Return of The Cheel Nepalese Restaurant

Rendering of a new building for the cheel restaurant. Rendering courtesy of The Brookwater Group.

Last year, popular Nepalese restaurant the cheel burned to the ground, leaving nothing salvageable behind. But now, the Thiensville restaurant is planning a comeback. OnMilwaukee’s Lori Fredrich reports:

Fortunately, thanks to encouragement and support from the community, (Owners Chef Barkha Limbu Daily and Jesse Daily) have made headway on plans to rebuild. And fans of the restaurant – which made a name for itself with its menu of inventive Nepalese dishes, cocktails and regular live music – have much to which they can look forward.

“After the fire, we really had to look at what was possible,” says Limbu Daily. “From the money that our insurance would cover to really thinking about what we wanted and needed to recreate the cheel experience. Ultimately, we brought together a plan that incorporated the best of our dream ideas in a plan that we felt was realistic.”

With guidance from Anna Burns of The Brookwater Group, who’d helped design and build the baaree (among other things), they were also able to design their plans quickly, in a manner that took into consideration the specifications and rules valued by the Thiensville Historical Preservation committee, making it easier to glean Village approval.

Daily says they are currently entertaining bids for the project with the hope that they can begin construction as soon as March.

In the meantime, guests can look forward to the reopening of the baaree (the cheel’s outdoor beer garden) this spring. The venue will operate as usual during construction, offering a menu of simple dishes and a variety of beverages, along with live music in picturesque environs.

Brookfield Square Gets a Sushi Restaurant

Wasabi Sushi Lounge, originally located at 15455 W. Bluemound Rd., has relocated to the Brookfield Square shopping district, next to the Barnes & Noble. BizTimes’ Maredithe Meyer reports:

(Wasabi) serves a full menu of Asian-inspired cuisine, including sushi, noodles, soups and salads as well as entrees.

“We are so proud to partner with local businesses like Wasabi Sushi Lounge and Blink Artisan Boutique,” said Scott Oleson, general manager at Brookfield Square. “Brookfield Square prides itself on offering our shoppers a collection of unique locally owned stores and restaurants, plus national favorites.”

In recent years, Brookfield Square has set out to revitalize the southeast side of the property where Sears once stood, with new dining and entertainment offerings like WhirlyBall, Movie Tavern by Marcus, OrangeTheory Fitness, Outback Steakhouse and others. The past year has been especially difficult for malls as the COVID-19 pandemic drives online shopping habits. In November, Brookfield Square operator CBL Properties filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

New Burger Joint in Merrill Park

A new to-go fast food restaurant specializing in burgers and custard is being planned for inside of the BP gas station at the corner of W. St. Paul Ave. and N. 27th St. The restaurant, called MooSa’s, has another location at 2272 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr., at the stand originally known as North Point. Owner Nasser Musa discussed his plans with Urban Milwaukee’s Ethan Duran, who did this report:

Cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and fried chicken are on the menu via the application license. Fried appetizers like onion rings, fries cheese curds and treats like custard, shakes and sundaes would be served as well.

MooSa’s will offer delivery services, according to the license application. There will be no seating for customers, as the application says service is to-go only.

Planned hours are between 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Friday to Saturday.

Musa told Urban Milwaukee that he chose the 27th St. location because it was in the busiest intersection in the area and near high traffic areas like the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino and the Marquette University campus.

According to Musa, the northwest-side location will open in the middle of February. A food license application is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council.

Jazz Cafe Coming to Renovated Harambee Building

Sam Belton, a jazz musician and owner of the downtown City.Net Café located at 306 E. Wisconsin Ave., will open a jazz cafe called Sam’s Place later this month in a newly renovated building located at 3338 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. Urban Milwaukee’s Jeramey Jannene reports:

It will be a jazz-themed coffeehouse intended to complement owner and jazz drummer Sam Belton’s downtown coffeehouse… Both locations will serve food and coffee drinks from Belton’s Abyssinia Coffee Roasters.

It will be open 7 am. until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for brunch Sunday. Jazz lovers will want to note the Sunday hours, as Belton plans to host live musicians those evenings.

“We are continuing a culture in our jazz cafe where neighbors of all backgrounds feel welcome, can relax and forget about everything else while they’re enjoying freshly ground coffee or food inspired by jazz legends,” said Belton in a press release touting the opening. The musically-inclined entrepreneur hopes to open on February 22nd.

WMSE Restructures Rockabilly Chili Cookoff

WMSE has announced via a press release that it will pivot its annual Rockabilly Chili Cookoff to a socially-distanced format. Instead of the usual mass gathering of chili cooks and enthusiasts trying out the assortment of batches and voting on their favorites, participating restaurants will serve their concoctions from the comfort of their own storefronts. During the week of April 5-11, participating restaurants will serve their contender for the Rockabilly Chilly competition. A portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting WMSE. Voting will still take place, although information on how that will work has yet to be released. Interested in participating? Contact WMSE Account Manager Jeff Redmon at redmon@msoe.edu or by calling 414-277-7246.