Anyone visiting Hemingway Cigar Bar & Lounge in Fitchburg over the last two years could see the place was on the decline. I had visited on four separate occasions when they had no cigars and no patrons, even on Friday and Saturday nights. I once encountered a bartender who didn’t know what “neat” meant and seriously thought I had made up that term.
Fortunately, since new owners Matt and Kathy took over last month, Hemingway seems to be headed in the right direction. Matt told me that the previous owner was thinking of closing his bar, and to prevent that from happening, Matt and Kathy ended up purchasing it.
First thing’s first: they restocked one of the cigar cases. They have even taken requests on the Hemingway Facebook page. Something interesting I learned is that unlike its Madison counterparts, Hemingway allows cigarettes in addition to cigars and pipes.
I’ve always enjoyed lounging in the couches with friends while enjoying a cigar. Currently there are two spaces in the rear for that, but Matt says they hope to add more near the entrance. That will make the area more inviting vs. the current high tops that are there.
Also on the horizon are potentially a larger beer selection, more wine and live music. I’m hoping for the bar to add a few more scotches to its somewhat small selection. Happy hour runs from 4:30-7 p.m. and includes $1 off rails and Bud/Miller products.
I’m looking forward to future visits and watching Hemingway evolve.
The highly visible 
On to dessert. The Kissel soup was an adventure. I could certainly taste the tart cranberries and powerful pickled ginger, but both were tempered nicely by the vanilla ice cream. I also had a double chocolate brownie ($6) with a side of spiced nuts. Interestingly, I enjoyed eating them together, even though I normally dislike brownies with nuts. Wade also doesn’t like brownies with nuts, which is why he created the dish this way.
I have to admit that I was initially skeptical of 
This summer, Popeye’s introduced chicken waffle tenders, which are simply chicken strips coated in waffle batter and then deep fried. Sound good? You betcha. These tenders really did combine the flavors of fried chicken and waffles. Each bite was both slightly sweet and slightly salty. I actually didn’t use any dipping sauce, as the tenders were that good on their own.
