Photo Credit: Jean-Gabriel Fernandez
The dog days of summer have slowed down Milwaukee’s new restaurant boom only slightly, with three notable openings in the past month. Two spots serve small plates, and a café/pastry shop focuses on local ingredients.
The Diplomat 815 E. Brady St. 414-800-5816 thediplomatmke.com $$
Dane Baldwin, former chef at Milwaukee institutions like Harbor House, Bacchus and Carnevor, has opened The Diplomat in the former Bosley on Brady space. A new mahogany bar is the focal point of the restaurant, and the rich red color is carried throughout the space. Pops of color come from a living wall of plants and historical Milwaukee posters. The Diplomat serves a menu of about a dozen American small plates along with a full bar that has its own food menu. Dishes will change regularly, but right now include items like corn bruschetta ($8) with bell peppers and cherry tomatoes, New York strip steak ($17) with cured egg yolk, and Diplomat fries ($7) which are cooked three times and served with aioli. The menu includes a few desserts as well, with classics like cherry pie ($7) and chocolate mousse ($6).
Miss Molly’s Café & Pastry Shop 9201 W. Center St. 414-249-5665 missmollyscafe.com $-$$
A former fine dining pastry chef has opened Miss Molly’s Café & Pastry Shop at the northern edge of Wauwatosa. Molly Sullivan chose the location on Center Street because it’s only a few blocks from where she grew up. The counter-service café serves locally sourced breakfast and lunch dishes as well as pastries homemade every day. A number of savory and sweet scones ($2.25), muffins ($2), cookies ($1.25-$3), cakes ($3-$4.50 per slice) and various desserts are available in the pastry case. For breakfast, there’s an egg and avocado panini ($9) with arugula and smoked cheddar, and a daily quiche ($8). At lunch there’s a slightly larger menu, with white bean and chicken sausage soup ($4-$6), a vegan roasted carrot and farro salad ($10) and smoked trout toast ($11) with tzatziki, radish and vinaigrette. Anodyne coffee is served, along with wine and beer.
Snifters Tapas & Spirits 606 S. Fifth St. 414-395-5121 sniftersmke.com $$
An upscale lounge and restaurant focused on dark spirits like whiskey has opened in Walker’s Point in the former Café La Paloma space. The food will be a fusion of Latin and soul food cuisine, with tapas, rice bowls and a few entrées available. Menu items include fried jumbo shrimp called los camarones ($13), Spanish-inspired shrimp and grits ($14), and an empanada called The Manchester ($5) filled with macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken and waffles ($12). Cocktails will be made from high-end spirits, or customers can order from a large selection of beer and wine. The walls are lined with brick and worn wood, giving the space a cozy warmth in the dim lighting. Cigar boxes act as wall art, and cigars will be available for purchase and can be smoked on the restaurant’s patio.
This month in closings: Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub has closed in the Third Ward in order for the ownership to focus on their brewery in the Titletown District in Green Bay. And in Mequon, the Bartolotta Group restaurant Joey Gerard’s has closed and will be reopen as a Mr. B’s Steakhouse next month.
