New Restaurant Offers Soul Food

The Tandem. Photo by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

Last summer, The Tandem owner Caitlin Cullen closed her restaurant after giving away 115,000 meals throughout the pandemic. And the giving didn’t stop there — rather than sell her her restaurant, Cullen opted to hand the keys over to one lucky entrepreneur. Over two dozen people applied, but Rosetta Bond was chosen to inherit the space. She will open 1700 Pull Up Restaurant in the Tandem building (1848 W. Fond Du Lac Ave.) sometime this spring. She plans to continue the community work that Tandem had become known for, including hiring workers from the neighborhood. Carol Deptolla reports: 

Bond plans to change the menu at the restaurant seasonally. “What’s there for the first four months might not be there for the next four months,” she said.

Bond prepares a range of dishes for her 1700 Pull Up catering that customers likely will find at the restaurant, such as corned beef and reuben sandwiches; traditional or jerk turkey legs with toppings such as greens, chicken dressing, dirty rice or mac and cheese; and the menu items she makes for her Soul Food Sundays, such as chicken or pork chops — fried or smothered — and pot roast.

1700 Pull Up will open for lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays once city licenses are approved. Before then, Bond is planning to redecorate and perhaps install a smoker for the turkey legs .

New Neighborhood Bar Coming to Brookfield

A new neighborhood bar has taken over the space formerly home to Sabella’s Pub at 2850 N. Brookfield Rd., and is set to open its doors to the public on February 1. C.C.’s Elbow Room will offer cocktails, beer and wine, as well as a small menu of bar food. Owner Cee Cee Ceman completely renovated the inside, which included installing the former Blatz Brewery Tasting bar. Ceman also plans to add a poured cement patio come spring time that will accommodate an additional 10 tables. Lori Fredrich reports: 

At the bar, guests will find the usual suspects, including a list of house cocktails, from margaritas and Manhattans to a house old fashioned made with Lustau brandy that’s been aged for three years in American oak casks which previously held Amontillado Sherry. Ceman says she’ll also offer guests the option to add Hydrate or Monin vitamin shots to any cocktail.

The bar’s food menu is small, but emphasizes quality items that can be made efficiently with limited kitchen space. Guests can expect items like cooked to order burgers, snacks like fried cheese curds, along with a menu of sandwiches – including choices like a Cubano and Reuben – and a rotating selection of soup, including chili.

The kitchen will also offer pinsa pizza, a Roman style of pizza renowned for its light, airy crust which is crisp on the exterior and tender and airy inside thanks to a proprietary blend of wheat, rice, soy and sourdough flours.

Interval Coffee to Open Bay View Cafe

Interval Coffee, a coffee roaster and purveyor that started on the East Side and has quickly expanded with a second location in the Third Ward, plans to open a third location in Bay View. The new cafe would occupy the vacant space at 2266 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., where the recently closed Stone Creek Coffee once resided. Stone Creek shut down its operations there after it failed to reach a resolution with the building owner and city regarding a leaning wall that needed to be repaired. Jeramey Jannene reports: 

Property owner SG Property Management said in a statement it was proud to announce Interval as the new tenant.

“Interval and owner Ryan Hoban have established themselves on the East Side, and recently the Third Ward, as an upscale neighborhood cafe,” said SG. The firm is led by Scott Genke and has a number of holdings in the Bay View area.

… the Interval Instragram account teased a Bay View cafe on Dec. 31. “Stay tuned for some more exciting things to come in 2022, a new space in Bay View to roast our coffee from and serve you all at, more people being added to our team, more focus, more creativity, more opportunities for us to share more of our lives together,” said the post.

The Instagram page now says the new location will open in Summer 2022. Work is already underway to repair the two-story building.

Riverfront Restaurant Planned for Harbor District

The brand new restaurant space near 1st and Beecher that overlooks the Kinnickinnic River has announced it has found its first tenant. Benson’s Restaurant Group, formerly known as Hospitality Democracy, is the name behind the restaurant that will occupy the approximately 6,000-square-foot space at the base of River One development. Jannene reports: 

The new restaurant, a name and concept for which will be unveiled at a later date, would occupy the commercial stall at the base of the Tribute apartments building located along S. 1st St. The restaurant would offer indoor and outdoor seating and is located along a new segment of the Milwaukee RiverWalk.

The 95-unit apartment building is expected to open this spring, with the restaurant following this summer. Michels Corp, the master developer of the six-acre complex, now occupies the top floors of the eight-story office building to the west. The infrastructure contractor is developing the complex as part of a talent attraction and retention strategy, and to house its new civil infrastructure division.

“Benson’s Restaurant Group’s roster of dining establishments in the Milwaukee-area is unparalleled, and we wanted to work with its team to develop and operate this anchor offering on the campus,” said Tim Michels, co-owner of the multi-building development and Michels “The restaurant will mirror the campus’ goal of fostering a community, and will create an inviting space with delicious offerings.”