Two kinds of pizza are on the menu at the very new Brisa Do Mar, which has taken over the former Riverfront Pizzeria space (509 E. Erie St.) in the Third Ward.
And there’s quite a bit more, too – sandwiches, salads, pastas, and grilled fish and chicken. “We are super excited, super pumped,” he says of this new journey. Most recently, Alvarez operated Dia Bom restaurant inside Crossroads Collective food hall on the East Side. It closed last year and Alvarez planned to move the Asian-Latin fusion concept into Lincoln Warehouse in the Harbor District. That plan fell through, and when the Riverfront space presented an opportunity, he decided to create a new concept. That’s Brisa Do Mar, which is Spanish for “Sea Breeze.” Its predecessor, Riverfront Pizzeria, closed in February. It had operated for 18 years.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The restaurant, which has a distinctive Italian focus, opened on May 1. Alvarez will be able to feed a lot of mouths here. The 6,400-square-foot-space has a capacity for 300, plus another 45 on the patio. His 20-year-old daughter is helping him in the kitchen. He said she is running that side of things while he concentrates on the Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas. Those 8-inch pies comes in versions like La Vert (pesto sauce, hazelnuts, zucchini, fontina cheese), margherita, and La Brisa, with shrimp, kalamata olives, soppressata and basil ($18-$20).
The restaurant also offers “brique” pizzas in three sizes and in variations such as bianco (garlic, mozzarella, romano, ricotta and parsley) and Di Parma, with prosciutto di Parma, parmesan, fontina and tomato ragu ($12-$28). “Snackies” range from wood-roasted prawns to eggplant chips with marinara ($6-$20). Salads include caprese, Caesar, and Turkish chickpea ($6-$18.50). Shrimp diavolo and cavatelli alla arrabbiata are among the pastas ($25-$29). And Alvarez is making wood-roasted fish and chicken ($29-$31). I expect any of this could change as the restaurant settles in.
The hours may be adjusted but at this time, they are: Sun, Tues-Thurs 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-midnight. Closed on Tuesdays.
