Pour One Out for Milwaukee Ale House
Looking ahead: two week-long dining events scheduled for September.
Milwaukee Ale House. Photo by Annie Mattea.
Milwaukee Ale House Will Close
Milwaukee Ale House will close in September after 25 years at its Historic Third Ward location, according to a Facebook post from the company.
Jim McCabe opened the brewpub in 1997. Known for its craft beer and elevated pub fare, Milwaukee Ale house is located along the Milwaukee River, at 233 N. Water St.
“Unfortunately, we lease this famous space, and the building owners have decided to go in a different direction. Our lease is expiring and our last day at this location will be September 11, 2022,” said a Facebook post uploaded Monday night.
News of the Milwaukee Ale House closing comes as a sale is pending for its parent company, Milwaukee Brewing Company. The asset disposition firm New Mill Capital is handling the sale of the production brewery at 1128 N. 9th St. inside The Forty Two complex, Urban Milwaukee previously reported.
Discourse Coffee Opens Cafe at MSOE
Change is brewing at Discourse Coffee.
Since relocating from Sister Bay to Milwaukee in 2021, the cafe has been shaking up the city’s caffeine scene with imaginative, experimental drinks–first as a pop-up then with a residency at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In February, the cafe moved into a brick-and-mortar location at Crossroads Collective, the East Side food hall.
The cafe is poised to expand again. The latest location, Discourse – Downtown, at 1025 N. Broadway is expected to open in September at the Direct Supply Innovation and Technology Center (ITC) on the Milwaukee School of Engineering campus. The ITC is where Direct Supply develops new technology for senior living communities.
The 55,000-square-foot building, which features high, arched windows and whimsical decor including a grass-covered bench, repurposed tractor trailer and life-size Mario warp pipe, couldn’t be better suited to the eclectic vibe of the cafe.
Cafe and Event Space Planned for Historic Mitchell Street
A new community-minded coffee shop and event space is planned for the Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood.
Eleazar Maldonado, a DJ for Hittin Hard Radio, plans to open La Bodega at 729 W. Mitchell St. The business would take the place of a former Bilt-Rite Furniture store, below the second-floor offices of Hittin Hard Radio.
The desire to open a cafe has been with Maldonado for a while, he said, noting that he drew inspiration from the culture of internet cafes in South America. Maldonado’s wife is from a South American country and his DJ career has led him to travel extensively throughout the continent. Charmed by the community-focused nature of the cafes, he decided to create something similar back home.
In Milwaukee, free wifi is available in many places throughout the city, so the internet connection is less of a necessity. Rather, Maldonado said he wanted to lean into the community element and work with local businesses, nonprofits and other organizations that help the city, particularly those concerned with youth development, in the La Bodega event space.
Bartolotta Aims to Revitalize Historic Site
The Bartolotta Restaurants, a Milwaukee hospitality group, is set to expand its portfolio with a new restaurant and catering venue, The Commodore, at 1807 Nagawicka Rd. in Hartland.
Developed in partnership with David Herro and Jay Franke of HF Hospitality Group, The Commodore would open in the former Seven Seas Seafood & Steak Restaurant, said a press release from the group.
The venture is a strategic move to revitalize a historic property, located on Nagawicka Lake. Opened in 1905, the building was originally Hasslinger’s Pleasant View Hotel & Resort, but has served mainly as a restaurant and event space for nearly 40 years.
“This 117-year-old building is a living time capsule of Nagawicka Lake and the Lake Country community surrounding it, and The Commodore – A Bartolotta Restaurant will serve as the bridge between the past we preserve and the future memories we will make,” said Paul Bartolotta, owner and co-founder (along with his late brother Joe Bartolotta) of The Bartolotta Restaurants. “Together with our partners, David and Jay, we will bring new life to this building and create a dining experience that is truly unique to Lake Country and the Greater Milwaukee area.”
Asian Grocery and Deli For North Side
A new grocery store is planned for the Brynwood neighborhood on Milwaukee’s North Side.
Mong Teng Food and Deli, an Asian food market, would open at 7120 W. Good Hope Rd. The store would sell fresh produce, canned goods and frozen food, plus grab-and-go meals.
Mong Teng Yang, who will co-own the store with his wife, Bai Lor, recently filed an occupancy permit for the building, which he purchased last month for $590,000, according to an online listing from Coldwell Banker Realty. The 5,345-square-foot space formerly housed Anchor Properties LLC, a property management firm.
Yang said he wanted to open the market as an option for the Asian community in Milwaukee, as well as other populations who want to purchase specialty ingredients that are difficult to find at conventional grocery stores.
Southside Dining Week A Global Affair
More than 30 restaurants are set to participate in this year’s Southside Dining Week, scheduled for mid-September.
North Shore Bank is presenting Southside Dining Week for a second year, following its inaugural installment in 2021.
The event will highlight international cuisine in Milwaukee’s southside neighborhoods from Sept. 17 to 24. A lineup of 31 restaurants will offer $15 signature meals for the week.
A Live Band Brunch will kick off the week-long festival on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Zócalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St.
New Texas-Style BBQ Place Opening
A new barbeque spot is coming to the north side.
Mancave BBQ would serve Texas-style barbeque staples with an international twist at 4701 N. 76th St. The business is slated to open Sept. 3.
Owner Michael Thao was introduced to the food industry early in life, helping out at the family food truck, Hmong Egg Roll Express, since he was 10 years old.
A lifelong barbeque lover, Thao was interested in starting his own concept, but wanted to gain first-hand experience before taking the leap. In April, Thao decided to travel to Texas to meet with and learn from the most prominent pitmasters in the industry.
Downtown Dining Week Returns
Downtown Dining Week is set to return for its 17th installment. More than 25 restaurants will participate in the event, scheduled for early September.
The event will run Sept. 8 to 15, featuring multi-course menus for $15 or $25 for lunch and $35 or $45 for dinner, said a press release from the organizers. Milwaukee Downtown BID#21 coordinates the event.
“From steak and seafood to BBQ and global cuisine, there’s something for every palate on this year’s list of Downtown Dining Week participants,” said Beth Weirick, CEO of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 in a press release. “Come fall, we look forward to showcasing downtown Milwaukee’s unparalleled dining scene to new and returning guests.”
The 28-restaurant lineup includes ARIA, Benihana, Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria, Brunch, Café at the Pfister, The Capital Grille, Carson’s Prime Steaks & Famous Barbecue, DOC’s Commerce Smokehouse, East Town Kitchen & Bar, Flourchild, The Knick, Lowcountry, Mader’s Restaurant, Mason Street Grill, Oak Barrel Public House, Onesto, Rodizio Grill, Smoke Shack, The Social American Tavern, SportClub, Stella Van Buren, Third Coast Provisions, Third Street Tavern, Turning Tables Tavern & Eatery, Uncle Buck’s, Vagabond,Ward’s House of Prime, and Who’s on Third.
The Brown Bottle Is Closed
The Brown Bottle, the historic Schlitz Park tavern, is permanently closed, according to a Facebook post from the operation.
The gastropub, 221 W. Galena St., first opened as a tasting room for Schlitz Brewery in 1938. Its most recent owner, F Street Hospitality, managed the operation at the time of its closure.
“The Brown Bottle will be permanently closed as of Saturday, August 13. We thank you for your patronage and have enjoyed serving you,” the Brown Bottle said in its post Friday.
Throughout its nearly 100 years in operation, the tavern has closed and reopened on several occasions, Urban Milwaukee previously reported.
New Food Truck Park for North Side
A surface parking lot at 7015 W. Capitol Dr. is poised to become Milwaukee’s newest food truck and entertainment hub.
The Food Truck Park, a project of Whitney Walker, would open next summer in a 5,160-square-foot surface lot on the edge of the Capitol Heights neighborhood.
Walker said her goal is to establish a hub for trucks to congregate in a single space instead of being “scattered throughout the city.” With a plethora of food trucks frequenting the area, she added, “every day it might be someone different.”
The park would be open six days per week and cater to the lunch crowd, according to Walker. Trucks would pay an entry fee each morning and would be able to serve from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pete’s Fruit Market To Add Kitchen
Pete’s Fruit Market has plans to add “home cooked” grab-and-go meals at its location in the Bronzeville neighborhood.
The market, 2323 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., is undergoing renovations for the addition, called Pete’s Kitchen, which is slated to open later this fall.
A 400-square-foot space at the back of the store is being remodeled to add a kitchen, additional shelving and coolers. The remodel will not expand the footprint of the existing store.
Cocktail Bar Opens in Partnership With Sticky Rice
A new bar on the Lower East Side serves creative cocktails with an emphasis on house-made ingredients.
Located just off of Brady Street, SlyFox Cocktail Bar quietly opened at the end of July in the same building as the recently-opened Sticky Rice location. The building, 1692 N. Van Buren St. was previously occupied by The Truck Stop.
Andrew Logman, managing partner of SlyFox told Urban Milwaukee in an interview that his goal is simple: provide good cocktails, good service and a comfortable atmosphere.
When both businesses are open, guests can bring their food to the SlyFox space, which seats about 25, or enjoy a drink in the Sticky Rice dining room, Logman explained as he whisked away a curtain to reveal French doors connecting the two businesses.
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