Birch Hosts Fresh Oyster Pop-Ups
Plus: Three cafes planned, Midwest Sad seeks investors and restaurants prepare for RNC.
Bar at Birch. Photo by Siege Food Photo.
Kyle Knall, owner and executive chef at Birch, has emerged in recent years as a major player in the Midwestern culinary scene. But before he was a James Beard-nominated restaurateur, he was a little boy on the Gulf Coast watching his dad shuck oysters.
Decades later, Knall’s childhood nostalgia still holds an important place in his heart — and in his restaurant. A photo displayed behind the bar shows baby Knall with his dad, Pepe, as he prepares a platter of fresh oysters.
Earlier this year, Knall launched a recurring pop-up at Birch to share that nostalgia with his guests. The monthly event, Pepe’s Oyster Bar, brings a coastal casual feel to the high-end restaurant, 459 E. Pleasant St., while honoring Knall’s dad, who passed away last year.
The reservation-only pop-ups last for one hour, with guests seated at the restaurant’s 14-seat bar as Knall shucks and serves Island Creek Oysters, experimenting with different flavor combinations each month.
A sample menu of oyster preparations includes chilled oysters with pickled habanada (pepper with the same floral sweetness of habaneros but without any spice) mignonette; marinated crab tostada with fermented pepper, red king radish and herbs; and steelhead trout tartare with horseradish.
Hot offerings include wood-roasted oysters with Jimmy Nardello pepper butter and pistachio breadcrumbs, and grilled head-on shrimp with chili crisp.
After the one-hour reservation slot concludes, guests can continue their meal in the dining room.
Upcoming pop-ups are scheduled for July 25 and Aug. 29. Reservations are available to book online.
Milwaukee-Area Bars Can Stay Open Until 4 a.m. During RNC
They say nothing good happens after midnight, but what about 4 a.m.? Some of the estimated 50,000 guests set to attend next week’s Republican National Convention are soon to find out.
Thanks to a new law, bars in more than a dozen Wisconsin counties are permitted to remain open until 4 a.m. July 16 through 19, giving patrons an extra two hours to imbibe in one of the city’s favorite pastimes.
Traditionally, bars and restaurants are required to close at 2 a.m. on weekdays and 2:30 a.m. on weekends.
The basis for the legislation is that the convention runs until 10 p.m. daily and it can take an extensive amount of time to leave the convention grounds. Governor Tony Evers set the law in motion by including it in his 2023-25 state budget plan and it was ultimately signed into law in December as part of an overhaul of state alcohol laws.
New Beer Honors Women’s Rights Advocate Mathilde Anneke
Blood, sweat, tears and…trash?
The women of Torzala Brewing Co. and Wizard Works Brewing are putting it all into their collaborative release, “Prost, Mathilde!” which honors civil rights trailblazer Mathilde Anneke.
The new brew, a traditional altbier, is made with hops grown in composted “old, sexist” beer posters — a Women’s History Month initiative led by Miller Brewing Company.
According to a news release, the brewery collected the offensive ads and recycled them into nutrient-rich soil, which was then used by Gooding Farms, a woman-owned hop farm in Idaho, to grow Idaho Gem hops.
Valentine Coffee Expanding to Downer Avenue
Valentine Coffee Roasters plans to expand its local presence with a new location on Milwaukee’s East Side.
The upcoming cafe is expected to open this fall at 3124 N. Downer Ave., adjacent to the recently opened Old Guard Games.
It will be the third for Valentine, which also has locations on Vliet Street and in the Historic Third Ward. A previous location in Oak Creek permanently closed in 2022.
Owner Robb Kashevarof said he wasn’t specifically seeking to expand on the East Side, but saw promise in the location. “It was just a good opportunity.”
City Awards $100K in Fresh Food Grants
Each day at Food For Health, chefs work diligently to prepare, package and distribute medically-tailored meals to Milwaukeeans who have — or are at risk of developing — type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other medical conditions.
The public charity, headquartered in Bronzeville, has made it a goal to address community health through food and lifestyle interventions.
A recent grant from the City of Milwaukee’s Fresh Food Access Fund (FFAF) will help to further that mission.
Food For Health is one of seven organizations selected for the 2024 grant, city officials announced Tuesday. Additional recipients include 4th Dimension Sobriety, Ebenezer Stone Ministries, Friedens Food Pantries, Hundred Acre, Riverworks Development Corporation and The Gathering of Southeast Wisconsin.
Catrina Cafe Opens in Walker’s Point
Nightlife veteran Julio Maldonado recently debuted a new concept in Walker’s Point, replacing his previous establishment, Snifters Tapas and Spirits.
Catrina Cafe, first introduced as a brunch-forward addition to Snifters, has instead taken over the entire commercial space at 606 S. 5th St.
Maldonado announced the shift in a March social media post, writing that “after 7 strong years with Snifters, it is time to go on to a new chapter.”
The new business operates as a restaurant by day, offering brunch dishes, Mexican food and more, along with beverages including coffee, aguas frescas, beer and cocktails. At night, it transitions into a lively Latin dance club, hosting DJs and themed events such as Havana Thursdays and Diabla Saturdays.
Listening Lounge and Cafe Coming to Brady Street
Opening a new business on Brady Street — much less one that’s completely unique — is no small task.
But Todd Dunsirn and Kim Forbeck may have found the perfect niche. Or rather, groove.
The married couple are working to renovate a nearly 150-year-old building at 1200 E. Brady St., with plans to open a vinyl listening lounge and cafe in the space that formerly housed Brady Street Futons.
The Deep Groove is slated to open this fall, contributing its own flair to Milwaukee’s growing list of vinyl-focused establishments.
City Approves Hampton Avenue Tavern
A new bar and lounge is progressing on the Northwest Side after receiving a stamp of approval from the Milwaukee Common Council last week.
Excluzive Bar N Lounge, a project of sisters Natasha and Crystal Moore, is slated to open in the coming months at 5403 W. Hampton Ave.
The business plans to offer alcoholic beverages, entertainment and a limited food program including appetizers, salads and more, while providing a “laid-back” destination for older community members, the owners said.
“We planned on opening up a bar slash lounge, really for the older crowd,” Natasha told the Licenses Committee during a June 18 hearing. “We’re not catering to the younger crowd.”
Former Machine Shop Is RNC Party Venue
An unlikely building will place host to multiple nights of parties during the Republican National Convention.
A former machine shop in Brewers Hill is being transformed into a 20,000-square-foot entertainment venue for an “invitation-only event that hosts top government and political leaders,” according to the events production group planning it.
The warehouse, 1929 N. Buffum St., will be split into venues with stages and a VIP area on the second level. According to an email to the city, parties will occur for five straight days
The 5,700-square-foot primary venue will include a stage prepared for pyrotechnics, a DJ stand and a hanging Tesla coil. A second, 2,500-square-foot area will be separated from the primary venue by a “low fog pink hallway” and courtyard.
7 Businesses Located Inside RNC ‘Hard Zone’
With the start of the Republican National Convention less than a week away, it’s crunch time for local businesses, elected officials and the hundreds of people involved in organizing, staffing and executing the large-scale political event.
That’s especially true for the handful of bars and restaurants located within the pedestrian-restricted security perimeter, or “hard zone,” which encompasses Fiserv Forum, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, the Baird Center and the immediate areas surrounding each of those venues.
Due to increased security measures, access to those establishments will be limited to credentialed or ticket-holding individuals for the duration of the RNC, which runs from Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18.
While businesses will miss out on serving the general public, they can expect heavy traffic from RNC attendees seeking food and drink without having to navigate through security checkpoints.
Milwaukee Will Drop Private Security Licensing Requirement
The City of Milwaukee’s attempt to impose new licensing requirements for private security personnel is at a standstill following a lawsuit brought by six local business owners.
Undeterred, City Attorney Evan Goyke remains “very confident” in the effort to improve citywide security practices and pledges to work with the Common Council on a long-term solution.
“I do believe the city council was right in taking some action,” Goyke said, specifically referencing an August 2023 incident during which a gas station security guard fatally shot a resident in the Garden Homes neighborhood.
The guard, William Pinkin, was convicted of a felony in 1989 and subsequently barred from possessing a gun. The business’s license was revoked in October 2023.
Midwest Sad’s Quest For Industry Change
A series of bold-lettered flyers leads like a trail of breadcrumbs to Midwest Sad. The counter-service bakery, located down a winding flight of stairs in the basement of the 770 Building, is slightly off the beaten path.
For Sam Sandrin, though, it’s a home away from home.
As owner of Midwest Sad, Sandrin spends more than 12 hours each day in the commercial kitchen space, churning out trays of rich brownies, hand-dipped rock candies and wafer-studded portions of banana pudding.
All the while, she’s flanked by a small team of employees and a growing collection of tchotchkes that adorn the service window. The space has the feel of a quintessential midwestern home, down to the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies wafting through the front window.
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