City Goes Crazy for Wine

Wine

Is Beer City becoming a wine town? Not quite, perhaps, but wining and dining and divining the flavor notes of a given vino seems to an increasingly popular pastime in this long-time city of suds.

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July will be a busy month for foodies unable to get to the Big Apple, California wine country or France.

Cakebread Cellars will be the host wine at Bacchus, 925 E. Wells St. on July 8 for a five-course meal including center-cut ribeye and four different wines.

Dennis Cakebread, head of sales and marketing will be in attendance and will discuss these wines, including some notable Cabernet Sauvignon.

The cost of this dinner is $95.

Rose wines from Europe will be on the bill for a five-course dinner July 16 at c.1880 restaurant, 1100 S. 1st St. These wines come from France and the pairings will be matched with fennel and rhubarb. The cost will be $90.

Grgich Hills wines are based in California’s famed Napa Valley and will be featured at a five-course meal at Pike Lake House, 3327 Lake Drive in Hartford on July 22. Winery manager Sean Barrett will be in attendance to discuss the variety of wines throughout the evening.

Chef Jeff Slough will prepare the menu and food with the former chef of Riversite in Mequon, Thomas Peschong. The meal will cost $70.

And on July 26 chef Bryce Shuman and manager Eamon Rockey from Betony in New York will combine talents will chef Justin Carlisle and staff at Ardent, 1751 N. Farwell Ave.. This multi-course meal is $150.

5 Rabbit Brewery

Nope, the city hasn’t forgotten entirely about beer. Chicago’s first Latin American brewer,  5 Rabbit Brewery, is coming to town, with the help of all three Bel Air Cantina locations (1935 N. Water St., 2625 N. Downer Ave. and 6817 North Ave. in Wauwatosa), which will be featuring the company’s beer from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m, beginning July 7, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

We reported on the new Bel Air kitchen last year.

Falk, 2013 W. Rawson Ave. and Sheridan, at 4800 S. Lake Dr. Parks will be home to moveable beer gardens running through July 12, according to On Milwaukee.

Now through Friday the gardens will open at 4 p.m. and close at 10 p.m. On the weekend they’ll be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with last call at 9 p.m.

Sprecher beer will be served along with gourmet sodas and free root beer while supplies last.

One July 11 both parks will have live music. Sheridan Park will have E-I-UH-OH at 5 p.m. Falk Park will host Vern and the Originals at 5 p.m.

Ownership Changes

Leslie Montemurro and Scott Johnson have the made the split with Adam and Valeri Lucks. The group jointly owned a number of restaurants, but the Comet Cafe is now owned by Montemurro and Johnson and their Mojofuco group. Meanwhile the Lucks will own and operate Honeypie Cafe and Palomino, both restaurants in Bay View, as On Milwaukee reports.

The Lucks were brought in to refresh Comet at 1947 N. Farwell Ave. in 2005.

Honeypie, which opened in 2009 will continue to supply Comet’s baked goods. We profiled the cafe in 2010.

Amilinda Opening Delayed

All that painting of chairs and remodeling of the interior has moved back plans for the opening of Amilinda at 315 E. Wisconsin Ave.

The Spanish-Portuguese-American restaurant, which made its name as a pop-up restaurant at The National, and has already attracted lots of reservations for its own restaurant, had originally planned a July 21 opening. But chef and co-owner Gregory Leon says he now expects the restaurant to open to the public Aug. 4, after a friends-and-family event Aug. 1. We’re getting hungry already.

Thai-namite

The East Side staple Thai-namite, at 932 E. Brady St., opened up another shop in the Third Ward last year. Now they’re planning a third location in Tosa, according to The Milwaukee Business Journal.

It will be located at 8725 W. North Avenue and its owners plan a 70 seat restaurant with patio and garden to open sometime in October.  It will be similar to their other locations with authentic Thai food along with a Japanese sushi bar.

We reported last year on their move into the Milwaukee Public Market.

Leff’s Lucky Town

The Tosa sports bar Leff’s Lucky Town wants to expand its current space on State Street. Owner Chris Leffler is seeking permission from the city to combine his properties at 7208 and 7206 W. State St., according to The Milwaukee Business Journal.

Leffler would also be able to open a new kitchen if the plans are approved.