3 Non-Alcoholic Events For Dry January
Plus: Monterrey Market expanding, Michael's has new look and goodbye Bay Street Pub.
N/A Day flyer. Image courtesy of Milwaukee Record.
In just a few days, hordes of Milwaukeeans will begin wringing themselves out for Dry January, an alcohol-free month aimed at recovering from holiday indulgence and setting the tone for the new year.
Participation, especially among younger generations, has gained momentum in recent years, and local businesses have adapted to the trend, offering an abundance of non-alcoholic drinks to facilitate the transition.
Three upcoming events will focus entirely on N/A drinks, enhancing offerings for Dry January participants and, ideally, introducing the sober-curious crowd to new favorites for the future.
On Jan. 4, N/A Day will take over The Cooperage, 818 S. Water St., for its fourth annual event, showcasing more than 20 different vendors — and unlimited samples — of non-alcoholic beverages ranging from energy drinks to THC seltzers.
Local businesses such as Canni Hemp Company, Great Lakes Distillery, The Kind Oasis, Lakefront Brewery, Sprecher Brewing Co. and Third Space Brewing will be in attendance alongside national brands like Guinness and Michelob Ultra, which plans to debut its 0.0 brew at N/A Day.
Between each of the vendors, guests can expect to sample more than 50 different beverages, with the option to purchase a full package to take home. DJ Christreater of WMSE will play music throughout the event.
N/A Day, hosted by Milwaukee Record, is scheduled to run from noon to 4 p.m., with a free after-party to follow at the next-door Boone & Crockett. Attendees can expect samples from Visitor Beer, hourly raffles and DJ sets by Joe Collins and Sam Larcheid.
Tickets for the beverage festival can be purchased through Eventbrite ($20) or at the door ($30).
N/A Day also hosts a Madison event. Additional details are available to view online.
Broken Bat Brewing
Broken Bat Brewing, 135 E. Pittsburgh Ave., will debut its flagship non-alcoholic beers during a release party on Friday, Jan. 3. The new offerings are alcohol-free versions of the brewery’s classic pineapple milkshake IPA, Beach Ball, and bohemian light lager, On an Island.
Owner Tim Pauly said he’s noticed increased participation in Dry January year over year, and wanted to create drinks in-house to keep up with that trend.
The release party will begin at noon, with both brews available to purchase in cans. On an Island will also be on tap.
Kegel’s Inn
Traditionally known for its German fare — and beer — Kegel’s Inn will host an alcohol-free celebration on Thursday, Jan. 9. The event will take place in the restaurant’s heated outdoor tent, featuring non-alcoholic beers, wines, mocktails and more from over 30 different vendors.
“Let’s kick off the new year with a clear mind and good vibes,” Kegel’s wrote on the event webpage. “Don’t miss this opportunity to have a great time without a hangover!”
The all-ages celebration will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 5901 W. National Ave. Tickets ($25) are available online and include a four-ounce Frankfurter sampling glass and a customizable six-pack of your favorite beverages to take home.
Grocery Store Planned For Shuttered Westside Walmart
Monterrey Market is set to expand its Milwaukee presence with plans to open its third location in a former Walmart department store.
The new store will replace the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 7025 W. Main St., near Milwaukee’s border with West Allis, which closed in May.
Founded by Robert and Leonor Montemayor in 2010, the family-owned Monterrey Market currently operates locations at 3014 S. 13th St. and 3920 S. 27th St., offering both American and Latin American grocery staples including meat and seafood, produce, pantry items and household goods, as well as specialty spices, bakery and seasonal products like pan muerto and atole mix.
A $610,000 commercial buildout, led by Madisen Maher Architects, is planned ahead of the opening, according to documents submitted to the City of Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Creates Economic Hardship Waiver For Keeping Chickens
Since 2011, Milwaukeeans have been allowed to keep backyard chickens.
The non-expiring permits to do so require a one-time application and a $35 permit fee.
Now, that application will allow people to self-declare economic hardship, waiving their permit fee.
Alderman Peter Burgelis, who represents the city’s Southwest Side, sponsored the waiver amendment to Milwaukee’s chicken-keeping code. He said the idea came from a constituent who was upset about the fee.
Jazz Cafe To Be Replaced By ‘Food Palace’
Espernolia’s Jazz Cafe, located at 9002 W. Silver Spring Dr., closed in September after six months in business. The restaurant served comfort food like smothered pork chops, fried catfish and tacos, paired with a music-themed ambiance featuring icons such as John Coltrane, Kenny G and Gerald Albright.
Owners Espernolia and Yolanda Gates announced the news in a Facebook post, calling the venture “an incredible journey.”
“After much reflection, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close the doors to Espernolia’s Jazz Cafe,” the couple wrote. “We are deeply grateful for all the support, loyalty, and love you’ve shown us. Thank you for all the memories, and we look forward to continuing to be a part of your special moments in this new chapter.”
In the wake of the closure, the partners are shifting their focus back to full-time catering through Gates Family Catering, a business they originally launched in 1997.
New Bar and Grill Opening Soon on Far Southwest Side
The Slow Buffalo is inching towards opening in Milwaukee’s Morgan Heights neighborhood after more than a year of development.
Co-owners Joseph Vagnini and Jeremy Chounard shared last month that “the wait is almost over” for their new bar and restaurant, set to take over the previous home of 1st Choice dive bar at 3872 S. 92nd St.
The partners first proposed the business in 2023, and have been sprucing up the building ever since. The revamped space centers around a sleek rectangular bar with live-edge wood, surrounded by several two-top tables. TVs are set up in each corner of the casual, 2,600-square-foot tavern space.
In addition to a full bar program, The Slow Buffalo will serve food, thanks to the recent installation of a kitchen hood. For entertainment, the business will feature five amusement machines and two dartboards, according to a license application.
Diner Near Marquette Campus Has New Look
Michael’s Family Restaurant, which has existed in the shadow of the Ambassador Hotel for more than 35 years, recently debuted a new look.
With the help of artist Austin Wronski, the diner, 2220 W. Wisconsin Ave., shed its prior red awning and stone facade, now asserting itself to passersby with grey brick and bold orange lettering. Its previous rooftop sign, which advertised “fried chicken & gyros,” has been replaced with a streamlined and the new storefront is emblazoned with a newly-designed logo. Seasonal characters — Santas, snowmen — peek through the street-facing window, joined by a flyer for Sunrise Specials — for the early birds — available daily from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Wronski, also known as El Güero, is a local artist and muralist favored by a number of area businesses. His work can be found at Flautas y Chilaquiles Los Villa, Brew-Jas Coffee House, La Michoacana Premium and more across Milwaukee.
Restaurant owner Leticia Muñoz Hernandez, who also operates Orenda Cafe at 3514 W. National Ave., told Urban Milwaukee that the change has been a long time coming. She also hopes to add a mural to the side of the building in the near future.
Harry’s Is Still Fun After All These Years
In today’s world, where restaurants open and close with alarming rapidity, Harry’s has secured its reputation as a neighborhood bar of long standing. It has operated for 28 years with seriously good food. You will not be disappointed by the many choices on the menu, the bright interior with day-time sun streaming in large windows, the excellent service and the overall sense you are in a friendly neighborhood establishment.
If you want to start with an updated classic drink, try the December Cocktail Special, an Apple Cranberry Moscow Mule made with apple vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and Ginger Beer. The drink was tart. It tasted of cranberries with a fizzy finish, and of course, it was served in a classic mule mug. This was a fine way to preface a delicious lunch that began with a “First,” Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons.
Three oversized wontons came on a plate covered with spicy tart plum sauce studded with strips of ginger. The wontons were crisp, hot from the deep fryer, and filled with oozing cream cheese and crab. They were good, but the star of the dish was the ginger-plum sauce that coated the wontons and left my companions and I craving more. But there was more coming, so we resisted the temptation of a second order.
Also, from the “Firsts,” three Thai Chicken Tacos were more than enough for a meal for one person. The flour tortillas were stuffed with finely ground chicken mixed with heat producing chili along with sesame oil, soy, and lime, and topped with carrot-cucumber slaw. A spicy peanut sauce added more flavor to these unusual tacos, creating a tasty combination of Hispanic and Thai cuisine.
Broken Bat Debuts N/A Brews For Dry January
Broken Bat Brewing is venturing into the world of non-alcoholic beer, and its first release with be a double play.
The brewery, 135 E. Pittsburgh Ave., is set to introduce dry versions of its flagship pineapple milkshake IPA, Beach Ball, and a bohemian light lager, On an Island, starting next week.
Owner Tim Pauly said the brews have been four years in the making, following the rise of non-alcoholic alternatives during and after the pandemic. Participatory trends such as “Sober October” and “Dry January” have only furthered the momentum.
“We just noticed that Dry January was becoming more prevalent, and people were really using that month after the New Year to kind of reset and back off of alcoholic beverages,” he said.
Milwaukee Film Hosting ‘Let’s Dig In’ Series
“No talking” is a fundamental rule of moviegoing, but Laura Michele hopes her upcoming docuseries will encourage just the opposite.
With titles including Food, Inc. 2, The Biggest Little Farm and The Story of Plastic, Let’s Dig In will delve into topics like the environment and ecosystems, farming, nutrition and sustainability, aiming to spark curiosity and conversation among viewers.
Michele, who leads the nonprofit Beyond Organic, is spearheading the series, which is scheduled to run from January to June at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.
The timing is ideal, she said, aligning with the promise of a fresh start in 2025 and a wave of New Year’s resolutions. “People are thinking about their families and what they’re eating,” she said. “And they can come out to see these films in real life and stay on their path of health and wellness — know your farmer, know your food.”
124-Year-Old Bay View Bar Closes
A neighborhood tavern with more than 120 years of history is no more. Bay Street Pub quietly closed its doors in recent weeks, marking the end of an era for the building at 338 E. Bay St.
The business started as a Miller tied house in 1900 but has undergone numerous transformations in ownership, name and appearance since then, as documented in Michael Horne‘s 2015 Bar Exam.
Ignatz Tominsek steered the business through the Great Depression and Prohibition, later renting the space to Patrick Malinger, who renamed it Pat’s Place. Subsequent tenants including Scotsman Lounge and Tequila’s Sports Bar also took their turns before the tavern transitioned to its most recent — and final — iteration as Bay Street Pub.
In its earlier days, Bay Street Pub served as a no-nonsense watering hole for locals. “This is a place where everybody knows your name, except for when they don’t, and in that case you might as well be nobody,” Horne wrote. “This is not Bay View as ‘The Other East Side’ — this is Bay View as ‘The Same Old South Side.'”
New Restaurant Hopes to Become Northside ‘Favorite’
The former Working Class tavern is set to return next spring as a family-friendly eatery. Entrepreneur Tressa Jones plans to open Favorites Restaurant & Lounge at 1810 W. Fond du Lac Ave., offering a menu of “straightforward food with soul,” according to a license application.
The new business has been under development since 2019, when Jones purchased the property. Starting in early 2023, she worked with contractors to gut and redesign the triangular, two-story building. The project is now approaching completion, with a proposed opening date set for March 2025.
The updated, 2,800-square-foot business will include an all-new interior and fixtures, a bar, dining room and entertainment areas, well as a retractable garage door leading to a 890-square-foot outdoor patio.
Although construction is not yet finished, Jones already has a clear vision for the upcoming restaurant and lounge.
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