It's "Madison Week" at OnMilwaukee.com. We sent our editorial staff to check out bars, restaurants, retail outlets and cultural venues in order to uncover some of the best of Wisconsin's second-largest city.

MADISON -- In 1982, Tracy Danner and Ann O'Connor met on the University of Wisconsin's rowing team. Fifteen years later, they opened a coffee shop together called EVP Coffee and Roastery.

EVP stands for "Etes-Vous Prets" (pronounced "et-voo-pray") and is the starting command during rowing races.

"When we named our business we wanted to bring some of the joy and beauty of rowing we had experienced to our business," says Danner.

Today, there are three -- soon to be four -- EVP locations in Madison: EVP West, 3809 Mineral Point Rd.; EVP East, 1250 E. Washington Ave.; and EVP Hospital Coffee Bar in the Veterans' Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terrace. EVP Sequoya will open soon inside the Sequoya Commons, 525 S. Midvale Blvd.

The EVP East Coffee Shop and Roastery is comfortable and gimmick-free with brightly painted walls adorned with local art. There's plenty of seating and the space maintains a quiet, friendly vibe.

EVP's drink menu is simple yet solid, offering the usual coffee shop drinks: mochas, macchiatos, espressos, chais, cappuccinos and lattes. The food selection is slim, with just a few bakery items available, but according to an EVP employee, the cafes may soon sell homemade soups.

Clearly, at EVP, it's all about the coffee.

EVP roasts its own coffee every weekday in a small, hot air roaster, described by an employee as "a giant popcorn popper." They make 30-40 pounds per roast, and most of the beans are ground for in-store use, but a small portion is sold in local, specialty grocery stores and to restaurants.

"We want our customers to hold us accountable to this high level of service and quality. Ultimately, each person we serve should expect to be treated with kindness, respect, joy and appreciation," says O'Connor.

"We feel fortunate to be realizing our dream and we want to share our excitement and acknowledge each person's contribution to that dream."

Other Madison coffee shops:

Ancora Coffee Roasters
3701 Orin Rd., (608) 255-2900
ancoracoffee.com

Barriques Coffee Trader
127 W. Washington Ave., (608) 259-9394
barriquesmarket.com

Café Zoma
2326 Atwood Ave., (608) 246-2009

Electric Earth
546 W. Washington Ave., (608) 255-2310

Espresso Royale
650 State St., (608) 259-0300
espressoroyale.com

Fair Trade Coffee
418 State St., (608) 268-0477
fairtradecoffeehouse.com

Michelangelo's Coffee House
114 State St., (608) 251-5299

Mother Fool's Coffee House
1101 Williamson St., (608) 259-1301
motherfools.com

Steep & Brew
544 State St. #1, (608) 256-2902
6656 Odana Rd., (608) 833-6656
steepnbrew.com