Openings, Closings, Etcetera
• The Social (170 S. First St.) went down the tubes at the beginning of this year. The building’s owner, Tim Dixon, will soon have that space occupied. The menu at this restaurant-to-be, Stacked, will center on burgers “stacked” with grass-fed Fountain Prairie Farms beef (a Wisconsin product) and artisanal cheeses (again, of Wisconsin origination). If you want to wash that down richly, they’ll have specialty shakes, available spiked or nonalcoholic. On the bar side of the business, wines will run roughly $7 glass and $30 a bottle. The press materials they sent me say the wine menu will feature “juice you won’t find in your average grocery store.” Also, playing on the layered theme: They’ll have “stacks” of nostalgic beers in cans. Dixon will keep the ceiling and Cream City brick walls of this former Kramer Foundry building exposed. The chef/operator is Milwaukee native Bruce Evans. Due date? Shooting for early July. Burgers… I’m sensing a recession theme here.
• I took a peek inside Riverwest’s new centro cafe (808 E. Center St., 414-455-3751). A small, charming space with a brown awning and wicker furniture arranged on the sidewalk outside the entrance. The cooking is done behind an attractive marble-topped bar. Opposite of that is a banquette arrangement of seats. Pendant lights create a glowing, intimate effect. The food has an Italian bent; the prices are moderate. Grilled asparagus rolled in prosciutto ($5) and grilled calamari with scallops ($8) are a couple of the apps. Panini include grilled chicken with pesto mayo ($7.50) and meatball with marinara and fontina ($7). Of the 15 pastas, there’s handmade gnocchi and seafood ravioli ($12 each), penne Bolognese ($9), linguine and scallops ($12) and fettuccine Alfredo ($8). Beer and wine lists, too. Hours are Tues-Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Note: It’s a cash-only restaurant.
Summerfest Special
It may not have affected you in a physical way, but today is the first day of Summerfest. (Located just a few blocks from the grounds, Mil Mag pretty much lives in the festival bubble. Good people watching; terrible parking situation.) Over at Coquette Cafe (also living in the Summerfest bubble), owners Sandy and Angie D’Amato are offering a special lunch and dinner menu – today through July 3. The $10 lunch features chilled watermelon gazpacho, pulled mustard pork sandwich with potato salad and dill coleslaw, and rhubarb-white chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce. The $20 dinner menu includes the same first and dessert courses. The entrée is barbecued ribs with potato salad, dill coleslaw and local corn. These menus run in addition to the regular menu. And if you’re worried about parking for Coquette, it’s free after 5 p.m. in the Landmark Building’s parking lot. (316 N. Milwaukee St., 414-291-2655)
Night at the Pancake House
So I’ve been seeing this sign on one of the windows at the Original Pancake House on Downer Avenue (2621 N.) Seems this East Side breakfast/lunch joint has extended hours on certain days of the week. They are: Wed-Thurs until 8 p.m.; Sat until 9 p.m. The menu is a bit more expansive, if you’re not feeling like Belgian waffles or blueberry pancakes. They have flatbread melt sandwiches ($7.95-$8.95), an avocado, egg and blue Cobb salad ($9.50); prime steak sandwich ($10.50), “ultimate” grilled cheese ($5.45, plus more for additions), and a whole mess of crêpes – a vegetarian ($8.45), carne asada ($10.45), and shrimp, scallops and crab ($12.45).
Don’t miss this week’s Shopaholic to learn about new stores and events in the world of local retail.
If you spot any restaurant openings or closings out there, don’t hesitate to post it on my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com
