Sports Talk
There’s a new bar,Fanatics Sports Central, located behind the Milwaukee Magazine offices (North Jefferson Street, between Chicago and Menomonee). Some of my co-workers have stopped in for a beer and to check out the 150-inch TV screen, made up of nine separate flat screens. The sports bar business is apparently in vogue. Karma Bar & Grill (600 E. Ogden Ave., 414-220-4118) opened a month ago in the vacated digs of Vivo Urban Grill (better known as the old John Ernst Cafe). Watching sports is the main pastime here. If you go, 17 high-definition plasma screens will strive to amuse you. Of course, the food has that purpose, as well. Chef Greg Zimmerman told me a bit about it in a phone chat. “We wanted to take the concept of a sports bar and turn it upside down,” he says. So while the type of casual food will be familiar, Zimmerman says he’s using higher-end ingredients: mozzarella sticks made by hand and certified Black Angus beef patties for the sliders. The menu also features six gourmet-style pizzas and a bunch of burgers beyond Black Angus beef – i.e., Kobe beef, turkey, handmade black bean, ostrich and buffalo. Zimmerman – who embraces the motto: “Never trust the skinny chef” – says he wanted to offer food that he also likes to eat. Items run in the $5-$12 range. Brunch is also on its way.
Delicious Fiction
Restaurateur Lesley Kagen’s debut fiction novel, Whistling in the Dark, made The New York Times Bestseller List. Kagen is getting a kick out of the new reason local people are coming to her and husband Peter Knapp’s North Shore Asian restaurant, Hama – to hear her talk about her book. Kagen says it all started when a customer suggested she bring her book club in to discuss their latest read (Whistling, of course) and hear Kagen’s thoughts on the book. Other book clubs have followed – eating, drinking and chatting about fiction. Incidentally, Hama is known for its creative fusion dishes. Some new additions include a marinated butterfish appetizer, halibut sashimi on baby spinach with chile citrus dressing, a creamy Cajun salmon roll (from the sushi bar) and apple pie sundaes. (Audubon Court, 333 W. Brown Deer Rd., 414-352-5051)
Third Ward Change
The Third Ward’s Palms Bistro & Bar has new owners and no longer sports simian-themed artwork on its walls (221 N. Broadway, 414-298-3000). Once run by the City Market bakery/cafe people, Palms is now owned by Group 5 Development. In any event, the kitchen staff hasn’t changed. The dinner menu has everything from pizza and sandwiches to “big plates” and pasta. Specific examples: shrimp and mango spring rolls ($10), calamari fries ($9.50), Bali barbecued salmon sandwich ($10.50), Palms Cobb salad ($14), caramelized pear and prosciutto pizza ($13.25), 14-ounce New York strip with Yukon Gold potato gratin ($29) and lobster mac and cheese ($23). Expect some minor seasonal changes to the menu. Palms is normally closed on Sunday, but during Packers season, the bar is open and serving a limited menu of brats, burgers, cheese curds and the like. Normal food service hours: Tues-Thurs L 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; D 4:30-10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. As I wrote a moment ago, the monkey art has moved on. But the walls aren’t bare.
Chip Becomes Harvey
Do you remember sitting down to a fancy meal at Chip & Py’s in Mequon? Things have changed. Amelia Betzhold, whose mom, Julie Staniszewski, co-owned the long-time restaurant, is doing a whole new thing at Chip & Py’s. First of all, it’s not called Chip & Py’s anymore. It’s Harvey’s Central Grille (1340 W. Towne Square Rd., Mequon, 262-241-9589). With a new menu and fresh look to the interior, the intention is to make the place more casual. Dinner is the only meal served here, from 5 p.m. on. At 4:00, the restaurant opens for happy hour, the time of drink specials and complimentary eats. The menu puts less emphasis on entrées and more on small plates and starters ($4-$10). What might they be? Hummus with pita bread, crab cake, duck wontons, eggplant fries and three mini burgers, among others. The menu is still lengthy – sandwiches and entrée salads, main courses (pesto linguini, steak black and blue, veal piccata) and several desserts. The Friday fish fry is panko-crusted lake perch with Dijon slaw and French fries ($14).
Can’t get enough dining? I chat about restaurants every week with Jane Matenaer and Kidd O’Shea on “The Mix.” Listen between 8 and 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 25. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
And check out our Events Editor Evan Solochek’s picks for the best events in arts and entertainment on This Weekend.
