Photo of Kanpai
Kan Do
It is sad to see an empty restaurant storefront. But the one-time home of Nanakusa (408 E. Chicago St.) has bounced back. Have you seen the flag-like signs outside the building? “Lunch Special,” one of them reads. Not the typical Third Ward restaurant advertising. Kanpai is what owner Brian Park is calling his izakaya restaurant, which is akin to a Japanese gastropub. “Kanpai” is like saying “cheers” when you make a toast. The head kitchen chef is busy with small plates like miso-glazed lamb chops and pan-seared scallops with mango salsa. There’s a sushi bar here too, with its own head chef. Park’s other business is the Brookfield Japanese fusion restaurant Wasabi. Note that while Kanpai is open, it’s serving only items from the food menus. You’ll have to wait to order a Sapporo or other alcohol until September, when the restaurant has a liquor license. Hours: L Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-2 p.m. D Mon-Thurs 4:30-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4:30 p.m.-midnight; Sun 4-9 p.m. (414-220-1155)
Clean Act
At Brookfield’s Café One24, a grass-fed ground-sirloin burger – topped with avocado and pepper-yogurt spread and served with a salad or soup – falls within the confines of “clean eating.” That two-worder is everything this restaurant is about. Portion-controlled food using local and, where possible, organic ingredients. The latest news from Café One24 is that it’s got a grab-and-go menu – better put, an order-in-advance-and-pick-up menu. Lunch items range from grilled chicken rice bowl with black beans and salsa to a Portobello mushroom sandwich with Dijon mustard and arugula (or six other options, all $8 each). Dinner entrées ($15) include BBQ pork tenderloin, Cajun tilapia, and grilled chicken with shiitake mushrooms and goat cheese (served with vegetable and starch sides). Order by noon on Saturdays for pick-up the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Call 262-781-1662, Restaurant hours: Tues-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (3705 N. 124th St.)
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