April Restaurant News

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Cream City Social Eatery (432 E. Center St.) held a reservation-only soft opening on April 24. The restaurant features a full bar and a menu of American staples crafted by chefs Geoffrey Campbell, of G. Campbell’s Kitchen and Catering LLC; and Robert Bergeron, of Something Smells Good Catering. The menu features panini sandwiches, salads, wraps, chicken and waffles, and entrees including steak and mushrooms, fettuccine alfredo and baked or fried chicken.

Hot Dish Pantry opened a permanent brick-and-mortar space at 4125 S. Howell Ave. The business previously had a stall at the 3rd Street Market Hall. The dine-in/carryout restaurant has a cozy seating area and specializes in pierogi and Midwest comfort foods. They also offer sandwiches and burgers.

Milwaukee restaurateur Kristyn Eitel has a new restaurant concept planned for the Corners of Brookfield shopping plaza. Margaux, expected to open later this year, will be a full-service bar and restaurant inspired by Eitel’s passion for Parisian brasseries. Eitel owns the majority stock in the BelAir Cantina and Fuel Café brands.

“I want people to fall in love with dining out all over again; I want to bring the best of French cuisine into this modern and sophisticated, cosmopolitan yet relaxed setting and let the food and drink inspire great experiences,” says Eitel in a press release.

MARN Art + Culture Hub Cafe (191 N. Broadway) reopened to the public with food and a full bar. The full-time space for artists and arts appreciators is the organizational home of the Milwaukee Artists Resource Network. The café features a seasonal food menu by Trouble Makers Cocina, coffee by Esperanza Coffee Collective and New Barons beer on tap.

One of Wisconsin’s oldest restaurants, the 174-year-old Red Circle Inn (N44 W33013 Watertown Plank Road, Nashota) has reopened under new ownership. Now owned and operated by Geronimo Hospitality Group, Red Circle Inn underwent renovations and upgrades to its historic building. The menu features classic favorites along with “Reimagined Classics” like skate schnitzel and pan seared walleye.

This and That

The Lowlands Group will celebrate moms on Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14 with brunch specials and one free Mimosa or Lowlands Brewing Collaborative Bier. Highlights include baked strawberry shortcake at Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club, and vegetable goat cheese quiche at Café Hollander. Reservations fill up quickly and vary by location. Visit lowlandsgroup.com for more information.

The Pfister Hotel’s Afternoon Tea service is now available all year long. The Afternoon Tea service, which paused during the summer months, is now offered every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Guests can enjoy picturesque views of Milwaukee while enjoying a custom table-side tea experience led by the Pfister’s tea butler.

The Dine and Delight program returns to Mayfair. From now through May 31, diners spending $75 or more at the Milwaukee mall’s participating restaurants will receive $25 Reward Cards. To receive the Reward Card, diners simply snap a photo of their restaurant receipt totaling $75 or more and upload it to the Mayfair website. They will receive a $25 digital gift card to The Cheesecake Factory or P.F. Chang’s.

Proof Pizza, inside Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel (139 E. Kilbourn Ave.) just expanded its menu to include sandwiches. From 11 a.m.-4 p.m., guests can try sandwiches such as the roasted porchetta with fennel rubbed pork, giardiniera honey, lemon ricotta, red onion, and arugula on Panuozzo bread; the red rock chicken BLT sandwich with giardiniera aioli, arugula, and mozzarella; and other options.

Maria Graziano is the new head chef at MOXIE Food + Drink (501 E. Silver Spring Drive, Whitefish Bay). Under Graziano, lunch service will return and guests can enjoy a new option, Sunday Speakeasy, each week from 1-6 p.m.

The owners of Trouble and Sons Pizzeria (133 E. Silver Spring Drive, Whitefish Bay) have launched “Lasagna and Lambrusco Wednesdays,” and a weekly fish fry with Riverwest Stein beer-battered cod on Friday nights from 5-9 p.m. They also plan to launch a new catering and events arm of the business, along with a new late-night concept with live music.

Closures

Alisha and Ty Hayes, owners of Pat’s Rib Place, announced they will close their Waukesha location in June. The restaurant, located at 151 E. Sunset Drive, features barbecue and Southern-style comfort foods. The couple cited on social media that ongoing pandemic-related challenges are the reason for the closure. Pat’s Rib Place’s popular stand at the Milwaukee Public Market is still open and recently introduced a Southern Catfish Friday meal. 

Chef AJ Dixon closed her popular Bay View restaurant, Lazy Susan (2378 S. Howell Ave.) on April 8; nine years to the date after first opening. The restaurant was best known for Sunday brunches and gluten-free foods. Dixon openly cited burnout and ongoing pandemic-related challenges as the reason for the closure.

Ferrante’s Restaurant & Signature Catering (10404 N Port Washington Road, Mequon) announced they will close Aug. 31. The restaurant, which first opened in 1977, is known for Italian fare, thin-crust pizza, and Friday fish fry.