Local Chef Ashley Turner Competes on ‘Chopped’
Plus: Milwaukee has two James Beard finalists and goodbye to Mr. Senors and Sisu Cafe.
Chef Ashley and a fellow “Chopped” contestant. Photo courtesy of Hacienda Taproom & Kitchen.
Milwaukee’s own Ashley Turner will be featured in an upcoming episode of Food Network’s “Chopped.”
Turner, executive chef and culinary director at Hacienda Taproom & Kitchen, recently faced off against the dreaded chopping block — as well as three other chefs — for the network’s reality cooking show.
During the episode, titled “Fry of the Beholder,” Turner and her competitors were challenged to create a three-course meal centered on a series of mystery ingredients unveiled at the start of each round.
Previous episodes have featured ingredients such as collard greens, kumquats, bitter melon and jicama, though Turner was tight-lipped about the ingredients featured in her episode.
“You’ll just have to watch,” she said.
An online synopsis, however, reveals that “a prized meat and a milk substitute” are two mystery ingredients featured in the entree round. As an added twist, contestants were required to use the deep fryer or air fryer in every round.
The episode is set to run Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Hacienda will host a viewing party from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., featuring music from all-vinyl DJ Todd Loferski. Turner will also remake her dishes from the show for attendees to sample.
There will also be an auction for a private, four-course meal for up to 10 people. Proceeds will benefit a culinary camp for kids through the American Culinary Federation.
Turner’s Texicana-style cooking will also be featured at WMSE’s Rockabilly Chili, presented by Lakefront Brewing. At the April 16 event, Turner will showcase her chili for sampling alongside more than 50 other Milwaukee chefs and caters. Rockabilly Chili will be held at 11 a.m. at the Kern Center, 1245 N. Broadway.
Adam Pawlak, another Milwaukee chef, also made a recent appearance on Food Network as a contestant on “Super Chef Grudge Match.”
No Fooling, Upper East Bar Is Open
Upper East Bar made its long-awaited return on Saturday, April 1. Located in the heart of the East Side, the corner tavern, 1732 E. North Ave., promises to cater to the diversity of the surrounding neighborhood, which includes young professionals, college students and longtime residents.
“We’re so excited to finally be opening,” said co-owner Stephanie Townsend in an interview. “So many people have stopped by just to see if we’re open yet, so it’ll be really great to see some of those individuals come in.”
Fresh Farm Bowls Moving to Crossroads Collective
Fresh Farm Bowls will return to business with a new name and location. Just two months after its departure from North Avenue Market, the concept is poised to reopen as Nute’s Cafe at Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., bringing its breakfast bowls, salads and globally-inspired meals to the East Side.
Behind the concept is industry veteran Jonute Svien, who started the business in 2015 as a food truck. After seven years of running the mobile operation, Svien moved the business to North Avenue Market, 5900 W. North Ave., where it launched as one of the debut vendors at the newly-opened food hall.
Fresh Farm Bowls sold a wide variety of American, Italian, Asian, and Mexican-inspired dishes with an emphasis on fresh, local produce. The restaurant offered customizable breakfast, lunch and dinner bowls, including gluten-sensitive and vegetarian options.
During its time at North Avenue Market, the restaurant’s menu featured curry coconut butternut squash soup, homemade waffles with berries and whipped cream, huevos rancheros, loaded mac and cheese and more.
Taqueria El Toro Coming to Clarke Square
Taqueria el Toro is poised to expand again, with plans to open a third full-service restaurant. This time, it’s in the Clarke Square neighborhood.
The fast-growing Mexican concept started as a mobile operation, later opening its first restaurant at 551 W. Historic Mitchell St. in December 2018. Since then, the business has grown to include a walk-up stand in West Allis and three food trucks.
The newest restaurant is slated to open at 2531 W. National Ave., the former site of Gloria’s Cake Shop & Café. The former bakery closed in 2018.
Toribio Perez Martinez, who owns the business with his wife, Delfina Ignacio Josefa, purchased the 1,261-square-foot building in January. Perez Martinez paid $155,000 for both the business and building, according to the license application.
Lupi & Iris, Chef Gregory León Are James Beard Finalists
Two Milwaukee chefs and restaurants have advanced as finalists for the 2023 James Beard Awards. The lineup was announced Wednesday morning, narrowing a pool of more than 400 semifinalists to just 120 finalists.
Milwaukee’s Lupi & Iris will represent the city in the Best New Restaurant category, while Gregory León, head chef and owner of Amilinda, is among the finalists for Best Chef: Midwest.
Lupi & Iris, 777 N. Van Buren St., opened in May, 2022, serving French and Italian-inspired cuisine. The fine-dining restaurant is led by a partnership of real estate developer Michael DeMichele and former Bartolotta Restaurants executive chef Adam Siegel, who won a James Beard award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2008.
León expanded his talents at restaurants across the globe before opening Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., in 2015. Prior to that, he operated the Spanish and Portuguese-inspired restaurant as a pop-up starting in 2013.
Three New Beers For Brewers Opening Day
The team at J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard are putting the final touches on the new brewery and restaurant ahead of its April 3 launch date.
The menu is finalized, decor is in place and, on Tuesday morning, representatives of the brewpub and partner Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company tapped the first of three exclusive beers that will be available on opening day next week.
“We are excited to offer beers available only here at American Family Field,” said Rick Schlesinger, president of business operations for the Brewers. “We at the Brewers think we know many things, but we don’t know how to brew beer. Fortunately, we have people in Wisconsin who know how to do that, and our partnership with Molson Coors (owner of Leinenkugel) stretches back decades.”
The new brews include Cherry Gose, a tart, pinkish beer featuring Door County cherries and pink Himalayan salt; Red Lager (remastered), containing Cluster and Mt. Hood kettle hops, as well as Cascade dry hops from Wisconsin; and a straightforward IPA with notes of resinous pine, tropical fruits and citrus.
The Tap Yard Returns For Second Season
The Tap Yard will return to Milwaukee for a second season, transforming the office complex parking lot at Schlitz Park into a riverside beer garden.
The setup will be similar to last year’s Tap Yard, featuring a shipping container bar with 36 tap lines, 40 picnic tables and an oak barrel fence to separate the 9,500-square-foot beer garden area from the rest of the surface lot.
“We’re super excited to be back for year two,” said Nick Marking, who operates five locations for the Tap Yard throughout the Milwaukee area. “The nice thing is that we’re established and people are seeing that and knowing more about us; we were able to book some fun stuff.”
Set to open May 3, the Tap Yard will operate Wednesday through Sunday through the end of October. This year, Marking has plans to extend the season with an indoor bar and event space at the Rivercenter Building, 1505 N. Rivercenter Dr.
Lisa’s Pizza is For Sale
More than six decades after opening Lisa’s Pizza, the Bongiorno family is putting the business up for sale.
The neighborhood restaurant, 2961 N. Oakland Ave., has been an eastside mainstay for years, and owners Gary Bongiorno and his wife, Teresa, hope that new ownership will carry on the tradition.
The decision to retire is not one the Bongiornos take lightly. “It’s just so hard,” Gary Bongiorno said. “Neither one of us really want to retire.”
For nearly 60 years, the couple have lived and breathed restaurant life — which they prove by rattling off the home addresses and orders of several regular customers from memory.
East Side’s Mr. Senors Has Closed
An East Side staple for Mexican food is no more. Mr. Senors, known for its hefty burritos and suggestive signage, has quietly closed its doors after more than 12 years in business.
Dude Llanas opened the business in 2010 at 2335 N. Murray Ave., where it was a casual counterpart to the area’s up-and-coming dining scene, which has since grown to include neighboring Kawa Ramen and Sushi, nearby Crossroads Collective and others.
Llanas told Urban Milwaukee on Friday that the restaurant closed in October, but did not comment further.
A license for Mr. Senors, last renewed in 2018, expired in June of 2019, according to the City of Milwaukee’s licenses division.
Sisu Cafe Is Closed
Sisu Cafe, a Scandinavian-inspired coffeehouse and bakery that moonlighted as a steakhouse on weekends, is closed.
Earlier this week, a for-lease sign went up in the cafe’s front window. On Friday, the business was marked permanently closed. Sisu’s website and social media pages have been deleted.
The Bay View business opened at 2121 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in July 2022, serving Colectivo coffee and homemade Finnish pastries, as well as soup, salad and sandwiches.
In November, owners Francisco Sanchez and Ruben Piirainen extended Sisu’s weekend hours to include dinner service — transforming the daytime cafe into an old-school steakhouse.
Rodeo-Themed Tavern With Mechanical Bull Planned for South Side
A new neighborhood tavern is slated to open on the South Side, with a name that speaks for itself. Fiesta Rodeo would replace Gary J’s Sixteen Street Pub at 3303 S. 16th St., featuring a full bar, entertainment and a mechanical bull — one of a rare few in the city.
Owner Jose Luis Miranda Gutierrez applied for a liquor license for the business, which would be located in a mostly residential area just south of Ascension St. Francis Hospital.
With the mechanical bull checking the rodeo box, Miranda Gutierrez plans to bring the fiesta with DJ performances, a jukebox and movie screenings, according to the license application.
The 6,359-square-foot tavern space would include 11 tables with seating for approximately 45 guests, plus up to a dozen stools at a peninsula bar, according to building plans submitted along with the license application. Miranda Gutierrez also plans to add a projector screen on one wall, as well as activate a side patio space.
Wauwatosa Restaurant Week Underway
The second annual installment of Tosa Restaurant Week (TRW) is underway as of March 23, inviting diners to patronize small businesses and partake in specially-priced and limited-time menu items.
More than two dozen Wauwatosa restaurants, breweries and food-focused retail stores are participating in the 10-day event, which ends April 1.
Diners can expect a wide variety of options — from fine-dining to casual takeout — including sushi, pizza, Hawaiian fare, burgers, Mexican cuisine, pastries and more.
“Wauwatosa is home to such diverse, locally-owned dining that Tosa Restaurant Week is a great time to head to your favorite spots, and then come back and try something new,” said Beth Gleesing, tourism specialist for the City of Wauwatosa, which leads the event.
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