Even More Downtown Dining Options

In November we reported that Xankia, a Vietnamese sandwich shop, would be opening Downtown at 222 W. Wells St. The bahn mi restaurant opened on Wednesday, as its Facebook page reveals, serving eight different sandwiches (“bahn mi” is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread), and will also offer soups and fried rice, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Although it is new to Downtown, Xankia is not new to Milwaukee. Owner Xa Xiong has been serving fresh banh mi in Milwaukee at 5455 S. 27th St.

You can order sandwiches for under $5 — that’s with a drink and two egg rolls — from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Call (414) 817-0241 or visit the Facebook page for more.

Strong Coffee 

Followers of the Urban Caveman paleo food truck will be intrigued to learn that its co-owner Alan Harris, is also getting aboard the trend of blending coffee with such ingredients as grass-fed butter. Hey, its supposed to be good for you. Harris will partner with Adam Von Rothfelder, owner of Drench Fitness Boutique to open Strong Coffee in February, the Business Journal reports.

It will be located at 763 N. Plankinton, in the space previously occupied by Refuge Smoothie and will serve lots of coffee, but with a healthy slant featuring organic ingredients and unique formulas for protein mixes and other “blended coffees.” More details to come.

The Spoon

Another “downtown” restaurant is coming, but this one is in Waukesha, where a new restaurant serving soups, stews and desserts, called the Spoon, has opened, as the JS reported.

Located at 928 N. Hartwell Ave., the small (seating for 15) counter-service restaurant (open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues-Sat) serves breakfast, but emphasizes lunch and bills itself as a place for soup and desserts. The menu offers a lineup of about a dozen soups, with a rotating menu of four daily soups. These could include creamy chicken and wild rice, butternut squash with toasted pumpkin seeds and tortellini, corn chowder with corn fritters, and Italian lentil and farro.

Rotating pies include banana cream with chocolate ganache, cherry-peach, cranberry chess and lemon buttermilk.

To contact: (262) 370-4242 or on their Facebook page.

Wayward Kitchen and Bar

In Walker’s Point, the Wayward Kitchen and Bar (1407 S. 1st St.) has launched a new lunch menu and extended its hours as of Friday. The restaurant emailed to note that Chef Tyler Mason will now be serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, in addition to the restaurant’s original weekend brunch hours.

Wayward diners can now order such delicacies as poutine with barbecue braised beef, for $10.50, and jambalaya fritters — just $7 — made with shrimp, andouille and rice and served with remoulade.

Ten dollars buys you a salad, including winter root vegetable with beet, carrot, arugula, pistachio, raisins and feta dressing. Among burgers and sandwiches under $11 are the half-pound Wayward burger with Gorgonzola, bacon jam and arugula, the black bean burger with sriracha mayo, as well as its Reuben and meatball sub.

Check out Wayward’s Facebook page for daily deals and specials. Call (414) 763-1191 with questions or comments.

The National

Also in Walkers Point, The National (839 W. National Ave.), the cafe known for its breakfast and lunch offerings, announced Thursday via its Twitter account that it would be open at night in the near future. OnMilwaukee reported that owner Nell Benton plans to begin her dinner venture this March. Benton also said she would be bringing in chef Thi Cao, who currently works at Buckley’s at 801 N. Cass St.

What is happening at The National? #nightservice #grandopening #nationalcafe

— National Nights MKE (@NationalNights) January 8, 2015

The National’s dinner menu has not yet been made available, but expect it in the near future.

The Brass Tap

Finally, if you long for another franchise bar serving pub food, you’re in luck. The Brass Tap, which boasts more than 25 locations, is coming to Greenfield at 7808 W. Layton Ave., with a grand opening planned for January 19, the Business Journal reports.  The 3,000, square-foot space will have 80 beers on tap, and an upscale pub menu offering paninis, soft pretzel pizzas, chicken wings, pretzels with beer cheese, flatbreads, burgers and fries with dipping sauces. The company is a competitor of World of Beer, which has a location in Wauwatosa and formerly had one on Brady Street which closed.