Lowlands Group Offers Seafood Specials For Lent
Plus: Meat on the Street to relocate, new BBQ vendor for food hall and farewell to HotWax.
Fish Fry. Photo courtesy of Lowlands Group.
Lowlands Group, the operator behind Centraal Grand Café & Tappery, Cafe Benelux and others, will offer a variety of seafood specials at all of its restaurants for the duration of Lent.
Specials will be available at Milwaukee’s Café Benelux, 346 N. Broadway and Centraal Grand Café & Tappery, 2305 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., as well as Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club in Wauwatosa and all five Café Hollander locations.
The group debuted the specials, which range from traditional fish fry to mussels and shrimp, on Wednesday, Feb. 22, and will continue each Friday through April 7.
The fish fry at Cafe Benelux features crispy, battered haddock, apple cabbage slaw, frites, rye bread, tartar sauce and lemon. Guests can opt for the classic Sierra Nevada bier-batter or make it extra crispy with crushed potato chip breading.
Additional specials at Benelux include mussels, New England clam chowder, barbeque salmon and pan-fried trout.
At Centraal, guests can choose haddock or perch for the fish fry, which comes with sides of creamy coleslaw, tartar sauce, frites, rye bread and lemon. The Bay View restaurant also offers New England clam chowder, a Louisiana perch sandwich, Thai-style salmon and herb-baked haddock.
The weekly specials are available each Friday starting at 11 a.m. Reservations are encouraged.
For more information or to view individual menus from each restaurant, visit Lowlands Group online.
Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard Opens April 3 at American Family Field
J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard, a full-service restaurant, bar and brewery at American Family Field, is set to make its public debut on Monday, April 3, when the Milwaukee Brewers take on the New York Mets in their the 2023 home opener.
The brewpub space, which was formerly home to a Friday’s Front Row Sports Grill and, more briefly, Restaurant To Be Named Later, is now in its final stages of preparation, following a several-month transformation.
At a Friday morning event, Rick Schlesinger, Brewers president of business operations, gave attendees a preview of the in-progress brewpub — the result of a partnership between the Brewers and The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, a division of Molson Coors.
“We’re very pleased with the progress,” Schlesinger said, noting that the majority of the behind-the-scenes work has been completed. Finishing touches added throughout the month of March will include aesthetic additions such as paint and fixtures.
Meat On The Street Moving To Public Museum
Streets of Old Milwaukee, meet Meat on the Street. The Filipino restaurant, food truck and catering company will soon take over as manager of the café and coffee kiosk at Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St.
Prior to its partnership with the museum, Meat on the Street operated as a vendor at The Restaurants at Eleven25, located three blocks to the north in The Brewery District. On Thursday, the company announced that Friday, Feb. 24 is its last day of service at the food court, 1125 N. 9th St.
Meat on the Street is set to open at MPM in early March. Its core menu will feature traditional Filipino dishes such as kabobs, egg rolls and lumpia, and Mexican dishes including taquitos and burritos. American food options including hot dogs and hamburgers will also be available.
The kiosk will serve coffee drinks, Filipino beverages and an assortment of grab-and-go breakfast items.
Milwaukee’s Foodiest Happy Hour Goes Vegan
Crossroads Collective debuted its Milwaukee’s Foodiest Happy Hour last fall, offering guests an evening of food and drink specials, live music and pop-up vendors at the East Side food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.,
The next installment in the series is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, and will feature a fully plant-based menu. That’s great news for those looking for a tasty kickoff to Meatless March, as well as year-round vegans and omnivores alike.
Attendees of the free event can expect wine tastings hosted by Breakthru Beverage Group; a non-alcoholic cocktail demo by The Counter; a pop-up from The Kind Oasis, a neighboring CBD and delta-8 dispensary; and entertainment provided by DJ Todd and his vinyl record collection.
For $50, guests can experience the foodie tasting package, which offers samplings of dishes, drinks and desserts from all eight of the hall’s vendors, as well as a special guest vendor.
Yummy Bowl to Join 3rd Street Market Hall
Enter 3rd Street Market Hall with a craving, any craving, and there’s sure to be a vendor to satisfy it. From cream puffs and custard to ramen, coffee, tacos and even Venezuelan arepas, the ever-growing food hall has it all.
Even so, the market, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., continues to expand its diverse range of vendors. Additional concepts offering Peruvian fare and barbeque are slated to join the hall in the coming months, along with a newly-announced tenant, Yummy Bowl.
Husband and wife team Gary and Anita Gray are co-owners of the business, which got its start in June at the Whitefish Bay farmers market.
The philosophy of Yummy Bowls, explained Gary Gray, is to supply customers with nutritious, yet travel-friendly meals.
Takeout-Focused Buffalo Wild Wings Planned Near UWM
A new location for Buffalo Wild Wings GO is slated to join a lineup of fast-casual eateries along a bustling intersection in Milwaukee’s Upper East Side neighborhood.
Permit applications filed with the City of Milwaukee indicate that the restaurant is planned for a retail space at the base of The East Sider apartment building, 2900 N. Oakland Ave.
The takeout and delivery-focused “GO” concept is a small-format version of the national chicken wing chain, which forgoes the restaurant’s typical sports bar atmosphere in favor of streamlined service, contactless pickup and online ordering options.
Buffalo Wild Wings GO offers traditional and boneless chicken wings and tenders featuring the brand’s 24 dry rubs and sauces. The restaurant also sells sides such as french fries, tater tots and cheese curds, as well as beverages.
La Chinampa Opens in Walker’s Point
A new-to-the-neighborhood Mexican restaurant is now open in Walker’s Point. La Chinampa, a fast-casual concept that also operates two food trucks, welcomed its first customers last week at 405 S. 2nd St., the former site of Boo Boo’s.
It was a quick turnaround for the restaurant, which first announced plans to move into the space — relocating from its previous location at 5442 W. Forest Home Ave., in Greenfield — in December of 2022. In the following weeks, owner and chef Oscar Vega-Aguilar was already hard at work restoring the building, replacing patio windows and installing signage — all while manning his taco truck on the street in front of the future restaurant.
Since its mid-February opening, La Chinampa has enjoyed steady business, said Vega-Aguilar. The restaurant has also racked up 5-star reviews from four happy customers within the past week.
During Boo Boo’s tenure, the building’s interior was decidedly whimsical, featuring brightly-colored wall murals and chalkboard tables accompanied by paint pens to welcome doodling. The restaurant’s walls are now vibrant cerulean and feature hanging shelves of miniature pottery, a small, decorative piñata and a row of plants and calaveras along the counter.
Serb Hall Fish Fry is Back for Dine-In
The Friday fish fry is a popular tradition in the state and a plethora of Milwaukee restaurants offer the classic meal of crispy, battered and deep-fried fish, typically accompanied by buttered bread, slaw and some form of potato — especially during the Lenten season. And as of last week, there’s one more to add to the list.
After a two-year hiatus, American Serb Hall welcomed guests back to its historic President’s Hall for fish fry on Friday, Feb. 17.
The hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave., enjoyed a full house for its first dine-in service since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the hall offered meals for carry-out only.
Fish fry will be available on Wednesdays (drive-thru or carryout only) and Fridays (dine-in, drive-thru or carryout) for the duration of Lent, which began Wednesday, Feb. 22 and ends on Thursday, April 6.
Carini’s Restaurant is For Sale
For nearly 27 years, Carini’s La Conca D’Oro has been a mainstay on Oakland Avenue, serving authentic Neapolitan pizzas, pastas, seafood and more to its loyal customers. Some would say it’s the neighborhood’s best-kept secret.
“I give a good product, good food and people come back,” said Peter Carini, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Janice. “They keep it quiet, too, I don’t know why.”
Carini’s is located at 3468 N. Oakland Ave., just south of the Shorewood border.
The couple, who first opened the restaurant in 1996, recently listed the business for sale. Now 70 years old, Carini is ready to retire, but only “if the price is right,” he joked.
Edith Cocktail Bar Plans Soft Opening
Rhondi Love has always been interested in spirits — the alcoholic ones, that is. But after watching the 2015 horror movie, Crimson Peak, her imagination was captured by the film’s paranormal ones as well. So, she thought, why not combine the two?
Love took that spark of inspiration and turned it into a new business: Edith. The cocktail bar and lounge, 228 W. Wells St., in the Century Building, is preparing to welcome its first guests by the end of the month.
Before venturing into hospitality, Love spent eight years in public service, working first as a domestic violence advocate and later, a 911 dispatcher in Wauwatosa. At the time, her interest in the distilling process of spirits and the intricacies of cocktail engineering was more of a hobby, she said.
“I would travel to go to speakeasy bars and things like that,” said Love, who noted that one bar in particular, a treehouse-style lounge in Chattanooga, prompted her to take the leap and open her own establishment.
Turmeric Indian Cafe Planned for Yankee Hill
When Paramjit Kaur took over as owner of Royal India in 2017, she completed aesthetic upgrades, expanded the menu and — most notably — led the southside restaurant through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, almost six years later, Kaur is eyeing a Yankee Hill building for a possible sibling restaurant. She recently submitted a license application for Turmeric Indian Cafe & Bar at 1014 N. Van Buren St., the former site of Mykonos Gyro & Cafe.
The two-story building has been vacant since the Greek restaurant’s closure in December 2018.
The site of the upcoming restaurant is in close proximity to Metro Market and numerous high-density residential buildings including Yankee Hill Apartments, Ascent and Juneau Village Towers. It will likely benefit from heavy foot traffic in the area, as well as high visibility to vehicles along a bustling stretch of N. Van Buren St.
New Restaurant and Bar Planned for South Side
A century-old corner tavern could get new life as a restaurant and bar under a new proposal pending before the City of Milwaukee.
Rosa Marquez recently filed a license application with plans to open The Last One at 2901 S. 11th St., in the Polonia neighborhood.
The 2,688-square-foot space was formerly the site of Shultz’s Tavern, a neighborhood establishment largely surrounded by residential homes. The tavern has since closed and its once welcoming, plant-filled windows have been boarded up — though an Andeker blade sign remains.
Marquez, who is listed as sole owner of the proposed business, brings industry experience from her time as manager of Fiesta Cafe, a Walker’s Point establishment known particularly for its brunch dishes.
Event Space Planned for Near West Side
When Briana Redmond set out to open her new event space, she envisioned a business that would lean more community hub than nightclub.
After a false start in the Amani neighborhood, Redmond found a charming corner-tavern, 401 N. 35th St., in Merrill Park to house her proposed business. In honor of the original neighborhood, as well as the significance of its name, Redmond called her new business The Amani Place.
“It fit well with my vision,” she said, explaining that amani translates to peace in Swahili and wishes in Arabic. “I kind of entertained that it could be called Merrill Lounge or Merrill something, but the definition of Amani stuck with me. I want people to know that I’m here for the community.”
Redmond said she envisions the business as a gathering place for birthday parties, retirement parties, sports spectating, pop-up markets, health-and-wellness workshops, paint-and-sip events and more, all with the option of a full bar.
Musician Plans To Reopen Gibraltar in Third Ward
Gibraltar, a former Walker’s Point cocktail lounge and music venue, is taking steps to reopen after a nearly five-year closure — this time in the Historic Third Ward.
Musician and business owner Evan Christian is proposing to reopen Gibraltar at 131 N. Jackson St., a space that was briefly home to Saloon. Camp Bar is located in the same building. Both bars are at ground level of the Jefferson Block apartments.
Similar to the original establishment, Christian, in a license application, notes plans to operate a cocktail lounge featuring live music. During its two-year tenure on the corner of W. National Ave. and S. 6th St., the bar hosted a variety of local and national acts, with a particular emphasis on jazz music.
According to the license application, Christian plans to continue the tradition of live music, featuring bands and musicians, with plans for up to 200 concerts per year. He would also expand on previous entertainment offerings including poetry readings, dance performances, karaoke, DJs and patron contests.
Atwood Hwy BBQ To Replace Hot Wax at Crossroads Collective
After just under a year of serving its popular burgers and Nashville-style hot chicken at Crossroads Collective, Hot Wax has announced a closing date for its stand at the East Side food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave. A new restaurant is already lined up to replace it.
Owner Ben Crevensten called the closure “a tough decision,” but said it will allow him to focus fully on his first concept, Meat & Co. The “modern deli” business operates a food truck at Zocalo Food Park.
Hot Wax opened at the food hall in April 2022. Known for its indulgent burgers, chicken sandwiches, elevated hotdogs and other carnivorous options, the restaurant filled the “meat niche” left open when Heaven’s Table BBQ departed to open its flagship restaurant in Washington Heights.
And though the restaurant will remain open for several more weeks — through March 12 — a new, meat-focused business is already lined up to take its place.
Eating Lunch At The Pfister Hotel
When you come for lunch at the Pfister Hotel, you have two choices: the Café or the Lobby Lounge. Each has a different personality, each a prototype of a certain kind of dining experience.
Before you sit down to enjoy your meal, look around at the lobby in this historic hotel that’s been a landmark on Wisconsin Avenue since 1893. Guido Pfister and his son Charles wanted to build an elegant hotel in downtown Milwaukee that also connected to the local arts community. This explains why you see the extravagant architecture of Henry C. Koch plus many works from the Pfister’s extensive collection of Victorian art. Don’t forget to look up to see the gorgeous painted ceiling, the chandeliers, and the grillwork on the balcony. If elegance was the Pfister’s goal when they envisioned this grand old dame, the Pfister in 2023 has more than fulfilled father and son’s original vision of a magnificent hotel on the city’s prime stretch of real estate.
They might be puzzled by the 2023 menu. You wouldn’t see an Impossible Burger, Tuna Poke Tacos, or Caramel Macchiato on a menu at the turn of the 19th century. This is not a place where you come for fancy food in either the café or the lounge. It’s simple food with something to please everyone because after all, this is a hotel. If you are looking for a more upscale meal at the hotel, you have to wait until 4:00 p.m. when the Mason Street Grill opens.
The café has an extensive menu that’s organized into several categories: Pick Two Lunch Combo; Signature Dishes; Salads; Flatbreads and Wraps; Sandwiches; and All Beef Hot Dogs. There are several vegetarian options such as the Vegan Quinoa Bowl with dried apricots, mushrooms, kale and pecans, served in a basil vinaigrette, and Avocado Toast topped with a poached egg.
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