The great Somali restaurant Blue Star Cafe has managed to stay under the radar for 13 years. Fans come to the modest south-of-Brady storefront (1619 N. Farwell Ave.) for samosa-like sambusas and platters of rice, vegetables, chicken, goat or steak seasoned with xawaash, a warm spice blend (cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, etc.), and topped with raisins and cubed potato. Even as times have been tough for restaurants, support has not wavered, Abdirizak Aden says.
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He operates the business with his wife, Alia Muhyadin, and underscores the formula they have used since opening: cooking from scratch each day in a limited quantity. It’s usually enough to fill orders for the day, he says, but occasionally they run out – something I experienced one night in December when I was craving their food and wanting to support a small, independent business.
Once you have the chicken or tender bone-in goat with its sweet, earthy flavors, you will not forget it. But don’t wait until the end of the day to get your fix: “Whatever we have, once it’s run out, we’re not gonna start making more,” Aden says. And don’t forget the sambusas – crispy, fried pastry pockets served with a tangy chutney.
“Customers on their own time reached out offering to help clean and restock. It just shows you what the Glorioso’s brand and family means to the community.”
– Carmine Presta, co-owner of Glorioso’s, that came back in January from a fire-imposed hiatus.
Flaky Business
Danish kringle talk is serious in these parts, with Racine-made creations having a stranglehold. A couple of hours north of here, though, they’ve got Uncle Mike’s. Founded 25 years ago by a third-generation baker in De Pere, the company now has five locations (Green Bay to Appleton) and touts an award-winning lineup of kringles made with 36 layers of dough. I didn’t know these kringles were available anywhere near Milwaukee until I heard about people picking them up at an Oconomowoc cafe called Whelan’s (where they’re delivered frozen). I wanted one ASAP.
Well, I couldn’t resist buying two. My immediate impression was “kringle on steroids” – at least an inch thick, with a substantial layer of filling and generous application of icing. I didn’t count the visible layers, but the pastry was flaky and tender.
I’m typically a purist and like a simple, traditional kringle, but I really enjoyed Uncle Mike’s sea salt caramel pecan, the salt balancing the intense sweetness of the pecan filling and the icing. Uncle Mike’s periodically pops up in Milwaukee at events like Lakefront Brewery’s kringle and beer pairing on March 26. You can also order direct from the bakery ($39, includes shipping) at bit.ly/UMkringle.
Jan. 17 was Bavette la Boucherie’s last day in business. Owner/chef Karen Bell had reduced service hours last summer, saying she was open to selling the business. Now the space at 217 N. Broadway has a new tenant and is set to become a new restaurant concept entirely, called Wela, targeted to open in spring. • The owners of Las Virellas, the Puerto Rican food truck at Zócalo Food Park, have a new cocktail bar nearby called El Batey (1003 W. National Ave.). The drink menu includes El Jibaro, a rum-based old fashioned. • A group of investors plans to open a Middle Eastern eatery called Top Shawarma in the former Martino’s (1215 W. Layton Ave.). The purveyor of hot dogs and Italian beef closed in late 2025 after nearly 50 years in business.
