Getting Closer
Just got another update from Scott Johnson, regarding the project that’s been keeping him and his partners busy in Bay View. I’ve got a name for this joint, too. Drum roll, please… Honeypie. As in, the term of endearment. As in, expect pasties (Cornish pasties) and other forms of baked goodness. Honeypie’s home is the old Annona Bistro, 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. The opening is still about a month from now, so no honeypies yet. Adam Lucks is one of the creative minds behind the menu. (Not a stretch for him, since he’s been doing the same thing at Comet Cafe.) Lucks, still working out the particulars of the menu, is carrying over the concept of “simple, from-scratch” food popularized at Comet. Locally farmed ingredients – also, Wisconsin-raised, grass-fed beef – will be important. Lucks is working on a “base” menu (sandwiches, salads, soups), complemented by entrées that will change weekly. They want to keep prices down – no more than $15 for entrées, Lucks says, and $7-$10 for sandwiches. Weekend brunch is coming, too. I’ll give you more once the opening is closer in sight.
The Latest
• So despite what I said last week, the opening date for Bistro 333, the first-level restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, is not for another few weeks. May 1st is now the official due date. The menu’s theme is “comfort classics infused with a local twist.” 333 W. Kilbourn Ave., 414-270-6130.
• Also slated for May 1st: MP (a nod to its parent, the Mexican restaurant Margarita Paradise), which will replace El Rey at the at Milwaukee Public Market (corner of St. Paul and Water). MP will have a fairly lengthy array of choices – tamales, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, taco salad, posole, ceviche, chile rellenos. Also various meats and cheeses, and homemade chips, salsa and guacamole.
• The new Meze Cafe (785 N. Jefferson St., 414-273-6393; a few doors south of Taylor’s) is a dance club and “upscale lounge.” So says the advertising. There’s a Greek twist to the menu – for instance, souvlaki with tzatziki (a cucumber-yogurt condiment) and grilled octopus on a bed of hummus. (Too bad the octopus was charred and tough when I ordered it.). Meze also has a few flat-screen TVs, because, well, I guess we can’t get enough TV. Why is that?
More Tidbits
• The Dogs Bollocks (2321 N. Murray Ave.): A British pub sired by Tony Wright, the chap who opened Shorewood’s BritInn. Opening is scheduled for April 17th. Incidentally, I found quite a few interesting definitions for “dog’s bollocks” in urbandictionary.com. I won’t print them here. There’s also a cocktail by that name, made with lager, vodka and lime juice.
• Club Charlie’s (320 E. Menomonee St., Third Ward): Due… this month? The Web site promises a “5-Buck” food menu.
• Javino (330 E. Menomonee St.): The fusion of coffee (java) and wine (vino). Said to be opening in May. Will be a neighbor of the abovementioned Club Charlie’s.
• The Melting Pot (341 N. Milwaukee St.): Matthew and Ruby Soik, who also own the Brookfield Melting Pot franchise, plan to open this location in fall.
April Yearnings
Spring, beer and five courses of contemporary American cuisine. Hinterland chef Dan Van Rite is preoccupied with things that seem perfectly logical for a person of food – things like ramps, morel mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns. Van Rite will conjure up spring at his “5-Course Beer Dinner” on April 23rd (6:30 p.m.). First course is tatsoi (baby bok choy) with pickled blackberry, hazelnut cracker and foie gras emulsion. With that course is Hinterland’s Raspberry Rye. (All courses are paired with a Hinterland beer.) Fourth course is braised short ribs with ramps, asparagus, purple potato and sunchoke purée. Your beverage: Hinterland bock. I know for a fact that there are still seats available. But call now before they’re gone: 414-727-9300. $55 per person. Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub, 222 E. Erie St., Suite 100.
We Want Out
I take hope in phrases like “enclosed patio now open,” even though there’s still that word “enclosed.” But it’s better than nothing. Tess (2499 N. Bartlett Ave.) is the restaurant with the enclosed patio, now open. And chef Leslie Johnson has just come out with two new menus – a spring version for the dining room and a special, under-$10 menu served strictly in the bar. The latter includes open-face veal parmigiana ($8.95), roasted pork shoulder sandwich ($7.95) and chicken-fried chicken tenders served with mashed potatoes ($7.95). The spring feel to the regular menu shows up in the bocconcini, which are little nuggets of fresh mozzarella, in this case served with fresh basil, grape tomatoes and crostini for a light appetizer, ($8). And in the pan-seared red snapper with apple-fennel slaw and basmati rice ($22). Another entrée fit for a spring day: Jamaican jerk-spiced chicken with rum-laced jerk sauce and grilled pineapple ($19). Hours are Tues-Sun from 5 p.m. Call 414-964-8377 for reservations.
If you’ve listened to me dish with Jane and Kidd on 99.1 WMYX-FM, now you can listen to our food chats anytime right here.
Don’t miss this week’s Shopaholic to learn about a few hip, upcoming fashion soirées and the city’s best deals on great design.
