In August, Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare moved into its third location in five years. Will the new digs in West Allis’ commercial downtown (7629 W. Greenfield Ave.) be the proverbial third-time’s-the-charm? Owner Ruta Kahate – a cookbook author who ran cafes in Goa, India, and a cooking school in California – hopes so.

Kahate first opened her Milwaukee concept inside Crossroads Collective food hall in 2021, two years after moving her family to Wisconsin. The naanwich – a hot handheld made on the traditional Indian flatbread – became a delicious signature item. Next came an almost three-year residence in Walker’s Point (next to Purple Door Ice Cream), which brought the menu focus on customized rice bowls. But the dearth of street traffic for the lunch-only Indian spot wasn’t helpful for business. The Stallis location is closer to what Kahate had always wanted – a cafe-style floorplan with a dining room where customers can linger over their chai. Kahate added breakfast hours and more sandwiches to the lunch menu and is now open on Saturdays. Leaning into seasonal cozy, Kahate expects to roll out more autumnal and winter drinks, soups and sweets beyond her signature ginger molasses cookies. Mon-Sat 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

In Fine Form

Old Form, Shorewood’s new neighborhood bar, is located on the quieter side of the village, inside a split-off section of the old consignment shop Chattel Changers (2518 E. Capitol Dr.). You find precious little info about it on its website or its Instagram – “a very small bar, pretzels, cheese, schnaps.” For months, its windows were covered in paper signs that read: “Coming Soon!! Ray’s Microwaved Tilapia and Cabbage Emporium.” But bar owner Justin Lalor was just messing with us – there’s no Ray, no fish (nuked or otherwise), no cabbage. But there are German and Austrian wines, cocktails, Miller High Life, deviled eggs and fresh-baked soft pretzels with butter. Old Form is unusual in two other ways – it’s a tip-free service model (the prices are commensurate), and it’s open just three days a week (Thurs-Sat, 4 p.m.-midnight). The physical manifestation of Old Form is, by intention, not stereotypical German; it’s defined by the clean, crisp look of the bar made of quarter-sawn white oak. As for the coming-soon sign that left drivers rubbernecking, Lalor says the building owner “wanted something on the window during build-out” and “was OK with a good joke. It definitely had more legs than I anticipated.”

“We’re going out on our terms, which I feel like is a luxury.”

– Adam Beilke of cult-favorite Sweet Smoke BBQ, a 4-year-old trailer pop-up that will serve its last beef brisket and pulled pork at Hawthorne Coffee Roasters on Dec. 6 

Taking a modern approach to Thai cuisine, Wela opened in early September in the former Third Ward home of Bavette la Boucherie (217 N. Broadway).  •  In August, Ni Burmese (2160 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) ended its 1½-year run as the only restaurant in our area serving exclusively Burmese cuisine. The owner cited personal/health reasons for the closure.  •  For the first time in six years, The Diplomat (815 E. Brady St.) is serving lunch. The menu features a few familiar favorites (e.g., The Diplomac burger), and some additions like steak frites au poivre. The hours are Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-2 p.m. • In September, the restaurateurs behind MKE’s Saffron and Āya announced their plans to open a new “culinary destination” inside the former Thiensville home of The Cheel (105 S. Main St.), which closed in 2024.  •  R.C. Schmidt – whose hospitality brand defined Downtown and the East Side (think The Harp Irish Pub, Louise’s Trattoria, Oakland Trattoria) – passed away Sept. 1 at age 76. In 1987, Schmidt opened Milwaukee’s first brewpub, Water Street Brewery.