Photo: Dmitry Kuznetsov - Getty Images
Coffee beans
Popular vegan restaurant Twisted Plants, 4905 S. Packard Ave., in Cudahy, plans to open a second location on the East Side. It will be in the former Betty’s Burgers and Custard space, 1233 E. Brady St. The new location will offer some additional menu items such as friend pickles and plant-based beef sandwiches, and craft beer will be available.
California-based Dave’s Hot Chicken, a late-night pop-up turned hot chicken franchise, will soon open its first restaurant in Wisconsin, at N92W16125 Falls Pkwy., in Menomonee Falls.
Coffee and drink destination Discourse: a Liquid Workshop, which opened in Door County in 2017, will open a permanent location in Milwaukee at Crossroads Collective food hall on Feb. 5. The Discourse menu will open with eight “craft” offerings ranging from creative takes on coffee shop staples such as vanilla lattes, to culinary-inspired creations, along with coffees, teas and juices.
Also at Crossroads Collective, Dia Bom opened Jan. 17. The Asian-Latin fusion restaurant incorporates Japanese skewered and grilled foods, and Chinese bao, bread-like dumplings. Look for lobster enchilada Rangoon or chorizo bao with yuzu avocado.
Twisted Café opened Jan. 21 in the former Elephant Café spot, 1505 N. Farwell Ave. Twisted Café serves American fusion such as cheeseburger egg rolls and mini crispy pork toast.
3rd Street Market Hall (275 W. Wisconsin Ave.) food hall opened the weekend of Jan. 14. The space is still being built out, but vendors including Dairyland Old- Fashioned Frozen Custard & Hamburgers, Mid-Way Bakery, Amano Pan, Strega Pasta and Hot Dish Pantry are ready to serve their savory and sweet delights. More vendors are coming soon (for more details, see shepherdexpress.com/food/eat-drink/after-much-anticipation-3rd-street-market-hall-opens).
Permanent and Temporary Closings:
Lazy Susan’s owner A.J. Dixon has shut down the seasonal, shared-plates restaurant at 2378 S. Howell Ave for one month, due to the recent spike in COVID case numbers. Dixon plans to reopen on Feb. 9.
Blackwood Brothers, 3001 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is temporarily closed as of late January, also for health and safety reasons. A message on the company’s website states they will post an update with a reopening as soon as possible.
The Wauwatosa location for Egg & Flour Pasta Bar, inside the Metcalfe’s Market at 6700 W. State St., is expected to close by early February. Challenges brought on by COVID-19 such as supply chain issues, labor shortages and increased costs were cited. Chef/owner Adam Pawlak is expected to keep the Egg & Flour locations in Bay View and the East Side open.
Ruby Tuesday, the casual dining restaurant chain, closed its last Wisconsin location at 5320 S. 76th St., Greendale, inside Southridge Mall.
This and That
We’re number one—for coffee! Milwaukee was ranked the Best Coffee City in America, according to a report from Clever Real Estate (listwithclever.com/research/best-coffee-cities-2022/#milwaukee). Milwaukee beat out San Francisco, Boston and 12 other upscale, trendy cities, thanks to our “perfect blend of passionate coffee culture and affordability.” Clever analyzed publicly available data from the U.S. Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Numbeo, Google Trends, National Coffee Association, and Database USA to rank the 50 most populous metro areas in the U.S. from the best to the worst cities for coffee.
The restaurant group Hospitality Democracy has rebranded as Benson’s Restaurant Group to reflect its expanded vision for culinary excellence and a modernized focus on customer service. The group operates and manages Onesto, Smoke Shack, AJ Bombers and Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria. The hospitality group’s new name pays homage to Ben Marcus, his son, Steve Marcus, and his grandsons, David, Greg and Andrew Marcus, the same family of Marcus theaters, hotels and Big Boy Restaurants fame.
The Milwaukee Public Market continues to add fun activities in addition to its standout food and drink options. The Dinky Rink, “the area’s smallest public ice-skating rink”, is a 770-square foot skating rink located outdoors on the north side of the public market building, inside its Parking Lot Patio tented seating area. The rink will be open during regular market hours (weather permitting), with 90-minute time slots available via reservation only. Attendees must bring their own skates.
During the month of February, The Bartolotta Restaurants will feature a variety of epicurean events, including the Taste of the Tides Lobster Celebration at Harbor House, High Steaks Dinner at Bacchus—A Bartolotta Restaurant, along with Valentine’s Day specials and menus. On Valentine’s Day weekend, guests can enjoy memorable romantic dinners at Bacchus, Harbor House, Joey Gerard’s, Lake Park Bistro and Mr. B’s locations and Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993.
