Kawa To Open at Crossroads Collective
Plus: Fusion Poke's grand opening deals, two restaurants suspended and a new home for Tots on the Street.
Crossroads Collective. Photo by Dave Reid.
Kawa Ramen and Sushi is eyeing a spot at Crossroads Collective, following a kitchen fire that caused extensive damage to the restaurant’s East Side location at 2321 N. Murray Ave.
The business on Friday filed a license application for a stall at the East Side food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.
Selina Zheng, co-owner of the Japanese restaurant, told Urban Milwaukee that the temporary relocation aims to keep restaurant workers employed while the original restaurant is rebuilt.
The process is expected to take nearly a year.
The fire broke out the night of June 6, after the restaurant’s closure. It destroyed Kawa’s kitchen and caused smoke and water damage throughout the rest of the building, including second-floor apartments and two neighboring businesses, Tavolino and Izzy Hops.
Crossroads Collective is nearly at full capacity after welcoming a new wave of incoming vendors. Two stalls — The Corner pop-up space and the former Egg & Flour — are vacant.
Fusion Poke Announces Grand Opening Deals
The newest location for Fusion Poke is up and running in the Historic Third Ward, as of June 16, but there’s still more festivities to come.
The Asian-Hawaiian fusion restaurant will host a five-day grand opening, offering a special, buy-one-get-one discount across the entire menu.
The deal is set to run from June 29 through July 3.
Fusion Poke, 329 N. Broadway, is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.
For more information about the restaurant, read Urban Milwaukee’s earlier coverage of Fusion Poke.
New Dining Concepts Coming to Potawatomi
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is gearing up to introduce several new dining concepts this fall, adding coffee, high-end cocktails and casual eats to its ever-expanding restaurant portfolio.
Cream City Coffee, Street Eatz and Firekeepers Social are planned for the casino’s third floor. The three upcoming businesses are the latest development in a major overhaul of the food scene at the casino, 1721 W. Canal St.
“There’s been a lot of creative thinking that goes on behind the scenes here with all the leaders at Potawatomi, including those in food and beverage and our CEO,” said Stephanie Staudinger, senior public relations specialist at Potawatomi. “Not just revitalizing the whole way that we’re looking at gaming, but finding ways to…connect the gaming with the food.”
Cream City Coffee will be the first to launch, with an opening set for early August, said Jenn Wilzbacher, Potawatomi’s director of beverage operations.
Halal Restaurant Week Returns For Second Year
After a successful inaugural event in 2022, Halal Restaurant Week is slated to return next month, featuring a wide variety of global cuisine, new participants and halal dishes from some of Milwaukee’s most notable chefs.
This year’s event, sponsored by Hayat Pharmacy and Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, will run from July 7 through 17.
More than 17 Milwaukee area restaurants are slated to participate, offering fully halal menu items, discounts and specials throughout the week.
The lineup includes something for every palate, featuring pub fare, steak and sweet treats, as well as international options such as Italian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Argentinian and others.
Council Shoots Down Corner Store’s Attempt to Reopen
There was a sense of déjà vu in the Milwaukee Common Council chambers on Tuesday, as the body voted unanimously to close Chambers East Food Market for the second time this year.
Back in April, the Licenses Committee recommended nonrenewal of the license for the convenience store, 200 E. Chambers St., due to myriad issues, including loitering inside the store, illegal drug activity, firearms, public alcohol consumption and more. The full Common Council voted on April 18 to affirm the committee’s decision.
On April 27, attorney Michael Maistelman, who represents store owner Davinderjit Kaur, filed a lawsuit appealing the council’s decision. The store secured a temporary injunction and reopened May 5.
A judge remanded the case back to the council for reconsideration. But the outcome didn’t change.
Following Stripper Video, Jack’s Executive Bistro Gets 20-Day Suspension
Jack’s Executive Bistro will close for most of next month following a suspension issued Tuesday by the Milwaukee Common Council.
During its June 20 meeting, the council voted unanimously to renew the license for the bar, restaurant and event space, 4923 W. Villard Ave., but only after adding a 20-day suspension.
The suspension will take effect on July 8 and continue through July 27.
At a license renewal hearing on June 6, Licenses Committee members raised concerns regarding a two-item police report for the business, which included a shots fired complaint. What most provoked the ire of the committee, however, was a video showing strippers performing in the establishment’s private event space.
Little Caesars Gets 10-Day Suspension
The Grantosa location for Little Caesars will be closed for 10 days as a result of a suspension handed down by the city.
The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously at its June 20 meeting to suspend the restaurant, 9230 W. Capitol Dr., for excessive littering.
The suspension will go into effect on July 1, when the current license expires, and continue through July 11.
“The issue with this business is mainly litter,” said Alderman Lamont Westmoreland at a June 6 renewal hearing before the Licenses Committee.
Council Approves New Northside Bar
A new bar and entertainment venue is set to open on the North Side, replacing a long-standing tavern, The Stage, at 7200 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Owner Reyn Wang and her husband, Chih-Yen, are planning to open Dragons’ Place at the address. The couple received Common Council approval for the business Tuesday morning.
The Stage was a well-known community destination that closed several months ago. True to its name, the bar set the stage — and the tone — for the upcoming establishment, according to Alderman Mark Chambers, Jr.
“It’s a long time bar that’s been in the community for some time,” he said of the former business during a June 6 Licenses Committee meeting. “Mr. and Mrs. Wang are just taking over ownership and adding a little kung fu or dragon vibe to it. We welcome them to the community.”
Interval’s Bay View Cafe Opens
The Summerfest fireworks weren’t the only eye-opener this weekend. Interval open its long-awaited Bay View cafe on Saturday, June 24.
It’s been a long journey for the cafe, 2268 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., which was first proposed for the building in early 2022. The new cafe is the second stand-alone location for the business, led by Ryan Hoban.
“Bay View we thank you for your unending patience and perseverance as we have made a place for y’all and built a team we think you’ll really love,” Interval ownership wrote in a Tuesday morning social media post.
The new cafe fills a space previously occupied by Stone Creek Coffee, which departed at the end of 2021.
Marquette Students Partner With Stone Creek On New Coffee Product
After the successful release of its ’77 Golden Ale this past winter, Blue & Gold Brewing LLC is shifting to a new kind of brew, with plans to develop a Marquette University-affiliated coffee product in collaboration with Stone Creek Coffee.
The student-run business venture was formed in 2022, recruiting a four-person team of undergraduate students to flex their entrepreneurial skills as part of an undergraduate applied learning program in Marquette’s College of Business Administration.
The program exposes students to various aspects of business, offering hands-on experience in leading market research, product selection and naming, supply chain and logistics, finance, graphic design, advertising, marketing, distribution, and entrepreneurial and start-up processes.
In February, the team collaborated with local breweries Gathering Place Brewing Company, Good City Brewing and Broken Bat Brewing to release ’77 Golden Ale on Feb. 4, National Marquette Day. The brew sold out at Fiserv Forum on release day, with 2,000 cans of beer sold.
Safina Brings Modern Italian Cuisine to East Town
Safina, a modern Italian restaurant, has officially opened its doors in the East Town neighborhood, marking the start of a new chapter for brothers and longtime restaurateurs Joe, David and Sal Safina.
Although the building, 785 N. Jefferson St., the decor and even some menu items — sourced from generations-old family recipes — received a refresh, the family’s well-honed routine remains intact.
Even after an extended break, the rhythm of restaurant life comes naturally, said Sal Safina. “It’s in our blood,” he said. “This is what we do.”
The brothers’ dad, Giovanni, continues to lend his expertise in the kitchen. “He comes in in the morning, preps, he cuts all the meats, he makes the sauces, you know, He’s still doing that,” Safina said.
Tots on the Street Finds Permanent Spot
It’s been a fully-loaded few days for Tots on the Street; the potato-focused food truck followed up a lively shift at the season’s first Milwaukee Night Market with two big announcements ahead of the weekend.
Friday morning, Tots on the Street unveiled a brand new food truck, bringing its fleet up to three. The business also shared plans to partner with Bad Moon Saloon, putting down permanent roots near the tavern’s patio and offering tots to tavern-goers on a regular basis.
“We’re always at events — and I love that, because we’ve been able to meet a ton of people throughout Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general,” said owner Hannah Kopplin. “But I really wanted to have a spot where people could kind of come to us.”
An additional nudge came from the original Tots on the Street truck, which isn’t always inclined to cooperate with the rigors of the mobile business.
Anodyne Sold to Midwest-Based Coffee Collective
Change is brewing for a prominent Milwaukee coffee roaster and cafe, but customers are unlikely to notice the shift because it will take place largely take place behind the scenes.
The founders of Anodyne recently sold the company to FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective. The Milwaukee-based cafe joins nine other specialty coffee brands under the purview of the collective, headquartered in Kansas City, MO.
“FairWave’s mission is to elevate existing coffee brands to ensure they stay local to the communities they serve,” said a representative of the collective. “Anodyne’s cafes and wholesale operations will continue uninterrupted, and no major menu changes will be made.”
Behind the scenes, however, FairWave will have a hand in decisions regarding Anodyne’s coffee buying, roasting, operations, accounting, and marketing teams. All of Anodyne’s employees will remain in their current positions.
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