Wine Bar Opens in Downtown Food Hall

Strange Town, a plant-based restaurant located on the East Side, has opened a bottle shop and wine bar at 3rd Street Market Hall, the food hall located in Downtown at 275 W. Wisconsin Ave. The bar will have at least three wines from each category of red, white and skin contact to order pours from, and will sell take-home bottles and snacks. Carol Deptolla reports:

The shop shares a mission with the restaurant: to pour wines made with minimal intervention. “Better for the Earth and better for us,” Strange Town chef-owner Mia LeTendre said.

Besides pouring by the glass or as flights, Strange Town will have about 60 wines by the bottle to take home.

It will stock a few food items for home, like its vegan salad dressings, hummus and desserts.

Vendetta Coffee Bar Brings Italian Cafe to Walker’s Point

The owners of Vendetta Coffee Bar are bringing a second, expanded version of their traditional Italian coffee house to Walker’s Point. The new Vendetta Coffee bar could open as soon as June in the former home of Movida at 524 S. 2nd St. The new location will allow the coffee bar to expand its cafe offerings to include a variety of Italian appetizers, such as fried olives. Lori Fredrich reports:

The additions will assist as the new cafe leans solidly into the Italian tradition of aperitivo, during which folks gather and socialize over drinks and lighter fare as a warm-up before dinner.

Guests will be able to enjoy those drinks, along with nibbles, during extended bar hours Thursday through Saturday.

(Co-owner Bill) Haley says he also expects to open up the lofted area in the space, not only to accommodate overflow in the cafe, but also for private events, including small bridal or baby showers and other gatherings.

National Daiquiri Chain Coming to Deer District

Fat Tuesday, a national chain of daiquiri bars, is bringing its fruity drinks to the Midwest for the first time — opening a location in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Deer District. The bar will open on the north end of the entertainment district in the building at 333 W. Juneau Ave. If all goes according to plan, the bar would open by the summer. Graham Kilmer reports:

Alex Macedo, CEO of Fat Tuesday, quoted in the press release from the Bucks organization as the “chief daiquiri officer,” said “The Deer District is a prime spot for our Milwaukee debut.”

The first Fat Tuesday location was in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a concept that grew out of a Louisiana-based company called New Orleans Original Daiquiris.

Locally-owned Daiquiri bars have been growing in popularity in the Milwaukee-area. In fact, a bar called S’lush Daiquiri Bar and Event Space is opening just a few steps from the Deer District at 1110 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Also found in Downtown is Tropic, at 518 N. Water St., though it’s not strictly speaking a daiquiri bar, but a Caribbean themed bar.

Sticky Rice Expanding to Brady Street

Sticky Rice, a restaurant that serves Thao and Lao cuisine in the Riverwest neighborhood, has plans to expand into the Brady Street area. The restaurant is taking over the space at 707 E. Brady St., the former home of The Truck Stop, which will operate as a second location for Sticky Rice. Kilmer reports:

(Co-owner Leo) Kingsawan told Urban Milwaukee that fans of the Riverwest location can expect the same menu, with the exception of some additions. The Brady Street location has a larger kitchen, he said, “we just have an opportunity to make a lot more.”

Sticky Rice opened in Riverwest in August 2020. In fact, Kingsawan and his partners signed their lease for the space at 1000 E. Locust St. in March 2020, the same month the COVID-19 pandemic hit Milwaukee in force. The business is in a small space that only offers takeout. Kingsawan told Urban Milwaukee in March 2021, “Being a takeout spot helped, if we were dine-in it wouldn’t help as much.”

The new location on Brady Street will also allow Sticky Rice to serve sit-down customers in a dining area for the first time. Kingsawan said it will operate similar to fast-casual restaurants like Noodles & Company.