January 2025 Restaurant News

A steady clip of new and planned restaurant concepts continues into the new year, and we learn which local chefs are nominated for this year’s James Beard Awards.

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The Slow Buffalo (3872 S. 92nd St.) bar and grill is closer to opening in the former dive bar space recently occupied by 1st Choice. An extensive remodeling, which includes a kitchen hood, will allow the new owners to serve food. 

Micaela Erickson, who offers private chef services under her business, Radish, will open a market and eatery of the same name in a 350-square-foot space located at 2986 S. Kinnickinnick Ave., in the Bay View neighborhood. The market and small-plates menu will allow Erickson to expand her private client options to the public. 

Ni Burmese is the latest restaurant to open on the first floor of the KinetiK apartment building, 2160 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. The restaurant features traditional dishes from Myanmar (Burma) such as Coconut Chicken Soup with onions and crispy noodles, and Khay Oh, a bean vermicelli soup that includes either chicken or pork. Ni Burmese joins Paloma Taco + Tequila, Mochinut, offering doughnuts and boba tea, and spring roll restaurant Roll Up. 

Favorites Restaurant & Lounge is scheduled to open in March at 1810 W. Fond du Lac Ave. The newly renovated space will feature a cocktail lounge and restaurant with scratch-made foods, along with live music, DJs and poetry readings. 

Big Sharks Fish & Chicken opened third location at 6239 N. Teutonia Ave. The restaurant offers chicken sandwiches and wings, catfish entrées, perch, tilapia, family meals, combo dinners, salads, sides and desserts. 

The Milwaukee Public Market welcomed its newest vendor, David Alan Alan’s Smokehouse & Saloon. Their new location at the Milwaukee Public Market will offer many of their signature barbecue and comfort foods found at their Mukwonago location, such as the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and St. Louis Ribs. 

1033 Omakase (1033 S. First St.) opened with a seasonally rotating menu specializing in omakase-style sushi dishes served in multiple courses. Omakase is Japanese for "I'll leave it up to you," thus letting the chef choose what the diners eat. 

Elevate Coffee is the latest vendor at Zocalo Food Park, 636 S. Sixth St. Guests can find an extensive selection of coffee drinks, particularly lattes, along with breakfast sandwiches, bowls and bakery. 

Bennett’s Pizza opened at 2107 S. Sixth St., in the Lincoln Village neighborhood. The late-night restaurant features pizza, calzones, pasta dishes, salads and sandwiches. 

This and That

The 2025 James Beard Award nominees and finalists have been released, and Milwaukee chefs are again helping to shine a bright spotlight on our city. Chef Gregory Leon, owner of Amilinda (315 E. Wisconsin Ave.), is the only semifinalist from Milwaukee for the James Beard Award’s Outstanding Chef — a national award. León was also nominated in the same category in 2024. He also earned Best Chef, Midwest nominations in 2022 and 2023. 

Milwaukee chefs Ross Bachhuber and Sam Ek of Odd Duck (939 S. Second St.), Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of EsterEv (2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) and Kyle Knall of Birch (459 E. Pleasant St.) are semifinalists in the Best Chef, Midwest category. 

In addition, the celebrated Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, 1579 S. Ninth St., has been nominated in the national category of Outstanding Bar. Open since last summer, Agency (817 N. Marshall St.) earned its first nomination in the Best New Bar category. The hybrid cocktail bar offers a menu where every drink can be made with or without alcohol.  

Kohler Co. named RJ Cooper as new culinary director. Cooper won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2007 while at Vidalia restaurant, in Washington, D.C. Cooper will direct the food and beverage programs at The American Club’s The Immigrant Restaurant & Winery, The Wisconsin Room and Horse & Plow, along with Kohler establishments Whistling Straits, Taverne on Woodlake, Blackwolf Run and River Wildlife Restaurant. 

The Pasta Tree & Wine Bar (1503 N. Farwell Ave.) will feature two Valentine’s Day specials: the Take & Bake Lobster Ravioli Dinner comes with a make-your-own lobster ravioli and cannelloni kit, a chocolate raspberry martini for two, two pancetta wrapped beef tenderloin, an arugula fennel salad with crispy prosciutto and truffle vinaigrette, The Pasta' Tree's homemade tiramisu, homemade biscotti, one package of The Pasta Tree's Lovers Special Blend Coffee and one bottle of Rose Prosecco. Orders must be placed by February 10 and can be picked up from February 12-16. 

The dine-in Aphrodisiac Valentine's Day Menu features a five-course dinner with specialties such as Grilled Asparagus and Burrata, Lobster Tagliatelle, Filet Mignon with a Dark Chocolate Demi-Glace, and Strawberry Champagne Tiramisu. 

The Bartolotta Restaurants will offer three- and four-course menus or special menus with a la carte pricing for Valentine’s Day at all eight of their restaurants. These menus will be available on February 14 and 15 from 4 to 10 p.m. at each location. For menu details, visit bartolottas.com. 

Closings

Third Coast Gourmet Deli (309 N. Water St), offering subs, soups and salads, will close after less than a year in business. Construction on Water Street and parking challenges were among cited reasons for closing. A Jan. 20 Facebook post states in part that, “Although we are closing this location, catering will continue to be offered from an outside location. Although I will continue to grow the catering business, I will be also looking at other possible restaurant locations.” 

City Lights Brewing, located in a historic building at 2200 W. Mount Vernon Ave. built for the Milwaukee Gas Light Co., closed on Jan. 4. The craft brewer, which also served food at its taproom, is among the latest of several local craft brewery closings of late that include MobCraft, Enlightened Brewing and Company Brewing. 

In Memoriam 

Maria Graziano, Sous Chef at The Bridgwater Modern Grill, died in a car accident on January 24 in Dubuque County, Iowa. Graziano also served as head chef at Moxie. 

Chris Adams, COO of Benson's Restaurant Group, which operates The Bridgewater Modern Grill, wrote in part: 

"Maria was an extraordinary culinary talent, her passion, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence helped shape not only the heart of our restaurant but also the community it serves. She was so much more than a gifted chef—she was a vital part of our family here at Benson’s Restaurant Group. 

Maria's legacy will continue to shape the way we work and care for one another. Our hearts go out to Maria’s family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. Her absence will be deeply felt, but her spirit will live on in every dish we serve.”