facebook.com/CrossroadsMKE
Heavens Table BBQ, one of the six current vendors at Crossroads Collective food hall
A new food hall full of options has opened on the East Side in a location that has seen a lot of turnover. Plus, Caribbean flavor comes to the North Side, we finally get soup dumplings, a tavern sells breakfast and even more tacos have hit Downtown Milwaukee.
Crossroads Collective
2238 N. Farwell Ave. crossroadscollectivemke.com
A food hall has opened in the East Side spot that most recently housed a couple sports bar concepts and, more famously, Oriental Drugs. The 7,000-square-foot space has seating for almost 100 in a modern take on a food court. There are six food vendors currently operating, with two additional planned:
1) Heaven’s Table
A barbecue counter is the first brick-and-mortar location for chef Jason Alston who smokes his meats over hickory. Brisket, ribs, pork shoulder and Lao sausages are available in combos with sides like grits and fried corn.
2) Frida
The owners of Tess are operating this soup-and-sandwich counter named after artist Frida Kahlo. Items often have a Mexican inspiration, like pork pozole and chicken tinga tortas. Other options include duck po’boys, tomato bisque and brown butter crispy treats.
3) The Laughing Taco
This is the third location of the taco shop (including at the Fiserv Forum) owned by Lucia Muñoz and her husband, Justin Carlisle. Its small menu of tacos includes spit-roasted pork trompo and pirata with steak in a caramelized cheese tortilla.
4) Beerline Café
This is the second location of the café that specializes in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Crepes are the focus, and the menu includes favorites from the original café in addition to new items such as lemon poppyseed with blueberries.
5) Falafel Guys
This is the first permanent location for the restaurant in Milwaukee, to go along with a spot in Thiensville, Wis., and their food truck. The focus is on Israeli-style sandwiches like eggplant and chicken shawarma, plus salads, bowls and appetizers.
6) Scratch Ice Cream
This is the first location for the local ice cream maker whose products are available in some grocery stores and restaurants. The scoop shop will offer rotating flavors like dirt cake and crème brûlée in cones and pints, plus ice cream sandwiches.
Jewels Caribbean Restaurant
2230 N. Martin Luther King Drive 414-585-0678 jewelscaribbean.com $$-$$$
A Caribbean restaurant has opened in former retail space in the Halyard Park neighborhood. The family run Jewels is helmed by mother Lucile Jules, who is from St. Lucia, along with her daughters, Natasha and Lennora, who are Milwaukee natives. The space is full of tropical color, including a blue bar top inlaid with seashells. Cuisine from St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica is served for lunch, dinner and brunch. Curried goat ($17.95) is served with rice and peas (aka kidney beans) and ground provisions (root vegetables), as is chicken that can be stewed, curried or jerked ($12.95). Specialty cocktails ($10) include rum punch, mojitos and a banana cabana.
Angry Taco
753 N. Water St. 414-800-7785 angrytacomke.com $-$$
A new Mexican spot has opened in the former Bruegger’s Bagels Downtown. Angry Taco is a counter-service restaurant that focuses on tacos and has a lucha libre theme. Corn tortillas are made daily in-restaurant. You can choose to fill them with asada, al pastor, chicken, ground beef or a vegetarian option with chipotle chickpea and buffalo cauliflower ($2.75-$3.25). On Fridays, shrimp and tilapia options ($3.75) are added. Nachos ($8-$8.75), burritos or bowls ($8.50-$9.75), quesadillas ($8-$8.50) and tamales ($2.50) are also available. The restaurant has a liquor license, so beer (including Explorium Brewpub options) and margaritas are offered, as well as agua frescas.
Momo Mee
110 E. Greenfield Ave. 414-316-9003 momomeerestaurant.com $$
An Asian restaurant specializing in dumplings and noodle dishes has opened in the Harbor View neighborhood. Momo Mee is run by Tony Ho, the former chef at RuYi in Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. The menu features dishes from all over Asia, including India, China and Korea. On the dumpling side are xiao long bao (aka Shanghai soup dumplings) filled with rich broth ($12), pork potstickers ($8) and Sichuan wontons ($8). Homemade noodles appear in various types of ramen ($14), yakisoba with pork belly, beef, chicken or shrimp ($13-$16) and dan noodles ($12). Non-noodle entrees like Japanese garlic eggplant ($12) and a selection of sakes are also available.
Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern
234 E. Vine St. unclewolfies.com $$
A diner and tavern in the works for over two years has opened in Brewer’s Hill. Uncle Wolfie’s is open for breakfast and lunch only, but sports a tavern style, feel and “beer goes with breakfast” slogan. About half the food menu is dedicated to breakfast items and half to lunch. Steak and eggs ($18) come with a 10-ounce, dry-aged, New York strip steak, while a breakfast burrito ($14) is filled with coffee-rubbed pork, sweet potatoes, eggs and salsa verde. Entree salads ($10-$15) include BLT and steak versions, and burgers ($11-$12) are stuffed with American cheese. Other sandwiches include a Millee cheese steak ($12) with beer cheese sauce and chicken salad ($10) with tarragon and cherries.
Closings
Mykonos Gyro & Café in Downtown Milwaukee will be closing on Sunday, Dec. 30, after 24 years in business. Also, Maison on Vliet Street has closed with the business available for purchase, but all is not bad news for Maison; according to a post on their Facebook page, they’re looking for a larger space to accommodate a growing catering business.
