Lost Whale Cocktail Specials Raise Money for MPS
Plus: New State Fair drink offerings, Paloma's 2nd location and Paper Table's troubles.
The Lost Whale, 2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Photo taken Sept. 16, 2022 by Sophie Bolich.
Lost Whale is hosting a month-long fundraiser to collect money and school supplies for Humboldt Park Public School.
The K-8 school is located at 3230 S. Adams Ave. — about a mile south of the Bay View cocktail bar.
Throughout the month of August, Lost Whale, 2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. will offer two cocktail specials to raise money for the Humboldt Park Schoolyard Redevelopment Program.
The project, still in its conceptual planning phase, would transform the current concrete lot into an enriching environment for learning and play, with the planned additions of green spaces, sports courts, outdoor classrooms and a mindfulness garden.
The bar has also set up a collection bin for school supply donations, which will be distributed to students at the end of the month, before school starts in September.
Gathering Place Announces Distribution Deal
Gathering Place Brewing Company‘s beers may soon be present at significantly more gatherings.
Get a daily rundown of the Milwaukee storiesThe brewery on Tuesday announced a new partnership with wholesaler General Beverage. Together, the companies aim to ramp up distribution of Gathering Place beers to a broader market throughout the state.
It’s a first for the Riverwest-based brewery, which for the past six years has self-distributed its brews to more than 130 bars and restaurants and over 100 liquor and grocery stores across southeast Wisconsin.
“We are excited to take this next step in the growth of the company and to work with an excellent partner to help us expand our footprint and to reach more customers for our beers,” said Joe Yeado, founder of Gathering Place, in a statement.
Hot Pot, BBQ For Farwell Avenue
A new restaurant serving hot pot and barbeque is poised to open on Farwell Avenue, bringing another option for global cuisine to one of the city’s most diverse dining corridors.
Back Street is the latest venture for industry veteran and Ying Li, who previously operated A.A. Wok Zone until its pandemic-era closure. Li and co-owner Nanbin Li plan to open the restaurant at 2116 N. Farwell Ave., inside the former Fushimi restaurant space.
The 4,800-square-foot dining area, which previously housed an expansive, cherry blossom-lined buffet, will soon be filled with hot pot tables — specially designed with a heating well in the center to keep broths piping hot as diners submerge slices of raw meat, vegetables and noodles.
Guests at Back Street will be able to choose from a handful of broth bases including herbal soup, spicy soup, mushroom soup, dark chicken ginseng soup and winter melon clam soup. A proposed menu lists dozens of meat, vegetable and seafood accompaniments such as chicken, shrimp and corn, as well as less-common offerings like beef tendon balls, duck blood and lotus root. Other add-ins include several varieties of noodles, rice cakes and dumplings.
Council Suspends Hot Spot Supermarket Alcohol Sales
Hot Spot Supermarket, a northside convenience store, will cease alcohol sales until mid-August as a result of a 15-day suspension handed down by the Milwaukee Common Council.
The council voted unanimously on Monday to suspend the liquor license for the business, 2643 W. Atkinson Ave., based on a six-item police report that detailed several drug deals, a shootout and several other incidents. The committee approved a food license renewal for the business at the same hearing.
The matter was discussed at length during a July 13 special meeting of the Licenses Committee, at which owner Nael Jabbar appeared with attorney Samantha Baker.
Members of the committee raised particular concerns over a March 6 shooting. According to the police report, a customer in the store was acting belligerent and was asked to leave. In response, the suspect displayed a firearm in his waistband. He exited the store, but later re-entered and fired two rounds at another customer, missing. The customer fired back and struck the suspect. The customer, suspect, security guard and clerk continued to exchange gunfire until the suspect stopped shooting. The three other parties held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived on the scene. No charges were issued against any employees.
Paper Table Leaves Tenants Owing Thousands With Shuttered Restaurants, Broken Dreams
Throughout Paper Table‘s year-long tenure in downtown Milwaukee, more than a dozen restaurateurs have entered into contracts with the delivery-focused food hall, eager to launch and grow their business in the city and beyond. But interviews with five current and former tenants reveal that the company routinely fails to deliver on its lofty promises and often leaves business owners owing tens of thousands of dollars. The food hall’s business model, based on public licensing data and an ever-evolving tenant roster, appears to emphasize turnover versus growing small businesses.
Last week, Gregory Cilmi and Eve Savva, the owners of Temple Goddess and Adonis Burger Co., were informed that their contract would be terminated — effective immediately. In an email delivered at 7 p.m. on July 27, Paper Table demanded more than $4,000 to be paid the following day. Within 30 days, the food hall asked for $42,000 — the supposed remaining balance on their contract, though Cilmi said that the math doesn’t add up.
“Even if I were to stay throughout the rest of my contract, it would not add up to $42,000,” he said.
Unable to make the payments, Cilmi and Savva were forced to leave the food hall with just a day’s notice.
State Fair Will Include Several New Beverages
Picture yourself at the Wisconsin State Fair, surrounded by friends and basking in the glow of the Ferris wheel. You approach the bartender and order another round of Cream Puff Ales for the group, when suddenly, bright lights begin to flash. Someone blasts a celebratory air horn, rousing the gathering crowd. The bartender passes your drinks across the counter, along with a red t-shirt that reads: Keg Killer.
This very Wisconsin scene unfolds hundreds of times annually at The Micro, a craft beer pavilion at the State Fair that serves more than 60 Wisconsin brews — typically draining more than 500 kegs throughout the 11-day fair.
The Micro, along with Benno’s Leinie Lodge, Camp Amber and Wineberry Bar & Lounge will return in full force at Bank Five Nine Amphitheater for this year’s fair, which begins on Thursday, Aug. 3.
The four bars, operated by Benno’s Concessions, will provide gathering spaces for fair-goers and popular drinks from years past, along with several new beverage and snack options for 2023.
Tots on the Street Scores Fiserv Forum Stand
Tots on the Street (TOTS) has become a familiar sight at all kinds of local events, serving its gourmet, stuffed tater tots to outdoor concert-goers, festival attendees, farmers market shoppers and more. This week, the mobile business will add one more destination: Fiserv Forum.
It’s been a whirlwind journey for Tami and Hannah Kopplin, the mother-daughter team behind TOTS.
“It was one of my favorite days of my life,” said Hannah Kopplin of Monday, when she received confirmation that TOTS would open in time for Tuesday night’s Paramore concert at the arena. “We just feel so thankful, and I want people to hear that.”
Prior to securing a permanent spot at Fiserv, TOTS participated in two pop-up markets in partnership with the arena. The truck’s gluten-free menu and plentiful vegan offerings caught the attention of Fiserv’s food and beverage leadership, who are working to bring more allergy-friendly options into the stadium.
Rock & Brews Opens at Potawatomi
Several hours before the official opening of Rock & Brews, founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley took to the restaurant’s in-house stage. It was a full house, albeit not the kind the KISS band members are accustomed to.
The musicians, joined by members of the Forest County Potawatomi Community and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino leadership, cut the ribbon to the new restaurant as a crowd of hungry rock and roll fans looked on.
“You wanted the best, and we brought you the best,” said Dominic Ortiz, CEO of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. “We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Paul and Gene into one of the most fabulous cities in the United States, and to partner with the Forest County Potawatomi Nation in joining our family as we join their Rock & Brews family.”
The 6,000-square-foot restaurant is a true reflection of its founders — every inch of floor, wall and ceiling space is bedecked with flashy decor including portraits of iconic musicians, a platinum record catwalk and a collection of cow skulls, each with its own demon makeup.
Paloma Opening Second Location, This Time in Bay View
Popular Washington Heights restaurant Paloma Taco and Tequila is planning a second location. The taqueria announced it will open a Bay View location in the ground level of the KinetiK apartments complex, 2154 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Owner Pattie Ford took to social media Monday morning to share the news, thanking patrons, employees and building owner New Land Enterprises in a glowing post.
“Y’all have made this dream possible and I am beyond grateful,” she wrote. “Cheers to new beginnings and cheers to opening in one of my favorite parts of the city, Bay View!”
In a series of photos attached to the announcement, Ford posed with a celebratory bottle of bubbly inside the future restaurant. In the coming months, the barebones space — which currently sports gravel floors and cinder block walls — will undergo a complete transformation courtesy of Three Sixty. Most recently, the design firm completed the interior for 1033.
Taproom and Beer Garden Proposed Near Havenwoods State Forest
Wisconsin’s only urban state forest could soon have its own beer garden. Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden, named for the nearby, 237-acre forest, is proposed to open this fall at 5840 N. 60th St.
The upcoming business would feature both indoor and outdoor bars serving a rotating selection of craft beers, as well as a 12,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden with a walking trail that extends into a five-acre wooded area adjacent to Havenwoods State Forest.
Heading up the project is Chase Jaffray, a longtime beer enthusiast who said he’s been on the lookout for an opportunity to finally dive into the industry.
“Everything kind of aligned,” said the self-described beer garden connoisseur of his newest venture.
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