More Asian Food for Walker’s Point

Momo Mee to open in Freshwater Plaza. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Momo Mee will soon be one of many new businesses opening in Walker’s Point. The restaurant will be located at 110 E. Greenfield Ave. in Freshwater Plaza. Owner Tony Ho was a longtime chef at RuYi and is now focused on bringing authentic Asian dishes to Milwaukee. The opening is planned for fall as Ho prepares to remodel the space and complete a menu. So far there will be Japanese, Cantonese and Shanghainese dishes. There will also be drink options that include cocktails, sake and specialty spirits.

OnMilwaukee’s Lori Fredrich takes a peek at the planned menu:

Among those items are a variety of handmade noodles, including smooth, springy hand-pulled la mian, vegetarian spinach noodles and housemade ramen noodles.

…and his goal at Momo Mee is to serve high quality, traditional ramen with not only freshly made noodles, but broth made with numerous ingredients from which flavor has been painstakingly coaxed.

Ho will also serve his own special recipe for traditional Szechuan dandan noodles, a dish he says he grew up eating.

Momo Mee will be open everyday for lunch and dinner.

More and More Poké

Another new poké place? Already? The answer is yes and yes. R&R Poké is planning to open in July at 1460 Underwood Ave. in Wauwatosa. The name comes from owners Ren Zhang and his wife Rachael Zhao. Zhang learned the restaurant business from his parents who owned a few places of their own. Zhang has called poké “the fastest trend in the food industry.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Karen Pilarski describes some of the options:

The menu will offer eight signature bowls such as Morning Sunshine, which has salmon, avocado, scallions, pineapple, lettuce, crispy onions, red cabbage and classic sauce. Vegan of the Sea features organic tofu, mango, goji berry, edamame, sweet onion, lettuce, cucumber, sesame seeds, red cabbage, carrot, sprouting tip.  The signature bowls range from $8.95 to $13.95.

There is an option for customers to create their own poké in a rice bowl, sushi burrito or poké salad. A choice of protein, sauces, toppings and a mixture of fruit and vegetables to chose from. Prices range from $8.95 to $13.95.

The restaurant will also offer smoothies, which range from $4.25 to $5.75. Other drinks include fruit teas, such as Fruity Pebbles, lavender chamomile and more. Prices range from $2.75 to $3.75. Also offered will be herbal tea and bubble milk tea.

They are planning to open in July.

Donut Monster Rising

Jackie Lee Woods has gone from fine-dining chef to figuring out how to make a really good doughnut. Woods created Donut Monster after his pregnant wife Sara craved a doughnut and they noticed the dough was not good. He wants to focus on the ingredients for the “base” of the doughnut to ensure interesting and unique flavors. At the moment, Donut Monster is only available at festivals, but Woods is searching for the right space to open the first store.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Carol Deptolla details some of the doughnut flavors:

Cherry cheesecake (liquid cheesecake filling and tart-cherry glaze, topped with graham cracker), lemon-butter glaze and peanut butter and jelly (Concord grape glaze, peanut butter buttercream filling) are some of the flavors so far.

For the time being, Donut Monster doughnuts are available at festival stands; Woods’ first gig was Cedarburg’s Strawberry Festival in June, when the doughnuts were strawberry-themed (such as strawberry lemonade and strawberry cheesecake flavors). The doughnuts are $2 to $4.

Donut Monster will be at the Ozaukee County Fair on August 2nd and the Wine and Harvest Festival in Cedarburg on September 15th and 16th.

Pat’s Ribs Place Expands

The barbecue restaurant located at 151 E. Sunset Dr. in Waukesha has doubled its space and tripled the seating. The new space will be available July 10th. Seating capacity has gone from 23 to 78 and there are plans to host live blues performances.

Biztimes’ Maredithe Meyer quotes a news release on the new venture:

“We have a loyal customer base, but we’ve also become a destination restaurant,” said co-owner Alisha Hayes. “Our customers are eager to get into the new space.”

Hayes and her husband Tydus opened Pat’s Rib Place in 2009, naming it after Alisha’s mother, Patricia Lee Lloyd. The restaurant specializes in southern-inspired dishes such as ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, catfish and fried fruit pies. Pat’s is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

Now Closing: Juniper 61

Juniper 61 at 6030 W. North Ave. in Wauwatosa will close in late August after 10 years of operation. Owners Sarah Jonas and Cameryne Roberts released a heart-felt statement thanking the surrounding community and explaining the reasons why they have decided to sell. New owners Sarah and Zak Baker currently own Pizza Man and are planning to open an authentic Italian restaurant in the space.

Fredrich quotes the emotional statement:

...we just don’t feel good about continuing on, doing half the job due to the emotional and physical challenges we’ve faced recently. We’ve tried to not let these issues interfere with our own performance, but, really, how can they not? Therefore we came to the very difficult, very emotional decision to sell rather than allow our customers and our employees to suffer the consequences of our less-than-ideal commitment level while our hearts and bodies are wrung out. We would rather lower the curtain on a high note, amidst feelings of joy and community and celebrate the years you have welcomed us and allowed us to serve you.

If the sale goes as planned, Juniper 61 will remain open for two weeks before closing the sale in August.