Ruby J’s Restaurant Shifts to Catering
Plus: Vegan eats, sushi at Saint Kate and Bartolotta plans Rumpus Room replacement.
Ruby J’s Restaurant. Photo by Eric Brown
After two years in business on Milwaukee’s North Side, Ruby J’s has shifted its focus away from sit-down dining.
The family-owned restaurant, 4734 W. Lisbon Ave., now offers catering only, with a limited menu of its soul food favorites available for private parties, corporate events, celebrations of life and more.
Owners Eric and Deborah Brown, announced the change on social media at the end of 2024, with the restaurant closure taking effect in January.
“It has been an absolute pleasure, honor, and blessing to serve you, as well as the community, over the past few years,” Brown wrote in a post directed to customers. “Please pray for us in this upcoming new year as we continue to move forward in our new business endeavors.”
Ruby J’s, named in honor of Brown’s mother, Ruby Jameson, opened in early 2023 at 4734 W. Lisbon Ave., drawing immediate support from neighbors who praised the restaurant’s fried chicken, collard greens and homemade desserts, along with its hospitality and welcoming atmosphere.
And while the format has changed, those crowd favorites are still available through catering. The menu also features baked chicken, party wings and catfish fillets, plus sides like macaroni and cheese, candy yams, dressing, cabbage, black eyed peas, potato salad and sweet potato casserole. For dessert, Ruby’s offers strawberry banana pudding.
Catering inquiries can be directed to eatatrubyjs@gmail.com or (414) 698-3206.
Temple Goddess Brings Plant-Based Options to Farwell Avenue
A colorful tapestry hangs behind the counter at Temple Goddess. Woven in bright shades of green, turquoise, gold and vermilion, it depicts a woman in a flowing dress, belly dancing amid a crowd of musicians. Lush plants, overflowing fruit bowls and ornate teapots fill the background.
The artwork suits the plant-based restaurant, whose new Lower East Side location is modestly decorated with spiritual statues, posters and symbols. It’s also a familiar sight at 1978 N. Farwell Ave., where years ago the same tapestry hung inside Abu’s Jerusalem of the Gold.
Co-owner Eve Savva said customers first recognized the tapestry when Temple Goddess was operating at Crossroads Collective. “It seemed like people were familiar with it — like it was kind of touching on a nice nostalgia from Abu’s.”
But Savva’s tapestry didn’t come from the former Middle Eastern restaurant — she acquired it years ago while studying dance in New York.
Replacement Found For 27th Street Big Lots
A former bargain store could get new life as a halal market under a proposal currently pending before the City of Milwaukee.
Entrepreneur Sanad Shaibi aims to convert the former Big Lots store at 5667 S. 27th St. into Palm Halal Market, which would sell food, beverages and other products that align with Islamic dietary guidelines.
Halal standards exclude pork, alcohol, blood and blood by-products. Diners must also be mindful of how meat is butchered, as well as the risk of cross-contamination with haram (non-halal) items.
The proposed store would open within Miracle Mile Shopping Plaza, a 95,000-square-foot strip mall that also houses Holy Smoke, Nunu’s Hot Bargains and Empire Beauty School.
Northwest Side Could Get New Southern Restaurant
A new restaurant offering quick-service meals could soon join Milwaukee’s Northwest Side.
Craig Willis, an industry veteran and former partner in Red Snapper and Chic Lounge, plans to open Julie Mae’s Southern Cooking at 7604 W. Burleigh St.
According to a license application, Willis is part-owner of the proposed restaurant and serves as registered agent for R&C Food Dynasty, LLC. His wife, Rita, has previously partnered with him for business ventures.
The restaurant plans to serve Southern-style comfort foods including mac-and-cheese, yams, grits, gumbo and greens, Willis noted in the application.
Bartolotta Group Plans Mystery Restaurant
Years after closing The Rumpus Room, The Bartolotta Restaurants plans to redevelop the space at 1030 N. Water St. as part of its “ongoing investment in downtown Milwaukee.”
The hospitality group, led by Paul Bartolotta, recently filed a construction permit for the 3,605-square-foot restaurant and confirmed it is reconceptualizing the venue.
“We are working closely with the City of Milwaukee as we progress from the design and development to the construction phase of the project, and we look forward to sharing more details in the coming months,” the group said in a statement.
Madisen Maher Architects is leading the project, which is estimated to cost $350,000, according to the permit.
Mother’s Sets Opening Date in Bay View
For years, opening a restaurant felt like a distant dream for Vanessa Rose, who always viewed the prospect with an underlying sense of “that’ll never happen.”
“It was the same sort of dream as winning the lottery,” she said. “It was all nebulous — fictitious. Didn’t really exist.”
Tuesday morning, though, Rose sat in the empty dining room at Mother’s, 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., on the cusp of a dream becoming reality. The restaurant, set to open June 26, is the culmination of more than two decades of industry experience and a heartfelt passion for the LGBTQ+ community.
“It was after I started thinking about [the business] — creating queer cuisine, revolutionizing the way we pay people, and how this could work if only someone stood up and did it — that I actually began to wonder about its viability,” she said.
Benelux Debuts New Rooftop Upgrade
Rooftop dining has made its anticipated summertime debut at Cafe Benelux — and this time, there’s no countdown to its closure.
The addition of Lux Skyhaus, a retractable roll-a-cover enclosure, allows for year-round rooftop dining and expands options for private events at the Historic Third Ward restaurant, 346 N. Broadway.
Initially announced in March, the roll-a-cover enclosure is the first of its kind in Milwaukee, according to Lowlands Group. It replaces the restaurant’s temporary heated tent, which previously sheltered rooftop diners during the winter months.
While popular in Milwaukee, open-air dining also mirrors the broader dining culture found throughout Europe, said Eric Wagner, CEO of Lowlands Group.
Pasta Tree Spotlights Italian Winemakers
Three “visionary winemakers” will soon make the trip overseas to feature their ferments as part of a dinner series at The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar.
Polito Winery, Pippo Greco Winery and Cobellis Winery — all based in Southern Italy — are set to participate in A Taste of Cilento, a three-part series taking place across June and July at the Lower East Side restaurant, 1503 N. Farwell Ave.
Suzzette Metcalfe, chef and owner of the Milwaukee restaurant, will host the events, curating a multi-course menu to pair with each winery’s selections.
The first dinner, taking place June 18, will showcase Polito Winery, known for its traditional cultivation and vinification techniques.
Omakase Experience Coming to Downtown Hotel
Since opening in 2019, Saint Kate — The Arts Hotel has sought to champion all things creative, whether the medium is cinema, choreography or culinary arts.
Its latest addition leans into the latter.
Earlier this spring, the hotel at 139 E. Kilbourn Ave. introduced sushi rolls at two of its on-site restaurants, ARIA and the Bar. Offerings are prepared by experienced sushi chefs, ranging from California rolls stuffed with real crab to habanero-spiked maki inspired by Milwaukee’s Latino culture.
Executive Chef Heskeith Flavien said the sushi program is intended to appeal to theatergoers seeking a pre-show meal that’s quick, fresh and visually appealing — and sushi checked all the boxes.
The Fitz Offers Elegant Brunches
Before you settle into the dining room known as The Fitz, inside the Ambassador Hotel, stroll around the lobby to view the Art Deco decor that dates to 1927 when the hotel was built.
Look for the simple yet elegant chandeliers, the understated columns, the woodwork, and the lovely diamond pattern underfoot. The name, The Fitz, relates to F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote about the roaring 20s in The Great Gatsby.
Inside the dining room you will find white tablecloth dining and an approachable menu with dishes that suggest contemporary twists on familiar classics.
East Side Bakery Sets Grand Opening Date
When Amy Gorski was just starting her career in pastry, she and a close friend and coworker would share grand visions over bowls of batter.
“We’d stand across the table and talk about our dream bakeries, and I’d say, ‘Well, when I have my own bakery, I’ll do this. I’ll do that.'”
More than twelve years later, those dreams are becoming a reality. Gorski will celebrate the grand opening of her own business, Poppy Bakery, Saturday, June 14, at 2021 E. Ivanhoe Pl.
The East Side space, once home to Sip & Purr Cat Cafe, has been reimagined as a neighborhood hub for wholesome baked goods and Valentine Coffee — complete with sentimental details like a bakery case handmade by Gorski’s childhood best friend, a storage rack from a former baker’s estate sale and a butter-stained note, now framed, from that same daydreaming coworker.
More Details Revealed About Planned Italian Restaurant
Think you know Italian food? Think again.
Il Ponte, an upcoming restaurant from Lupi & Iris owners Adam Siegel and Daria Aitken-Siegel, promises New York-style Italian cuisine — with plenty of new-to-Milwaukee twists.
“There’s a good amount of red sauce, but not just spaghetti and meatballs,” Siegel told reporters during a Friday morning press conference. “There are quite a few dishes that many people in Milwaukee have never seen that we will utilize, and we’re excited for that … we’ll have some fun with it.”
Il Ponte, meaning “the bridge” in Italian, is set to open on the first floor of the Northwestern Mutual North Building, which is in the midst of a large-scale overhaul.
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