New Pan-Asian and Taco Places

On December 12, Momo Mee opened in Freshwater Plaza. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Three years after owners Wolfgang and Whitney Schaefer bought the building, Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern had its first day of business on Monday, December 17.

The restaurant specializes in breakfast and lunch fare. Staying true to the “tavern” name, the drink menu includes beer, cocktails and espresso drinks.

Urban Milwaukee provides a rundown of some unique menu items:

The menu contains some simple classics, such as a gluten-free fresh fruit parfait served with seasonal fruit, honey nut granola and greek yogurt ($7) or a house salad ($8). However, most of the dishes offer at least one twist on a breakfast or lunch favorite. For starters, there’s the PB&J stuffed french toast with challah, peanut butter cream cheese and blackberry gastrique ($10). The BELCH sandwich contains bacon, eggs, lettuce tomato, cheddar and sambal aioli on sourdough, served with a choice of potatoes ($12).

On the lunch side, the Orange and Blue Salad is served with orange supremes, blue cheese, candied almonds, raspberry balsamic, pickled red onion field greens and a white balsamic vinaigrette ($11). The Millee Cheese Steak offers coffee rubbed chuck, garlic pickled jalapenos and onions, beer cheese sauce and mayo on a hoagie ($12). Both burgers on the menu, the hamburger with cheese ($12) and Breaky Burger ($14), sub out normal patties with an American cheese stuffed one-third pound burger.

Uncle Wolfie’s is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

At Random Reopens

At Random. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva.

Following its closure in May, At Random‘s (2501 S. Delaware Ave.) previous owner, Ron Zeller, sold the establishment to John Dye in July. Dye, who also operates Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge (1579 S. 9th St.) and The Jazz Estate (2423 N. Murray St.), reopened the Bay View bar last week.

Dye has made a few changes — bar seating has been added and credit cards are now accepted. However, he has maintained the the “mid-century swanky-meets-cozy” vibe and specialty drink menu that At Random was well-known for under Zeller’s ownership.

OnMilwaukee’s Molly Snyder checked out the new drink menu:

Currently, there are 20 drinks on the menu including cocktails like Bahama Mama, Pink Lady, Pina Colada and Stinger along with ice cream drinks such as the Grasshopper and Peanut Butter Cup. Just as they have been for 60 years, the ice cream drinks are made with Cedar Crest ice cream and garnished with flower-shaped butter cookies with the words “yes,” “no” or “maybe” on them.

About 15 more drinks will be added to the menu within a couple of weeks…

At Random serves one kind of beer – Miller High Life – and two house wines, red and white. Two-ingredient mixed drinks are always available as well.

In the future, the bar plans to add vegan ice cream drinks made with coconut as well as non-alcoholic drinks. Also currently missing from the menu are Tiki Love Bowls, At Random’s infamously strong punch bowls made for two. However, the Tiki Love Bowls will be making their return “very soon,” according to Snyder, so get ready.

At Random is open Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to bar close.

New Pan-Asian Restaurant in Walker’s Point

Momo Mee, a new restaurant focusing on Asian specialties, opened on December 12 at 110 E. Greenfield Ave. in Walker’s Point. Momo Mee is owned by Tony Ho, who is also a chef at RuYi at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. My Ong (Mo) Vang serves as general manager and Aaron Goldberg is the operations manager.

The eatery features dumplings, noodles and other cuisine from countries such as China, Japan and India.

OMC’s Lori Fredrich details the momo (dumplings) selections:

Among the choices – many of which reflect classic dim sum offerings – you’ll find elegant xiao long bao, Shanghai-style soup dumplings which are delivered to your table piping hot in a steamer alongside a bowl of ginger-laced black vinegar dipping sauce (eight pieces for $12)…

There are also steamed vegetable dumplings wrapped in handcrafted spinach dough and filled with a melange of fried tofu and vegetables ($10); steamed or fried pork potstickers ($8); steamed or pan fried chicken dumplings ($8); pan fried Korean kimchi beef mandu ($8); steamed shao mai with pork and shrimp ($8) and spicy Szechuan wontons featuring ten wontons filled with pork, ginger, onions and Chinese greens ($8).

As well as the options for mee (noodles):

Noodles are also showcased in the restaurant’s house ramen which pairs springy housemade ramen noodles with a variety of long-simmering hand-crafted broth, tare and toppings. Options include rich, creamy tonkotsu (pork), shio (chicken), miso or vegetarian shiitake ramen (each priced $13-14)…

Alternatively, opt for Korean Jjampong, a noodle soup featuring shrimp, scallops and mussels with napa cabbage, shiitakes, green onions and cilantro in a spicy chili broth ($16); or Singapore noodles with shrimp and pork ($14) and Cantonese crispy pan fried noodles with baby bok choy, shiitakes, red bell peppers and a choice of protein (beef, chicken or shrimp ($14-16).

As for drinks, the menu includes a “curated list” of sake, as well as cider, beer and red and white wines.

Momo Mee is open for lunch service Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as dinner service Monday through Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m.

New Taco Restaurant Coming Downtown

Westtown is slated to have a new taco restaurant by spring.

The restaurant, called Lazo’s Taco Shack, will be located at 641 N. James Lovell St. Lazo’s gets its name from brothers and proprietors, Jose and Alfonzo Lazo. Alfonzo’s wife, Flor, will also operate the restaurant alongside the brothers.

Jose Lazo spoke with BizTimes, saying that the dishes will be “Spanish and Latin American-inspired cuisine with a modern twist.” Maredithe Meyer previews the fare:

Its menu will offer a variety of tacos, burritos and quesadillas, as well as Mexican-style burgers and hot dogs, or “taco dogs,” he said. With a primary focus on food, the restaurant will initially limit its beverage selection to soda and beer only.

Lazo’s Taco Shack will have bar and table seating for up to 50 people, and will be open for lunch and dinner daily.

Now Closing: Mykonos Gyro & Cafe

Mykonos Gyro & Cafe. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva.

After 24 years, Mykonos Gyro & Cafe (1014 N. Van Buren St.) will close on December 30.

The cafe, which serves Greek and American food, gave no official reason in the Facebook post announcing the closure. The restaurant will continue to operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until its last day.

Maison Closes

The French restaurant, Maison (5921 W. Vliet St.) has been closed for at least two weeks.

Owner Michael Quinn posted about the closure on Facebook, saying he was looking for a larger space for the restaurant.

While the actual closing date is tricky to pin down, the Journal Sentinel’s Carol Deptolla pieces together a timeline:

A Facebook post on Nov. 26 said the kitchen was closed for maintenance but the bar was open. A U-Haul truck was seen outside the restaurant late last week, and a sign on the door said the restaurant was closed for a private event. Maison was closed the following days, as well, and the reservations link on the website this week says reservations are unavailable.

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