EsterEv Sets Reopening Date, Changes Format
Six months after flood closure, restaurant will welcome guests back to its Bay View dining room.
EsterEv dishes. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki
The familiar sounds of EsterEv—swishing aprons, amicable chatter, clattering dishware—abruptly went silent in May after water damage forced the restaurant into an extended closure.
While its staff and signature dishes found a temporary platform through local and regional pop-ups, there’s no place quite like home. “You don’t realize how much your identity is tied to a space until that space is gone,” co-owner Dan Jacobs wrote in an online post.
Soon, the restaurant will take the leap from “we’re still here” to “welcome back,” reopening its Bay View dining room, 2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., on Nov. 5.
EsterEv returns with a new format, breaking from its traditional fixed menu and shifting instead to a la carte service. The 16-item menu features favorites like the caviar tater tot and pelmeni, along with a selection of new, seasonally-inspired dishes.
That includes laab carpaccio with fish sauce, peanuts, herbs and lettuce; grilled carrots with mussels, green curry, buttermilk and lime leaf; and pizza with rotating toppings.
“We’re excited to strengthen our standing as a neighborhood fixture by meeting diners where they are, and allowing them to choose their own journey—whether it’s a special celebration or wine and snacks with friends,” Jacobs said in a statement. “We’re offering flexibility without compromising on quality, which helps us combat rising food costs and adapt to the ever-evolving challenges we face as an industry.”
Of course, EsterEv’s most recent challenge was unforeseen. On May 3, a faulty valve on the building’s upper level caused 200 gallons of water to rush into the restaurant, causing irreparable damage to the walls, bar area and antique maple floorboards. The disaster struck just one year after EsterEv’s relocation to Bay View, and less than a month after it unveiled an updated eight-course menu and a la carte options.
What followed, according to Jacobs, was “the hardest season” he and co-owner Dan Van Rite have faced as chefs and business owners. “We’re proud to have kept our team together by pouring our energy into pop-ups and in-home dinners across the Midwest, continuing to cook, create, and give back to the communities that have supported us all these years.”
Alongside its new look, EsterEv will return with several fresh faces—and without some familiar ones. Employees Tyler Flynn, Sydney Zweig and Val Bartram parted ways with the restaurant during its hiatus.
Once it reopens, EsterEv will continue with the same hours, opening Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations are now available to book on OpenTable.
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