A new fine dining restaurant, Lupi & Iris, is scheduled to open in lower level of the 7Seventy7 building in downtown Milwaukee. Behind the venture is James Beard award-winner Adam Siegel, the former corporate chef for The Bartolotta Restaurants, and Michael DeMichele, a developer and architect. Lupi & Iris will feature French and Italian Riviera-inspired cuisine.
Tupelo Honey, a chain restaurant with locations in 11 states, opened its first Wisconsin location in the Third Ward, 511 N. Broadway. The restaurant specializes in the revival of Southern food traditions rooted in the Carolina mountains region.
Cloud 9 Cereal Bar, a restaurant that will put a fun twist on breakfast and lunch with options to incorporate cereal into regular menu items, is scheduled to open in August at 3341 W. North Ave.
Blackwood Brothers is now open at 3001 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Blackwood Brothers serves appetizers, salads and sandwiches and some entrees and soups. There’s also a brunch menu.
Hop Harvest & Vine, inside Good Harvest Market, located at 2205 Silvernail Road, Pewaukee, held a grand re-opening event June 26. The newly remodeled restaurant features menu items made with 100% certified organic produce, all-natural pasture-raised meats and sustainably sourced seafood. In addition, customers can buy organic juices, smoothies and local coffees, and choose from a rotating selection of local craft beers, kombuchas, Wisconsin ciders and organic wines.
Saz’s Hospitality Group will manage and serve as the exclusive caterer for new The George and Madcap Lounge event spaces, 429 W. National Ave. The venues are on the first floor and lower level of the historical National Block Building, originally built in 1882.
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria opened its fourth location July 12 at 2730 N. Grandview Blvd., Waukesha. The Chicago-based pizzeria is best known for its award-winning deep-dish pizza.
Brickyard Pub opened in the former City Lounge space at 3455 E. Layton Ave., Cudahy. Brickyard’s menu features flatbread pizzas and pub fare.
Veteran bartenders Robin Koutecky and Amanda Delsart will open Clementines, in the former Swig’s Pub & Grill location, 3143 S. Clement Ave. The venue is expected to be more bar than grill but will serve pastries, sandwiches and coffee for breakfast. The proposed lunch/dinner menu features pizza, chicken strips, and fried favorites like onion rings and cheese curds.
Better Together Café will open in a unique double-barn shaped building that formerly housed a popular Dairy Queen at 1301 N. Chicago Ave., South Milwaukee. Better Together Mobile Café operated out of a trailer since fall of 2018. The menu is still in the works, but look for coffee drinks, milkshakes and breakfast options.
Orilla, a new eatery boasting an experiential dining experience showcasing world class fare, is scheduled to open in September at a yet-to-be-announced location. Orilla is a project by industry veteran Anthony Gallarday. of Tavo’s Signature Cuisine, and Michelin-starred Scottish chef Graham Campbell. People might recognize Campbell from season one of Netflix’s The Final Table.
Sweet Delights
Sugar Cube Donuts is joining a growing list of outdoor vendors at The Milwaukee Public Market. The pop-up stand featuring unique square donuts in traditional and creative flavors can be found on St. Paul Avenue on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (or until sold out).
Gourmet bakery chain Crumbl Cookies opened its fourth Wisconsin location with a new store in Oak Creek (160 W. Town Square Way). Crumbl sells fresh-baked cookies and “chilled” cookies in raspberry cheesecake or key lime pie flavors.
Food Trucks Find Permanent Homes
Anytime Arepa, the popular food truck specializing in arepas—a Venezuelan sandwich with masa flatbread, beef, pork, chicken, or black beans, and plantains cheese and sauce—will be a vendor at the upcoming 3rd Street Market Hall.
Jervel “Mr. Barbecue” Williams will take favorites from his popular food truck, Mister Bar-B-Que, to a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 4241 S. Packard Ave., St. Francis. The new space will feature a buffet-style experience with additional sides, a smoked salmon fish fry, sandwiches and sausage. He still plans to operate the food truck throughout the South Shore.
Welcome Back!
Colectivo has reopened its longest-running café (2211 N. Prospect Ave.). The Back Room @ Colectivo, a performance space at that location, also welcomed back its first live show on July 10. After operating with a takeout-only model during the first year of having a brick-and-mortar space, vegan restaurant Twisted Plants (4905 S. Packard Ave., Cudahy) is open for in-person dining. The tasting-menu restaurant EsterEv, inside Dandan restaurant (360 E. Erie St.) returned on Friday and Saturday nights. EsterEv has been on hiatus since January, aside from a takeout Valentine’s dinner. The Diplomat (815 E. Brady St.) reopens for in-person dining July 28.
Other news:
F Street Hospitality announced their new Corporate Executive Chef, Adam Miller, who joined the group after working at American Family Field.
All seven Milwaukee Burger Company locations throughout Wisconsin will add Beyond Chicken Tenders to their menus. Beyond Chicken Tenders are a new product by the plant-based company Beyond Meat. Milwaukee Burger Company is part of family-owned and operated restaurant group, Lincoln Hospitality Group. (Milwaukee Burger Company has a location in the Milwaukee area at 6421 S. 27 St., Franklin.)
Closures:
Trattoria di Carlo, a popular pizzeria in Oak Creek, abruptly closed in June after 20 years in business.
