State Fair Will Sell St. Patrick’s Day Cream Puffs
Plus: two bars suspended, new vendor for Zocalo and farewell to The Tonic Tavern
Irish Cream cream puff. Photo from Original Cream Puffs website.
Wisconsinites are known to guzzle cream puffs by the thousands each year at the State Fair. But those with a hankering for the summertime treat may be in luck.
The Wisconsin State Fair and Original Cream Puffs will introduce two new cream puff flavors, Irish cream and chocolate mint, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The holiday flavors will be sold via drive-thru at Wisconsin State Fair Park from Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17.
Cream puffs will be sold in three-packs and six-packs. Pre-orders are strongly recommended and can be placed online. Those who order by March 10 will receive a $3 discount on each pack. For pickup, cars should enter at Gate 5, located at S. 84th Street and W. Schlinger Avenue.
On March 15, the opening day of the drive-thru, customers can enjoy performances by McNamara/McCarthy School of Irish Dance and bagpiper Peter Stanford, while waiting to pick up their orders
The drive-thru will be open March 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and March 16 and 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Commercial Kitchen Launches At Concordia 27
For years, residents of the Near West Side have asked for better access to fresh food, health and wellness services, affordable housing, community gathering spaces and workforce training opportunities. A redevelopment project has a plan to meet all of those requests and more.
Get a daily rundown of the Milwaukee storiesConcordia 27 has been progressing steadily for nearly 10 months at the corner of N. 27th and W. Wells streets. The $20 million project, expected to wrap up by early 2025, will see a vacant four-story, 97-year-old building redeveloped into a comprehensive community hub.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to have a really beautiful building. But it’s really the collaboration and the partnerships happening within that are going to bring it to life,” said Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, executive director of Near West Side Partners.
Once construction is complete, the neighborhood organization plans to move its offices into the building, 801-813 N. 27th St., where it will join anchor tenant Centers for Independence (CFI). Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM), a trauma-informed wellness organization, and Fruition MKE, a cafe and coworking space, will also take up residence. The development is led by Rick Wiegand, who owns several properties in the neighborhood. Quorum Architects is leading the project’s design
Refugee-Focused Restaurant Damascus Gate Closes
Damascus Gate, a southside restaurant specializing in Syrian cuisine, is permanently closed.
For nearly five years, the restaurant, led by Abdul Abadeh, Rahim Silan and Nawal Mutlak, served as a cultural hub and destination for authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
The owners’ pride in their home country went beyond the plate, manifesting in vibrant, pre-war photos hung on the apricot-colored walls and a welcoming-to-all sense of hospitality.
Abadeh, Silan and Mutlak also made a point of uplifting their fellow refugees, hiring a staff solely comprised of immigrants from places like Syria, Jordan and Jerusalem.
Cafe Benelux Announces Major Renovation
A popular restaurant in the Historic Third Ward will temporarily close for a major renovation.
Cafe Benelux, 346 N. Broadway, plans to suspend dine-in, carryout and catering services during the upcoming transformation, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 26.
When it reopens later this spring, the restaurant will feature an expanded and reimagined bar, additional seating and larger TV screens. Along with interior upgrades, the food and drink menus will be refreshed with several new additions, while staple offerings will remain unchanged.
Benelux has seen several rounds of renovations throughout its 13-year tenure. The building, formerly home to Good Harvest Market and Augie’s bar, was updated and a central staircase leading to the rooftop was installed ahead of the restaurant’s 2011 opening. A 2017 renovation yielded a redesigned bar, refinished floors and additional seating in a new dining area. Other aesthetic tweaks have been completed regularly at the establishment throughout the years.
Aria Unveils New, Art-Inspired Menu
Saint Kate The Arts Hotel was designed with aesthetics in mind. From its on-site exhibitions to its modern guestrooms, the boutique hotel is as compelling as it is comfortable. As of Feb. 9, its signature restaurant, Aria, has a menu to match.
The hotel restaurant, 139 E. Kilbourn Ave., unveiled a revamped menu featuring a strong focus on art and creativity, as well as elevated offerings such as handmade pasta and a new twist on the classic surf and turf.
Executive Chef Erik Hansen and his culinary team are behind the transformation.
“When we sat down to decide Aria’s new direction, we wanted to incorporate what makes Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel so unique and special,” he said. “We put a lot of thought into making guests feel something through the visuals and the taste of each dish.”
El Tapatio Coming to Brewery District
A popular Mexican concept is putting down permanent roots in the Brewery District. El Tapatio, which operates a fleet of four food trucks, will open its first standalone location within the food court at Eleven25, 1125 N. 9th St.
Though originally slated to open in early February, last month’s cold snap delayed the restaurant’s final inspections, said Marco Santos, who co-owns El Tapatio with Gustavo Salazar.
Santos didn’t share an exact opening date, but said he and Salazar are working hard to open the restaurant as soon as possible.
El Tapatio is known for its tacos, which come nestled alongside a helping of sweet grilled onions, charred jalapeno and a lime wedge. Other offerings include quesadillas, burritos, tostadas, tortas and more. Diners can choose from fillings including steak, chorizo, tripita (tripe), cabeza (head), chicken, al pastor and lengua (tongue). The food truck also serves frijoles charros (bean soup) and horchata.
New Design Released For Dog-Friendly Downtown Brewery
The proposed Foxtown Landing development, a dog-friendly brewery, distillery and restaurant, is moving forward with a new design that aims to get the project to a groundbreaking and better connect it to the planned dog park to the north.
The three-story complex, first revealed in 2022, would be developed by an affiliate of Fromm Nieman Brands, which owns Fromm Family Pet Food and Foxtown Brewery. The company is also the title sponsor for the dog park. Both projects hope to reach a groundbreaking in 2024.
The brewery complex would be built on vacant lots at the intersection of W. St. Paul and N. Plankinton avenues, while the dog park would be built under Interstate 794. Both would line the west bank of the Milwaukee River.
Among the changes to the Foxtown design is the swapping of a greenhouse-like glass third floor for a glassy structure with a copper roof. “We feel that aesthetically this is an enhancement,” said architect Stephen Perry Smith to the board of the Historic Third Ward Architectural Review Board on Wednesday afternoon. The copper is expected to patina with time.
New Walker’s Point Tavern Planned by Draft & Vessel Owner
Draft & Vessel owner Nathaniel Davauer is planning to open a new tavern in Walker’s Point. The upcoming concept — as of yet unnamed — would occupy a former gallery space at 723 S. 2nd St., less than two blocks away from Davauer’s in-progress beer garden, Giving Tree Garage.
The project was a happy accident, said Davauer, who stumbled across the building while working on his nearby beer garden. “This just kind of fell in my lap,” he said.
Giving Tree Garage was originally slated to open in May 2023, but has experienced delays due to its unique format. With the new tavern in the picture, Davauer said he hopes to align the timelines for both concepts. His goal is to launch them simultaneously, ideally in time for the 2024 Pride Parade, scheduled for June 9.
“That’s just such a massive event on Second Street, certainly the biggest day of the year for both of these locations would be the Pride Parade,” he said.
New Zocalo Vendor Will Serve Korean Fried Chicken Sandwiches
A new vendor serving Asian-style chicken sandwiches is slated to join Zocalo Food Park this spring. Malee Thao plans to debut her food trailer, SANDU, at the food park, 636 S. 6th St., by the end of April.
The business will come with a built-in fanbase. Thao, who also owns S’Blendid Boba Tea, began serving Korean fried chicken sandwiches out of her former location at North Avenue Market. The ultra-crispy sandwiches were an instant hit — so much so, that customers have been asking after their next fix almost constantly since the cafe’s closure in January 2023.
“One of the most asked questions by our followers was if we were going to bring back our Korean fried chicken sandwiches,” Thao told Urban Milwaukee in June.
The upcoming food trailer will join six existing vendors at the park, which opened in 2019. Scratch Ice Cream, Ruby’s Bagels, Modern Maki, Mazorca Tacos, Hot Box Pizza and Anytime Arepa currently operate at Zocalo. The park also includes an indoor tavern space, which recently reopened following renovations.
Chefs Raising Funds For Kennedy’s Disease Research
More than 25 chefs will gather at Milwaukee Athletic Club next month for Dim Sum Give Some, a charity event intended to raise awareness of and funds for Kennedy’s Disease research.
During the event, attendees can expect to enjoy a variety of small plates prepared by award-winning chefs including Sam Ek and Ross Bachhuber of Odd Duck, Kristen Schwab of The Wolf on Broadway, Kurt Fogle of Dairyland, Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie, Kyle Toner of Sorella, Justin Aprahamian of Sanford, Paul Zerkel and Lisa Kirkpatrick of Goodkind and others.
The annual event, spearheaded by chefs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, will take place on Sunday, March 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the athletic club, 758 N. Broadway.
The cause is especially relevant for Jacobs, who was diagnosed with Kennedy’s Disease in 2016 — the same year that he and Van Rite opened Chinese-American restaurant DanDan.
British Brewery Coming to Pilot Project
Mash Gang, a London-based craft brewery, will make its debut at Pilot Project Brewing later this month, bringing two new, non-alcoholic beers to the brewery incubator, 1128 N. 9th St.
A Milwaukee-inspired beer, Stoop Lite, and Journey Juice, a Tajin-spiked mango IPA, will be available at Pilot Project’s Milwaukee and Chicago taprooms starting on Feb. 20.
Stoop Lite, described as crushable and refreshing, is lightly hopped and flavored with a hint of chili and Szechuan pepper. The beer is Mash Gang’s flagship product. Journey Juice, the more adventurous of the two beers, is equal parts sweet, spicy, sour and fruity. Its name comes from the British slang term for a beer consumed between bars.
Mash Gang’s arrival in Milwaukee coincides with a growing interest in zero-proof beverages. The sober movement has seen increased support throughout the city, bolstered by coordinated actions such as Dry January and Sober October. Across the United States, sales of non-alcoholic beer increased more than 20% between 2021 and 2022, according to data from Nielsen IQ. The trend has only grown since then, and Mash Gang has emerged as a standout option.
Tonic Tavern Closing After 15 Years
After 15 years in business, The Tonic Tavern is preparing to close its doors at the end of the month. The Bay View bar, at 2335 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., will serve its final round on Feb. 29.
Opened in 2009, the bar has long served as a destination for nearby industry folks dropping in for a post-shift drink. Its expansive patio and live music events have also been a draw for both tourists and locals.
The impending closure is a result of lingering difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic, owner Paul Jonas told Milwaukee Record. He also cited personal changes and the bar’s soon-to-expire lease in his decision.
The eclectic tavern’s style is equal parts dive bar and mid-century modern hangout, featuring exposed Cream City brick, local artwork and a sputnik chandelier, along with a jukebox and blackboard menus — hand-scrawled in colorful chalk. The tavern, which was recognized in the 2013 Mayor’s Design Awards, also features a dedicated space for live music performances and a retractable projector screen for sporting events.
Wong’s Wok Closes Its Last Location
Wong’s Wok, a Chinese chain restaurant with roots in Milwaukee, has shuttered its final location. The closure marks the end of a 45-year run for the family-owned restaurant, which operated as many as 13 locations at its peak.
Since its inception in 1979, Wong’s Wok has operated as a fast food concept with a focus on traditional Cantonese recipes such as egg foo young, sweet-and-sour chicken and lo mein. The takeout-focused restaurant also served several varieties of fried rice, sesame chicken, crab rangoon and more.
The last remaining Wong’s Wok, 3702 S. 27th St., was open as recently as early January, according to online reviews. As of Monday, however, the building has been stripped of its signage. A note posted in the drive-thru window reads: “restaurant closed.”
The restaurant chain, originally founded by Edward Chin, has been passed down through multiple generations. Chin’s daughter, Jennifer Norvik, is the current business owner.
Uptown Bar and Grill Given 30-Day Suspension
Uptown Bar and Grill will remain closed until mid-February as a result of a suspension handed down by the City of Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to issue a 30-day suspension to the tavern, 3535 W. Villard Ave., based on a 12-item police report.
At the time of the meeting, however, the business had already been closed for 20 days due to a lapse in its license. Area Alderwoman Andrea Pratt asked that those days count towards the suspension. As a result, the tavern will be allowed to reopen on Feb. 16.
Owner Tonia Otis and manager Lucas Brown appeared before the Milwaukee Licenses Committee on Jan. 5.
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