital Tap Haus
- Located at 107 State Street
- If you like Capital Brewing, boy have you come to the right place. It seems like every beer they ever brew is on tap here.
- The Reuben rolls are so good. Seriously, get those to start and then get the Beer and Hog burger.
- Nice patio on State Street
Matchup 8
(2) The Kollege Klub
- Located at 529 N. Lake Street
- Do you like athletes and Greek life? This is your spot.
- Loud, cheap beer and shots, great for dancing
- Fun on gamedays, serves breakfast all week (except for Sunday when they are closed)
(15) The Fountain
- Located at 122 State Street
- Live weekly jazz
- Cheese curds AND a separate cheese plate, which plays well in Wisconsin
- Burgers are rated highly on Yelp, couldn't find much info about the bar selection, but by pictures it looks like a couple of Ale Asylum beers on tap
So there is a brief State Street region breakdown for you. The voting is below and will end Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. Good luck to all the competitors and let's hope to get to "One Shining Moment" intact as a community.