Wine Bar Offers Unique Bordeaux Festival

Wine bar at Waterford Wine & Spirits. Photo courtesy of Waterford Wine & Spirits.

One hundred and seventy years ago, Emperor Napoleon III requested a system to classify France’s most prestigious wines, giving rise to the now-renowned Bordeaux Classification.

Next month, a local wine shop will highlight pours from those same categories, offering a rare experience—one rarely available even in Bordeaux itself.

Waterford Wine & Spirits’ Bordeaux Festival, featuring a complete lineup of the 2015 Grands Crus Classés, is set to take place Oct. 4  at the Milwaukee shop, 2120 N. Farwell Ave, from noon to 4 p.m.

With ten years of bottle age on each wine, the tasting offers a “unique opportunity to experience the evolution of one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated vintages,” the shop shared in a news release.

The year 2015 was selected for its “accessibility and harmony, as well as its promise to evolve into one of the most complete Bordeaux vintages of the last several decades.”

The festival offers two ticket options. A $125 entry includes access to more than 50 classified Bordeaux wines from 2015, covering the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Growth estates. All wines are tasted side by side in an open-house format.

A $275 all-inclusive ticket includes all of the above wines, along with access to the five First Growths of Bordeaux: Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion and Château Mouton Rothschild.

The experience offers “rare opportunity to taste these benchmark wines in direct comparison,” according to the release.

All wines will be available for purchase at the event, though quantities are limited, with priority for ticket holders.

Tickets are available to purchase online.

New Tenant For Shuttered Riverwest Dollar General

A shuttered Dollar General location could soon reopen as a grocery store and restaurant, expanding Riverwest‘s limited access to fresh food.

Abdel Naser Al Saher plans to redevelop the boarded-up building at 1300 E. Locust St. into a home for Metro Pantry and Food. Pending city approval, the new business is set to open in November.

The proposal comes as neighborhood grocery options dwindle, following Dollar General’s late-2024 closure and Riverwest Co-op & Cafe’s recent announcement that it plans to declare bankruptcy and shut down after years of financial struggle.

Under Al Saher, the western half of the 8,729-square-foot building would focus on retail, with shelves for non-perishable items and a wall of refrigerators and freezers for products like cheese, eggs and ice cream. The license application did not state whether the store’s inventory would include fresh fruits, vegetables or meat.

Read the full article

Karaoke Bar a ‘Total Loss’ After Flood

The High Note Karaoke Lounge is closed until further notice, following a July 20 flood that caused more than $100,000 in damage to the 10-year-old bar at 645 N. James Lovell St.

The closure, initially expected to last only a few days, has now extended beyond a month—and there’s still no end in sight. Videos shared on social media show the progress of demolition and remodeling, with both the bar and surrounding flooring requiring complete replacement.

“We’re looking at a few months of being closed minimum,” The High Note stated in a Facebook post, also noting that portions of the interior were “a total loss.”

In the meantime, owner Evan DuQuaine and general manager Brenna Derenne have launched a GoFundMe to support the bar’s 14 employees. The fundraiser has so far generated $6,095. Insurance is expected to cover the cost of replacing equipment, so the GoFundMe is strictly for employees.

Read the full article

Big 80s-Themed Bar Opens on King Drive

What made the summer of 1985 so unforgettable? You just had to be there. Luckily, now you can be.

A new Bronzeville business, Summer of ’85, brings back the era of neon fashion, big hair and synth-pop, pairing the retro atmosphere with a list of themed cocktails and casual eats.

Summer of ’85, led by Julie Lukas and Paul Burgess, welcomed its first guests for a soft opening last week at 2213 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., the former home of SkyBox Sports Bar. A weekend-long grand opening celebration is set to kick off on Sept. 4.

Throwbacks abound at the bar and restaurant, where aerobics videos flash across TV screens as Pink Floyd and Whitney Houston pump through the speakers. Custom murals and decor—including a collage of 80s icons and zebra-print banquettes—further celebrate the theme.

Read the full article

New Bars and Restaurants That Opened in August

The vendor count at 3rd Street Market Hall rose by one last month with the arrival of Minneapolis-based Bebe Zito, which opened its first Milwaukee location just ahead of Labor Day weekend.

With a menu of smashburgers, chicken sandwiches and mix-in-loaded ice creams, Bebe Zito packs all the nostalgia of a classic drive-in while offering year-round access—and the modern luxury of milk alternatives for the dairy-free crowd.

Featured flavors include blackberry butter birthday cake, frosted animal cracker, pistachio puppy chow with a pistachio milk base and halva coffee with tahini, dark roast coffee and oatmeal cookies.

An online menu includes dietary labels for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan ice creams.

Read the full article

Popular Food Truck Eyes Permanent Location

Driving a food truck isn’t just a feat of patience and skill. The daily routine can be tedious and traffic-laden, but it also gives business owners an up-close look at the city—and sometimes, introduces them to the perfect storefront.

Mini Stacked MKE may have found its match at 905 W. National Ave.

The business, known for its loaded pancakes, crepes and coffee drinks, recently submitted an occupancy permit for the 900-square-foot Walker’s Point space, noting plans to launch a sit-down restaurant.

Jacob Hernandez is listed as registered agent for Mini Stacked MKE, LLC. He partnered with his mom, Jezlia, to launch the business in April 2024.

Read the full article