Uncle Wolfie’s Dinner Diner Will Rebrand
Plus: two new restaurants, a haunted mini-golf course and final farewell to Satin Doll.
Menu items from Uncle Wolfie’s Downtown. Photo taken April 21, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
Since its arrival in downtown Milwaukee last November, The Wolf on Broadway/Uncle Wolfie’s Dinner Diner has been in a near-constant state of change as it tried to find its footing in a new neighborhood.
The restaurant’s latest rebrand brings it full circle as a second location for sibling establishment Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern.
The downtown location, 600 N. Broadway, now known simply as Uncle Wolfie’s, will continue to serve comfort-focused breakfast and lunch with extended hours.
Starting Sept. 26., brunch will be available Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
With the pivot, Uncle Wolfies is set to unveil a new dinner concept, The Wolf, next month. Executive Chef Kristen Schwab will flex her creativity — and affinity for Southeast Asian cuisine — to create a weekly tasting menu.
“We can’t wait to have Chef Kristen lean back into her Indonesian roots and extensive travel background and bring more of her delicious and creative South East Asian food and other dishes inspired by her travels,” the restaurant shared in a social media post.
The first tasting menu is set to debut on Oct. 10, with regular services taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Details on the first tasting menu, as well as reservations for dinner service, will be available in the coming days. Brunch at Uncle Wolfie’s is walk-in only.
Popeye’s Reopening Will Yield ‘Best Location in the State of Wisconsin’
A Popeye’s restaurant on Milwaukee’s far Northwest Side is planning to reopen after a 2023 fire.
Mir Ali, the chain’s vice president of operations for the Midwest, confirmed the news during a Sept. 10 meeting with the Common Council’s Licenses Committee.
“That’s going to be probably the best location in the state of Wisconsin,” he said, noting that the company has already invested more than $1 million into rebuilding the 2,196-square-foot restaurant, 7525 W. Good Hope Rd., which was effectively destroyed in a fire in March 2023.
“I’m really looking forward to that location,” he said.
Haunted Mini Golf Returns to Nine Below
Avoid a bogey — and the bogeyman — at Nine Below‘s haunted mini golf course, which returns on Sept. 19 for the 2024 Halloween season.
The creepy course features 13 greens, each with its own frightful theme: some are bedecked with spider webs and creepy-crawlies, while others feature blood spatters and cackling clowns.
Now in its second year, the course is much improved from the 2023 version, a representative from Nine Below said. A bigger budget funded the purchase of additional decorations—including animatronic creatures—to enhance the overall theme.
Located at 1905 E. North Ave., Nine Below is one of five activity-focused establishments from Bars & Recreation, which also operates Amped, AXE MKE, The New Fashioned and NorthSouth Club.
New Restaurant Opening Soon in Columbus Park Neighborhood
For Yumi Lockridge, food is love. And affection is in the air on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side.
The chef and entrepreneur is preparing to open her first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Fully Loaded Eatery, this weekend. What started as a food truck in 2019 will soon take root at 7870 W. Appleton Ave.
Lockridge plans to serve a diverse menu of soul food, loaded potatoes, salads, fresh juices and more.
As she enters the new venture, her goals are simple: bring good food to the community, and bring the community together.
Satin Doll’s Lounge Will Be Demolished
A well-recognized Milwaukee bar, visited by everyone from famous musicians to the police, is set to be demolished.
Satin Doll’s Lounge, 2337 W. Fond du Lac Ave., will soon be an empty lot.
The two-story building has spent the past several decades recognizable even to speeders on the northside artery for its black color and large Satin Doll’s Lounge sign. But in recent years, the sign has crumbled. Small trees can now be seen growing from the roof
The bar’s namesake and owner, Minnette “Satin Doll” Wilson, passed away in 2017 at the age of 79. The City of Milwaukee has owned the building since 2023.
Colombian Cafe Coming to Crossroads Collective
Some things are too good not to share — at least according to Jonah and Valentina Sloan.
The couple are soon to open Capybara Cafe at Crossroads Collective, bringing Colombian street fare and espresso drinks to the East Side food hall, 2238 N. Farwell Ave.
“I’m excited for everybody to try Colombian food,” Jonah said. “I know it changed my life.”
He added that Valentina, who is originally from Cali, Colombia, is the main chef, as well as the “heart and soul” of the business.
Lily Bell’s Food Truck Opening Permanent Location
Shawn “Mrs. Shea” Jackson, owner of Lily Bell’s “IS” Fine Dining, receives up to 10 phone calls each day from customers seeking to make reservations.
There’s just one problem: her business has no physical dining room.
For the past five years, Lily Bell’s has operated as a food truck and catering company, and is often on the move throughout the Milwaukee area. But that’s all about to change.
This fall, Jackson plans to launch a permanent location for the business on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side. Lily Bell’s Cafe, tentatively set to open in early November, will bring crowd-favorites such as catfish po’boys, jerk chicken and Tennessee honey cake to 8560 W. Brown Deer Rd., joining a slate of other businesses in the strip mall-style building.
Fast Food and Convenience Store Approved For North Avenue
A new business offering quick-service meals and grocery items is moving forward in Washington Park, with plans to sell “a little bit of everything.”
Power Hour Depot, 4534 W. North Ave., would operate as a small restaurant serving chicken, hamburgers, and pizza, as well as a convenience store stocked with snacks and pantry staples.
The goal, said owner Rickey Adams, is to maximize convenience for neighbors while expanding on the area’s current options.
“I’m just trying to see how I can make the neighborhood better, as far as giving back to the people in the neighborhood,” said Adams, who previously worked as a manager for three different Checkers restaurants. “Whatever I have to do, I’m willing to do it.”
New Bakery Coming to Lincoln Warehouse
Stephen Blanchard‘s sourdough journey was off to a promising start. Then, he killed his starter.
He could’ve stopped there, like the many bakers before him who were tripped up by the notoriously tricky craft. Instead, he tried again.
“We made a new one, and it’s been up and running ever since,” he said. “Never had an issue.”
That can-do attitude has come to define Blanchard’s business, Stephen’s Breads, throughout its evolution from hobby to home bakery, and soon-to-be standalone venture.
BESTD Clinic Celebrates 50 Years of Service
Brady East STD Clinic, better known as BESTD, has been providing free, culturally sensitive care to members of the LGBTQ community and others in need for nearly 50 years.
The clinic, 1240 E. Brady St., was at the forefront of combating the AIDS epidemic in Milwaukee, rallied to mitigate the spread of mpox and continues to evolve to meet the needs of trans and gender non-conforming patients, all while providing more than 2,500 clients per year with accessible care.
Next month, BESTD will mark its golden anniversary with a celebration at Radio Milwaukee, inviting volunteers and community members to reflect on the clinic’s accomplishments and toast to its future.
The ticketed event will take place at 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. on Oct. 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., followed by an after-party at POP, 124 W. National Ave., in Walker’s Point.
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