Take a Bite Out of Bay View
Plus: New bakery, barbecue and brunch.
Chashu bao buns at Room Service. Photo by Sophie Bolich.
Spring is tentatively rearing its head in Milwaukee, ushering in a boom of restaurant openings — many of which are concentrated in the northern portion of Bay View.
A new Thai and Japanese concept, a fine dining restaurant and a taqueria are all opening along a one-block section S. Kinnickinnic Avenue.
The first, Room Service, opened its doors on Thursday. The new restaurant, 2159 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., offers a menu of sushi, dumplings, noodles, bao and more, along with creative cocktails.
Another restaurant, EsterEv, is set to open next door on April 17. The tasting-menu concept, a project of Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs, previously operated inside of its sister restaurant, DanDan. It has been closed for the past few months as the new space, 2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., came together.
Starting next week, Van Rite, Jacobs and the rest of the EsterEv team will debut a four-course menu featuring a mix of old favorites and new creations.
Just across the street, Paloma Taco and Tequila is also preparing for its soft opening, set for April 18. The new location, 2154 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., will be the second for the restaurant, which operates its flagship taqueria at 5419 W. North Ave.
The new additions join a handful of recently-opened restaurants in the area including The Fatty Patty and Todd I Believe I Can Fry.
And there’s still more to come. A new bar, 17th Ward Cocktail Lounge is proposed to open at 2160 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., inside the KinetiK apartments, according to a license application.
The building was once slated to house a food hall, Flour and Feed. That plan has since gone dormant, but a slate of incoming businesses could set it back in motion — albeit under a different name.
Mochinut, Ni’s Burmese and others have recently requested permits, with plans to open at the address, city records show.
Thai and Japanese Restaurant Opens in Bay View
Room Service, a new Thai and Japanese restaurant, opened its doors to the public in Bay View Thursday evening. If that title evokes thoughts of silver-domed plates and snacking in slippers, adjust your expectations.
Room Service is striking from first sight to last bite. The newly constructed building, 2159 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., soars with vaulted ceilings and basks in warm lighting. A vast, detailed mural stretches across the north wall, while two contemporary bars — one for sushi, another for alcohol — frame a dining room filled with clusters of dark wood tables and velvety, wraparound chairs.
But the restaurant’s look is only half its appeal.
The expansive menu at Room Service encompasses a wide range of Japanese and Thai dishes, from noodles and dumplings to sashimi and bao.
Humboldt Park Needs New Food Provider For Beer Garden
Milwaukee County’s Humboldt Park beer garden, called The Vine, needs a new food service operator.
Triciclo Peru, a defunct restaurant known for empanadas, used to provide food service at the beer garden. The Near West Side restaurant, which opened in 2017, abruptly closed in September last year.
Milwaukee County Parks began looking this spring for a new food service provider for the Bay View park. The department is looking for food that will pair well with the craft beers on tap at the beer garden.
“The food offerings will be more important than even the financial offer for this venue,” parks said in a public solicitation for a new food operator. The only limit on what can be served at the beer garden is that the venue does not have an exhaust hood.
Sweetly Baked Announces Grand Opening in Third Ward
For those invested in culture, cookies, or a little bit of both, Sweetly Baked is the place to be on April 19.
The new bakery and cafe, 207 E. Buffalo St., plans to open its doors on that date, coinciding with Gallery Night in the Historic Third Ward.
Owner Amanda Buhrman will begin serving guests at 5 p.m., offering a selection of signature sweets — macarons, mini cakes, brownies and more — as well as coffee, tea and specialty cocktails — both traditional and zero-proof.
Complimentary glasses of sparkling wine will be on-hand to help the cafe toast to its opening.
Mason Street Grill Adds Brunch
Mason Street Grill, meet mimosas.
Long known for its steakhouse-style menu, the East Town restaurant recently expanded its offerings with a new brunch service, now available on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In signature style, steak and seafood are major players on the restaurant’s brunch menu, which emphasizes comfort with a hint of luxury.
After working through starters such as fresh-baked pastries and fruit salad served in a coconut half, guests can choose from mains including a lobster-stuffed omelet with cheesy Delmonico potatoes or eggs and creamy green chile grits with andouille sausage — finished with a choice of barbecue shrimp or thick-cut cherry-smoked bacon.
EsterEv Opening Soon in Bay View
Unlike the flocks of geese steadily returning to Milwaukee’s waterfront, EsterEv is migrating south. The highly-regarded restaurant, a project of Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs, has never been one to follow the crowd, anyway.
Take its caviar tater tot, for example; the unconventional offering has garnered a cult following from fans who revel in the playful, high-low nature of the dish, which was born from the chefs’ shared love of McDonald’s hash browns.
This homage to the Golden Arches and other comfort-forward dishes will make an official debut on Wednesday, April 17, when EsterEv opens its new, standalone location in Bay View.
Formerly a private dining destination tucked away inside DanDan, the restaurant is now flying solo at 2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Restaurant at Turner Hall is Relocating
Turning Tables Tavern and Eatery will soon relocate from Turner Hall to the former Freshii space on Wisconsin Avenue. While it may seem like a big change, owner Emerald Mills said the shift will help the business fulfill its initial mission.
“We’re kind of transitioning back to our original model, which was designed to be more of a teaching kitchen — a space that can feature up-and-coming entrepreneurs and chefs,” she said. “That’s what we always wanted to do and that’s what we’ll be able to focus on primarily with the move.”
The new location, 250 E. Wisconsin Ave., will likely come with a new name: Diverse Dining. It marks the revival of a program that Mills founded in 2018 to bridge racial, social, economical and generational gaps through shared meals and conversation.
She said the title aims to carry on the essence of the program while helping patrons understand the nature of the business, which acts as a host to chefs and entrepreneurs, but is not itself a restaurant.
Dining Pop-Ups Present National, Local Talent
A number of special dining experiences are popping up throughout the city in April and May, bringing an extra excitement to a season already brimming with culinary happenings.
Attending a pop-up meal is an easy way to break out of a dining rut. Not only are the meals one-of-a-kind, they’re also likely cooked with particular care, passion and enthusiasm by chefs who are eager to experiment and push the boundaries of their talents.
The events also tend to be more intimate than the usual restaurant visit, providing extra opportunities for diners and chefs to connect on a deeper level.
Five such pop-ups are coming to Milwaukee this spring, showcasing both veteran chefs and newcomers, with themes ranging from dim sum to Mexican fare.
Paper Table Has Plan to Address Double-Parking
Paper Table is going back to the drawing board, following the departure of all but one of its vendors.
With more than a dozen kitchen spaces left to fill, the delivery-focused food hall is now recruiting a new slate of restaurant concepts to occupy the downtown building at 733-737 N. Milwaukee St.
But as the number of proposed vendors climbs, neighbors worry that instances of double-parking — an issue that has plagued the food hall since its opening — will also trend upwards.
During a recent meeting, the Milwaukee Common Council‘s Licenses Committee heard testimony from neighbors, one of whom called the parking “a safety issue.”
Twisted Path Hosting High-End Sushi Pop-Up
Worawit Boonyapituksakul is many things: a father, a chef, a graphic designer and — perhaps most importantly — an artist.
His discipline lies in creating. His medium? It’s sushi.
Born and raised in Thailand, Boonyapituksakul graduated with a degree in art and worked as a graphic designer before moving to the United States, where the pursuit of good sushi — and a desire to master its preparation — led him from Chicago to New York City.
He later settled in Milwaukee and launched his own culinary business, Home-Omakase by DAG. As its name suggests, the mobile concept sets up shop in diners’ homes, offering an ultra-personalized and intimate experience.
Jericho’s BBQ Opens on Farwell Avenue
From the time he sold his first cup of Kool-Aid from a homemade corner stand on the North Side, Jericho Shaw knew that entrepreneurship was his calling.
As a young man, Shaw tried his hand at a variety of businesses — from running a corner store at the age of 15 to opening his own car wash. His restaurant, though, is arguably his most significant venture. If nothing else, it has endured the longest.
The concept, Jericho’s BBQ, came about unexpectedly. “I was barbecuing for my kids, and people were asking ‘are you selling that?’ So I sold a couple of pieces,” Shaw said.
One day turned into two, and more followed. “That first Friday, I made $140.” Soon after, Shaw acquired a food truck and began regular service outside of his car wash. “And I ain’t never quit.”
After Murder At Illegal Nightclub, Committee Rejects License For Proposed Bar
When seeking approval from the Milwaukee Common Council’s Licenses Committee, illegal gambling, late-night parties and gunplay typically won’t help one’s case.
Rickey Adams, owner of Power Lounge & Grill, learned that lesson firsthand on March 26, when the committee quashed his plans for the new tavern, formerly proposed to open at 4323 N. 60th St., in Capitol Heights.
“You have not proven, not one bit, without a shadow of a doubt, that you can properly handle an establishment in this area,” Alderman Mark Chambers, Jr. told Adams during the hearing. “I have zero confidence in you that you will do anything of positivity in this community.”
The alderman’s strong rebuke was echoed by several members of the community who testified against the tavern, some of whom recently lost a family member due to illegal activity at the unlicensed establishment.
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