The bad news department paid a visit to EsterEv (2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) a few weeks ago – you may have heard about it. An issue with one of the radiators inside a vacant apartment above the Bay View restaurant caused water to leak inside the restaurant and down into the basement. Not just a little water, either. A lot. It wasn’t discovered until the next morning. The damage caused the restaurant to close temporarily – a closure that, realistically, will extend through August, co-owner Dan Jacobs says. The dining room has been gutted.
The kitchen, however, was not damaged. So, taking the “it could be worse” attitude, Jacobs says the rebuild will allow them to make upgrade they financially couldn’t when they first moved into the space. Like the bar. Their insurance coverage will enable them to “build the bar that we wanted,” he says.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Their insurance policy, though it covers the staff’s wages, doesn’t cover tips, which is what the front-of-house staff relies on. To help them out, Jacobs and business partner Dan Van Rite are doing four pop-up dinners. The first one, at Birch on May 28, is sold-out. But the second one, at Lupi & Iris on May 31, is accepting reservations – for seatings between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. The meal will feature a seven-course menu that includes caviar tater tots and several new dishes Jacobs and chefs Syd Zwieg and Val Bartram have been working on – a steak tartare with green harissa; poached trout with chartreuse vin blanc, incorporating lovage from Jacobs’ garden; and beef with braised artichokes, artichoke puree and fermented blueberries.
“We’re gonna cook the artichokes and beef fat,” he says of the aforementioned beef dish, “and then use the blueberries as garnish. And we’re also gonna make a tare – like a grill sauce – and use that to kind of lacquer the beef when we’re grilling it.” Sounds good to me!
The Lupi & Iris pop-up dinner is $125 per person. Make your reservation here.
Two additional pop-ups will take place in Chicago (at LouLou by Lulu Café on June 9) and in Madison (L’Etoile, June 17). For reservations to these pop-ups, click here.
