Openings, Closings, Updates
• People used to complain – to me, anyway – about Tosa’s lack of dining options. Score one for the village. The second location of Cafe Hollander (7677 W. State St.) is due to open next Wednesday (July 15th). So saith Mike Eitel of Hollander’s parent company, Diablos Rojos Restaurant Group.
• Have you driven past the old Milwaukee Pump House bar and grill lately? The deco-ish brick building is an area known more for docks than bars. Owners of Horny Goat Brewing Co. (which brews its beer at the Stevens Point Brewery) are working on a brewpub tentatively scheduled to open later this month in the old Pump House space (2011 S. First St.). Have you seen the “Horny” Hummer? Interns have been driving around Milwaukee in a Hummer plastered with the company logo. Their purpose is to offer samples and give-aways.
• Javino, a cafe/retail store destined to open at the Third Ward space of 330 E. Menomonee St., has a new name: Kafevino. No word on the projected opening of this business.
• Andy Ruggeri, who partnered with developer/advertising exec Drew Vallozzi to open Waukesha’s The Clarke Hotel (314 W. Main St.) – and its fine dining restaurant The Black Trumpet – has left that enterprise. Ruggeri also owned the Delafield Hotel (operating Andrew’s Restaurant) before bowing out when The Clarke Hotel project came along.
• It’s not a restaurant but neither is Cheese Jerky, as you’ll read about below. My next topic, the wine and spirits shop Grapes & Grain (11301 N. Port Washington Rd.) allows people to dine at home. A reader recently sent me an e-mail inquiring about the status of this Mequon store. An employee told me while the restaurant is temporarily closed, it will reopen this weekend, but not to sell wine. The focus will be on wine gadgetry – racks and the like.
That Jerk
Remember the old Reese’s peanut butter cup commercials where someone with a jar of peanut butter crashes into someone holding a chocolate bar? Hot damn, what a great combination of flavors. Milwaukee is home to a snack product called Cheese Jerky, a string cheese-meets-beef jerky creation masterminded by 26-year-old Milwaukeean Ross Segel. In my mind’s eye, I’m seeing mozzarella smashing into hunks of beef jerky. What is not to like about that? I ask my coworker Howie (The Sports Nut) Magner, who has found lasting bliss with jerky (but, strangely, dislikes cheese).
Segel’s company, Snack Patrol (where he is Chief Snack Technician, or CEO), has two flavors on the market – Original Cheese Jerky and Peppered Cheese Jerky. Last March, the company added single sticks to their packaging options. Both the cheese and the jerky come from Wisconsin companies. And if you haven’t read enough about it here, Cheese Jerky will be profiled on “The Today Show’s” Weekend Today this Sunday, July 12th (7-8 a.m.). Wondering where to find this snack? Look for it at Open Pantry and Sendik’s Markets. Did I mention I’m eating the Original Cheese Jerky right now? Mmm. Nice balance of smoky meat flavor in a firm tube of mozzarella cheese.
German High
Karl Ratzsch’s can flex some German muscle. A restaurant consulting business (with offices in Dallas and Chicago) posted a list of top restaurants in the U.S. in various categories. Brown & Associates named the venerable Ratzsch’s best German restaurant for 2009. How did the organization come by its determination? According to senior consultant/executive chef Lili Ioannou, the consultants – four of whom visit a particular restaurant on different occasions – use a four-page report to determine the winners.
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
