The Return of Punch Bowl Social

Punch Bowl Social Milwaukee. Photo courtesy of Punch Bowl Social Milwaukee.

Just in time for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Punch Bowl Social, will reopen its doors to the public  The a 24,000-square-foot venue across from Fiserv Forum has remained closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, facing a number of internal issues such as its parent company going bankrupt and a legal dispute between its former and new owners. Punch Bowl Social will reopen on March 16, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and two days before the first round of March Madness. “We are eager and ready to re-open our doors to Milwaukee, and we look forward to a bustling week ahead,” said Robert Cornog, Jr., its Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, in a press release adding these details:

Punch Bowl Social Milwaukee features more than 24,000 square feet of great food, beverage and entertainment options – a 360-degree bar, eight bowling lanes, three karaoke rooms, billiards, ping pong and other game activities, plus TVs throughout. The kitchen, delivering a variety of specialty scratch-made menu items, will be re-opening with classic favorites such as chicken and waffles, cauliflower nachos and cilantro wings, as well as new menu items including bacon-wrapped shrimp and polenta…

Texas-based CrowdOut Capital purchased the chain out of bankruptcy in 2020 and has reopened all 15 locations but the one in the Deer District.

The Milwaukee Punch Bowl Social location will be open 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Sundays. Punch Bowl Social will also be open on select Mondays and Tuesdays for scheduled events at Fiserv Forum, such as Bucks games and concerts. Weekend brunch will resume later this month.

Bulldog Ale House Plans First Wisconsin Location

Bulldog Ale House, a small chain with 10 location in Illinois and a single location in Texas, is planning its first Wisconsin location in West Allis. The restaurant, which will operate out of a former Perkins space at 2878 S. 108th St., is planning to open during the first week of April. Bulldog Ale House specializes in bar fare, with daily specials such as half price on all pizzas and $13 all-you-can-eat fish fries. Hours for the restaurant will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Bob Dohr reports:

Aside from the pizzas, burgers and beer, Bulldog’s menu features bar snacks, tacos, chicken wings & tenders, sides, soups, sandwiches, salads, wraps, a kids menu and desserts.

(Owner Matt) Ahmeti said his favorite menu item is the white truffle pizza. Close behind are the Buffalo chicken pizza and the M.A. burger, which boasts a pair of 1/4-pound patties with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pickle & M.A. secret sauce.

The restaurant will employ about 75 employees with a nearly even split between part-time and full-time workers, Ahmeti said.

Crafty Cow Launches New Menu

Crafty Cow, a small family-owned restaurant chain specializing in craft burgers and craft beer, has revamped its menu for all three locations. Crafty Cow has locations in Bay View, Oconomowoc and Wauwatosa. The new menu not only adds new food items (including more vegetarian options), but aims to be more transparent about the restaurant’s behind-the-scenes operations. Lori Fredrich reports:

The Crafty Cow menus will now list the brand’s commitment to sustainability, including the use of compostable and recyclable containers, the use of antibiotic, hormone-free, vegetarian fed, humanely raised Black Angus beef from Creekstone Farm, and all natural chicken.

Loyal guests will also notice multiple changes on the menu, including the addition of numerous vegetable-based dishes like a vegetarian loaded burrito with taco seasoned quinoa, poblano pepper medley, pepperjack cheese, avocado, greens, edamame and chickpeas in a chickpea cilantro wrap ($14.50); and a fried cauliflower po’boy featuring aleppo pepper battered cauliflower, marinated tomato, greens, cilantro mint chutney, pickled red onion and cucumbers ($14.50).

Also, if you notice that the basic Juicy Lucy burger is missing, you’re absolutely right, as it’s been replaced with a tastier, more customizable burger: The Classic Cow, which features two smash-style brisket patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and special sauce ($12.50), plus bacon and/or avocado for +$3.

Latin Gastropub Coming to Bay View

Tulum Latin Gastropub, a new restaurant specializing in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, is planning to open in the former home of Odd Duck. Tulum Latin Gastropub would take over the now-vacant space at 2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., not too long after Odd Duck made its move to Walker’s Point. Owner Ernesto Carmona and chef Dario Nunez will draw upon their respective roots to create the restaurant’s menu — Carmona being from Puerto Rico and Nunez from Mexico. Graham Kilmer reports:

Juan Magdaleon, the general manager of the new venture, told Urban Milwaukee that the menu will have Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, Peruvian and Mexican dishes among others. On top of that, it will also offer some classic pub fare like a burger. Essentially, he said, the restaurant will be serving Latin comfort food.

Each dish… will have a recommended drink, traditional to that cuisine, to pair with it. For example, if a customer orders a Cubano, the recommended cocktail pairing will be a Mojito.

Right now, Magdaleon and his business partners are doing some work on the former Odd Duck space to make it their own. Patrons will find the walls have been painted with new matte-black accents, and in the back, he said, they plan to do a faux-green wall. They’re keeping the exposed brick and the hardwood bar, “staying with the rustic theme,” he said.