December Restaurant News

Several restaurants will feature dazzling New Year’s Eve menus, and two respected craft breweries announced their closings.

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La Finca Coffee House (3558 E. Sivyer Ave., St. Francis), which serves coffee imported directly from the owner’s family farm in Oaxaca, Mexico, is planning a second location at 7033 W. National Ave., in West Allis. La Finca features coffee, lattes, horchatas, espressos, smoothies, and Mexican hot chocolate, along with bakery, breakfast burritos and quesadillas.

Kinship Cafe (2153 N, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) opened in the ThriveOn King community hub. The cafe, operated by Kinship Community Food Center, serves scratch-made hot sandwiches, bowls, salads, grab-and-go options and barista service. With a goal of serving nourishing foods while fostering companionship, Kinship Cafe’s workforce training program prioritizes social cohesion and healing, with employment opportunities for systems-impacted individuals. 

North 48° Crust & Craft, a pizza and craft beer restaurant, is planned to open at 1716 N. Arlington Place, where the long-time East Side staple Balzac Wine Bar had operated. North 48° has locations in Cedarburg and Oconomowoc. 

James Beard Semifinalist Chef Mary Kastman is planning a small plate restaurant, Purslane, in the soon-to-be vacant Ardent space, 1751 N. Farwell Ave. (See ‘Closings’ below for information on Ardent’s Dec. 31 closure.) Kastman is the former executive chef at Driftless Cafe in Viroqua, Wisconsin, owned by Luke Zahm of “Wisconsin Foodie.” Purslane will offer Mediterranean inspired cuisine made with farm-fresh ingredients.

Elsa’s on the Park (833 N. Jefferson St.) reopens this month after temporarily closing in fall to remodel the kitchen. Elsa’s, which opened in 1979, offers elevated American pub fare and is a popular downtown lunch destination. 

International Variety Restaurant, known as IVR, will open Jan. 2 at 10950 W. Good Hope Rd. IRV, the latest venture by the owners of Indian Village Restaurant, features a variety of Mexican, Indian, Italian and Chinese cuisines and fusion dishes. 

Meghan and Kyle Knall of Birch are planning to open Cassis, a French bistro, in the 333 Water luxury apartment tower in Milwaukee's Third Ward. The menu will feature French classics like escargot, and seafood dishes. 

GoTo Foods has partnered with local restaurateur Yash Patel to open three McAlister's Deli locations in the Greater Milwaukee area. McAlister's Deli is a fast-casual restaurant chain that serves made-to-order sandwiches, sides, soups, salads, desserts and their signature Famous Sweet Tea. GoTo Foods is the parent company of Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s and Moe’s Southwest Grill. Patel is a seasoned franchisee who currently owns Subway and Tropical Smoothie Café locations, along with several convenience and liquor stores throughout Milwaukee. 

Fast-casual chain Panera continues its expansion into Wisconsin with Panera To–Go (1800 E. North Ave.), a takeout only concept with self-serve ordering kiosks. It is located on the first floor of the Edge on North apartment building. 

This and That 

Amilinda’s (315 E. Wisconsin Ave.) New Year’s Eve Menu features a five-course dinner with an optional beverage pairing. Highlights include Sopa de Castanha e Ervas (a velvety chestnut and herb soup with smoked paprika oil and toasted breadcrumbs) and Iberian Pork Secreto, served with quince purée, charred baby leeks and a sherry gastrique (sweet-and-sour sauce). Reservations are available at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Visit amilinda.com for details. 

The Bartolotta Restaurants will offer exclusive New Year’s Eve dinner packages December 31 at their restaurants. The holiday menus will vary per restaurant and feature multi-course meals and wine pairings throughout the evening. For details and reservations, visit bartolottas.com/events/new-years-eve-bartolotta-restaurants. 

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria’s New Year’s Eve Early Countdown Dinner returns to the Brookfield location, 15795 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield. The buffet opens at 3 p.m., with a kids’ “bubbly” countdown at 5 p.m.; reservations are required. Visit loumalnatis.com/brookfield. 

Odd Duck (939 S. Second St,.) will partner with Miijim restaurant to host an Indigenous-inspired cuisine pop-up dinner on January 19. Miijim, located on Madeline Island, known as Mooningwanekaaning in Ojibwe, is owned by Chef Bryce Stevenson of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. 

Stevenson will partner with Odd Duck’s Executive Chefs Ross Bachhuber and Sam Ek to create a seven-course winter menu focused on hunting and preservation techniques. Reservations are required and can be made through opentable.com/r/odd-duck-milwaukee. 

Giant Jones Brewing in Madison has partnered with Brew City Distribution to distribute their certified organic beers to the Greater Milwaukee region. Upcoming tastings will be held January 23 from 5-9 p.m. at Biersal Tavern (5520 W. Vliet St.) and January 24 from 5-9 p.m. at Ray’s Wine & Spirits, 8930 W North Ave, Wauwatosa. 

ARIA at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel (139 E Kilbourn Ave.) has a new weekday breakfast menu available Monday – Friday from 6:30-10:30 a.m. Options including PB&J French Toast, the Classic Benedict, a Greek Yogurt Bowl, Corned Beef Hash and traditional egg dishes. 

Closings

After 11 years, Chef Justin Carlisle is closing Ardent (1751 N. Farwell Ave.), the celebrated East Side restaurant that was among the first in Wisconsin to offer a tasting menu. Carlisle, a James Beard Award nominee, and Ardent, earned recognition in top food and wine publications. Over the past year, Ardent had experimented with various concepts including casual dining and a lounge ambiance. 

Spicy Tuna (4823 W. National Ave., West Milwaukee) will close Dec. 28. The restaurant is known for incorporating beautiful art patterns made from sauces alongside its sushi dishes. 

Two renowned craft brewers in Milwaukee announced their closings this month: Enlightened Brewing, in Bay View, at 2020 S. Allis St., and MobCraft Beer, 505 S 5th St. 

Enlightened, which opened in 2013, announced via social media that "It comes with a mix of emotions that we announce that Enlightened Brewing Company will be closing its doors," and "This journey has led us around 3 breweries in 2 locations and filled our lives with passion, creativity, lots of love, and a deep sense of community." Their last day of service will be Jan. 5, 2025. 

As the first crowd-sourced brewery in Milwaukee, MobCraft, which opened 12 years ago, posted on its website that it would be selling its brewery, taproom and intellectual property.