HotWax Will Mix Music and Meat

Crossroads Collective. File photo by Dave Reid.

If you thought the Crossroads Collective food hall at Farwell and North already had considerable variety in its lineup of vendors, well, here comes a new twist mixing music and meat. Coming soon to Crossroads Collective is HotWax, a spinoff of chef Ben Crevensten’s Meat & Co. that will serve items from that pop-up as well as options exclusive to this new venture. The menu is meat-centric, the presentation will also feature music, and the stall will open on April 20. Carol Deptolla reports: 

(HotWax will serve) smash burgers, Nashville-hot fried chicken sandwiches, chili dogs and other comfort foods, like tenders with “a slew of sauces,” Crevensten said, and a pimento-cheese plate to share.

HotWax’s house burger will be two smashed 3-ounce patties with caramelized onions, pickles, burger sauce and Cooper sharp cheese, a melty American cheese with the flavor of cheddar, Crevensten said. The “skinny” burger will be a single, 4-ounce patty.

HotWax, which refers to the method used decades ago to press records, will have a record store theme, reflected in a mural of album covers at the stall. Plans call for showing vintage cartoons at the stall and spinning records. (Crevensten and his so-far-silent business partner bonded over music.) 

Sabrosa Cafe Owners Opening New Cafe in Bay View

A new cafe offering counter-service breakfast and lunch is being opened by the owners of Sabrosa Café and Gallery. The restaurant will serve fast-casual iterations of Sabrosa’s food without sacrificing any of the quality. The new cafe, called Sisu Cafe, is aiming to open sometime in either May or June at 2121 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Deptolla reports:

(Co-owner Ruben) Piirainen‘s heritage is Finnish, so some Finnish baked goods will be available at Sisu. Sanchez said that could include pulla, the cardamom bread; korvapuusti, cardamom-cinnamon roll; and nisu, cardamom egg bread to slice thick, butter and grill, and serve with jam.

Sisu Cafe also would have breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups and salads, to appeal to commuters and nearby workers.

On Sundays, however, the restaurant would have leisurely brunches with table service. Sisu would be open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Scardina Specialties Officially Has New Home

There’s been lots of speculation about when and where Scardina Specialties would finally reopen, but those craving the deli’s delicious Sicilian sandwiches and pizzas can rest easy — Scardina Specialties will officially reopen in Riverwest. The business will relocate to 713-715 E. Locust St., the former home of Riverwest Healing Arts (the signage still remains from those days). Graham Kilmer reports: 

(Owner Damien) Scardina told Urban Milwaukee at the time that he was in the process of securing a loan to buy the building on Locust Ave. Now, he’s closed on the loan allowing him to move forward his plans to reopen Scardina Specialties by the summer.

“We are ready to Rock N’ Roll!” Scardina told Urban Milwaukee in an email.

Scardina has been looking for a new space in Riverwest since the business was shut down, refusing to reopen anywhere else. “The people here in Riverwest have been really good to us,” Scardina said. When the deli reopens, he said he wants to have a beer from each of the Riverwest breweries: Lakefront Brewery, Black Husky Brewing, Gathering Place Brewing Company and Company Brewing.

New Fish and Chicken Restaurant For Avenues West

A new restaurant serving fried fish and chicken for take-out only is coming to Wisconsin Ave. Captain Hook’s Fish and Chicken will open at 2532 W. Wisconsin Ave., and will focus more on the seafood side of the business’ name. The restaurant is hoping to open by mid-June, and will operate seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. according to a license request. Kilmer reports: 

The restaurant will sell several kinds of fried catfish, perch, salmon, tilapia and shrimp. For chicken it will sell fried chicken buckets and wings. The restaurant will offer whole wings or party wings, the latter being the traditional bar wings served with the drumsticks and wings separated. Captain Hook’s will offer serving sizes for their chicken of up to 100 wings.

Ayad is opening Captain Hook’s Fish and Chicken along with Murad Oudeh. Ayad also owns Big Shark’s Fish and Chicken at 3420 W. North Ave.

Ayad and Oudeh are currently remodeling the space and building out their nautical concept at W. Wisconsin Ave. The location was most recently previously a Golden Fish and Chicken restaurant.

Curry Hut Coming to Milwaukee’s Southwest Side

Curry Hut, an Indian restaurant specializing in fast service Indian comfort food, is in the works for 9809 W. Oklahoma Ave. The restaurant is being opened by  brother-and-sister duo Sanjeev and Kavita Sharma, who have been working on the project for the past two years. The restaurant plans to open in May if all goes according to plan. Kilmer reports: 

Curry Hut will offer classic Indian dishes that many have come to expect from Indian restaurants like Butter Chicken Masala, Chicken Tika and Shahi Paneer, but service will remind customers of fast-casual eateries, Kavita said. The restaurant will also sell classic Indian sweets and desserts like Gulab Jamun, she said. The restaurant will do carry-out and have space for dining.

Kavita said her mother was a passionate cook, something she passed along to her children. She passed away a few years ago, and the restaurant is in part an homage to her. In fact, some of the dishes served will be based on her mother’s recipes, she said.

The restaurant will also have a number of vegan and vegetarian options, said Kavita, who is herself a vegetarian.

New Jamaican Restaurant Now Open on MLK Drive

A popular Jamaican restaurant and catering business has a new location now open on Martin Luther King Drive. Pepperpot celebrated its grand opening on April 12, establishing its newest location at 2215 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. The restaurant’s previous location at 4120 W. Capitol Dr. will now handle the catering side of the business. Kilmer reports: 

The new 3,750-square-foot building in Halyard Park will offer dine-in service along with carryout and has space to seat up to 99 people. “We wanted to grow the business,” he told Urban Milwaukee. “To be honest with you, we had grown out of Capitol Drive.”

The restaurant officially opens Tuesday, April 12. If you’ve never been to Pepperpot, the restaurant is most famous for its jerk egg rolls. But Jackson told Urban Milwaukee he also recommends first-timers try the jerk chicken, or, if they enjoy seafood, the grilled salmon.

Jackson is also adding a few new items to the menu at the King Drive location, like a jerk pork and lamb chops.