Neighborhood Catalyst
When Izzy’s opened in the summer of 2009, I remember skirting around construction barriers and jumping up a foot-high drop in the road to get to the entrance. It was during that long construction project on West State Street, near 27th Street. Last February, owner Charles Hausmann closed the cafe named after his mother. It wasn’t a permanent closure, however. Izzy’s is back, but things are a little different from its previous incarnation. The cafe will focus on lunch, not breakfast. The menu will still have sandwiches (i.e., burger, BLT, corned beef and Swiss). Brandon Roethel, business partner of owner Charles Hausmann, added a pasta presence to the menu – mac and cheese, sausage and pasta arrabbiata, and chicken Alfredo. Roethel plans to do a Friday fish fry. For the first day back in business – this Saturday (Dec. 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.) – Roethel will serve appetizer portions of the menu: mini pulled pork and turkey avocado sandwiches, crab cakes, bruschetta and smaller portions of pasta. As when he opened the business in ’09, Hausmann says he hopes Izzy’s will spur development in the SoHi (south of Highland) neighborhood. Hours: Tues-Sat 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (2613 W. State St., 414-342-3287)
Short Rib Nation
Hands, rough, like the withered branches on a tree. That is a line from my poem about winter. And it’s as far as I’ve gotten in the writing process, because I’d rather be seated at a table in a warm restaurant with a glass of red wine and plate of braised short ribs. That could be accomplished at Juniper 61. The West Side restaurant has switched to its Arctic menu, meaning the winter offerings. They feature (among the appetizers) pumpkin sage empanadas drizzled with pecan pesto, and tenderloin-asparagus tempura maki. On the entrée side, there’s bacon-wrapped scallops with Parmesan risotto, coq au vin with a butternut squash polenta cake, and stout-braised short ribs with celery root mash and pickled red cabbage ($12-$19). My withered hands are feeling better already. (6030 W. North Ave., 414-727-6161)
Wine Wizardry
As mentioned in Dish a few weeks ago, Thief Wine Shop & Bar is very much up and running in its modern, minimalist new Shorewood location. The bar utilizes a Cruvinet wine-dispensing system. Its taps are hooked up to a nitrogen generator that keeps the wine from having any contact with oxygen. For a bar serving by-the-glass wines, this is key. It’ll keep wine as fresh as when it was opened for as long as three weeks. Owners Aimee Murphy and Phil Bilodeau aren’t ready to serve their bar menu quite yet (which will be provided by neighbor North Star American Bistro), but you can order anything from North Star’s menu and the servers will bring it over to Thief. Note the wine shop’s striking custom-made bar with cork inlay. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10 a.m.-midnight; Sun 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (4512 N. Oakland Ave., 414-906-1906)
Look for more Dish on Dining on Tuesday!
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If you spot a restaurant opening or closing, post it on the comments section of my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com.
