EsterEv – the spirited New American concept created by the guys behind DanDan – has almost completed its recovery from flood damage. It is scheduled to reopen Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Now, co-owner Dan “Top Chef” Jacobs will have the bar he always wanted – that’s one of the glass half-full comments he made once it sunk in last spring that EsterEv wasn’t just looking at being closed for a few weeks. To refresh your memory, in early May, a faulty water valve in an apartment above the Bay View restaurant (2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) sent enough water seeping into EsterEv to trash its floors, bar, ceiling and walls. The water kept moving downward to the basement, damaging the restaurant’s prep space. So, weeks of closure turned into months. And here we are.
There’s still a lot to be done between now and early November – “It’s gonna be fast and furious,” Jacobs says – but Nov. 5 is set in stone. In the dining room, Jacobs and co-owner Dan Van Rite strived to change as little as possible – but for the bar. “We wanted to change up the shape of [it] a little, and give it a bit more character,” he says.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The one major change is – in an effort to “engage the neighborhood,” Jacobs says – they’re switching from a fixed-price, multi-course tasting format to a la carte offerings. A few dishes on this new menu were a fixture on the previous EsterEv menu – they are broth and bread ($10 per person), a refined take on a humble pairing, and the Dans’ legendary caviar tater tots ($24 each; 4 for $85). Other dishes are hiramasa crudo with brown butter, golden raisins and mojo ($18); orecchiette with chicken gizzards, turnips and greens ($26); pelmeni dumplings with pork, leeks and koji crème fraiche ($22); beef with rutabaga, Brussels and red wine ($44); a market-price pizza; winter squash with wild rice, charred pickled onions, black trumpet mushrooms and gremolata ($28). Desserts include hot chocolate, olive oil ice cream, balsamic, coconut, and kalamata crumble ($14), and French toast, honeycomb ice cream and cashew praline ($12).
There’s also someone new heading up the kitchen – that’s Monroe Briggs, who worked most recently at Odd Duck.
Reservations from Nov. 5 on are available on OpenTable.
