More Middle Eastern Food for Milwaukee

The SURG Restaurant Group, under partners Mike Polaski and Omar Shaikh, is one of the biggest such operations in town. On one block of Milwaukee Street alone includes the Carnevor steakhouse, Unami Moto (sushi), and Distil (upscale drinks and snacks). Other places include Mikey’s on Jefferson St. and two locations of Hom wood-fired grill restaurants — in Brookfield and at Bayshore.

They’re not stopping there. Surg will be opening Lucid Hookah and Light Lounge at 729 N. Milwaukee St. and private banquet space The Garden at 725 N. Milwaukee St. by the end of this month as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported.

Lucid replaced the once popular bar, Kenadees, and will serve hookah and a Mediterranean-style menu by day, while offering a lounge-and-dance-floor at night.

Second Pita Pit Opening

As we reported back in October, the Pita Pit, which has grown in popularity at its 2224 N. Farwell Ave. location, planned to open its second Milwaukee location in the Railway Exchange Building downtown, at 229 E. Wisconsin Ave. We’re told the new place will open Wednesday. Owner Andrew Culp had previously opened a location on State Street in Madison. Pita Pit offers a variety of “build your own” pitas and features a breakfast menu, smoothies, salads, soup and coffee from Valentine Coffee Co.

Heaven City Reopens

Back in October we reported that Heaven City would be re-opening as Troy’s Heaven City Supper Club under new operator Troy Schoenrock.

Apparently he had a change of mind and Heaven City will reopen under its original name at the original location, S91-W27850 National Ave, in Mukwonago. As the Journal Sentinel has reported, the restaurant will be a supper club, with a menu of steaks, chops and some Italian dishes, along with a Friday fish fry.

Heaven City will be open for dinner at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, serving until 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, until 10 p.m. Saturday and until 8 p.m. Sunday. Lunch begins at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday. To contact: (262) 363-9335.

Sheridan House Has New Chef, New Menu

The Sheridan House in Cudahy has a new chef, whose created a new menu. Joe Schreiter, who previously worked for The Bartolotta Restaurants, has come aboard at Sheridan’s and he’s made some menu changes.

The starters include beer-steamed mussels ($7.95), crab cake ($11.95) and scallops ($13.95) made with arugula, blood orange, fennel and gremolata. The eight entrees range from pasta carbonara ($14.95) to filet mignon ($28.95.

Sheridan’s brunch now includes quiche with breakfast potatoes and balsamic-dressed salad ($9.95) and corned beef hash with potatoes, root vegetables and two fried eggs ($11.95).

Sustainable Kitchens

The Watertown Regional Medical Center’s Harvest Market will need a new chef because, as of Feb. 6, chef Justin Johnson is leaving the restaurant he helped the hospital to launch just more than one year ago.

According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, the former Hotel Metro chef is starting Sustainable Kitchens, a consulting firm that would help businesses create sustainable restaurant practices, as he did at Harvest Market.

Johnson’s website explains that Sustainable Kitchens’ mission is to help restaurants reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction and employee morale, increase sales, raise brand awareness and increase wellness.

Now Closing

Call it a New Year’s mystery. Übeer Gastropub, a St. Francis restaurant, threw a New Years party and later announced its closing via its Facebook page — nine days after it was last open for business. The bar and grill, which opened in early 2014, last served on New Year’s Eve. The Facebook status attributed Übeer’s closing to “economic complications.”