Juneil Cabreza was in high school, working part-time at a Pick ’n Save, when he met the owner of a Milwaukee soup restaurant and was given the book Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It shaped his future. He went to culinary school to become a pastry chef, then worked at restaurants in Chicago and Milwaukee, one of which was Tavolino, the Italian restaurant that closed last year.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Cabreza and business partner Paul Piotrowski now own the restaurant that replaced it – L’incontro (2315 N. Murray Ave.) – The Meeting in Italian. It also trades in Italian but is forging its own path – with an Asian “twinge,” Cabreza calls it – in dishes like seafood Bolognese with black sesame chitarra (an egg pasta), and a steamed, roasted fish cake composed of branzino, calamari and shrimp with jicama and salsa verde.
There are more conventional plates, too – rigatoni cacio e pepe, and a half-chicken with Frank’s Red Hot butter and pickled jalapenos (shown above). L’incontro also carries on the legacy of Palermo Villa, which was an institution in that space. L’incontro’s pizzas are the original Palermo Villa recipe. But again, there are twists, such as the Sisig, topped with longganisa (a Filipino sausage), white sauce, salsa verde and an egg. 2315 N. Murray Ave.; pastas $19-$25, mains $27-$29, pizzas $17-$22. Hours: Sun-Mon, Wed-Thurs 5-9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5-10 p.m.
Ni Burmese, which is slated to open in busy Bay View this fall, will bring flavors diners won’t easily find in this city. Opening a restaurant that offers the dishes of her homeland, Burma (now known as Myanmar), has been the dream of co-owner Nyo Nyo Lin for three years. Her mother, Ni Ni, will be the chef. “We used to have a family restaurant back in Burma,” explained Lin, who also operates a beauty salon in Shorewood. “She’s been helping my grandma [cook] since she was 15 years old.”
One of the dishes her mother plans to make here is mohinga, a fish-rice noodle soup that’s considered the national dish of Myanmar. Its sweet-sour-hot flavor comes from a combo of fish sauce, banana stem, lemongrass and red chile flakes. Ni Burmese (2140 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) will be open for lunch and dinner in the KinetiK development that also houses Paloma Taco & Tequila.
– Ryan Castelaz,
whose cocktail/mocktail bar, Agency, is projected to open this summer at the Dubbel Dutch Hotel
A reimagined Ardent (1751 N. Farwell Ave.) reopened in May, with a lounge, tasting room and wine bar. Sunday brunch and Friday fish fries are among its offerings. • Recent changes at 2-year-old North Avenue Market (5900 W. North Ave.) shelved the multiple food vendors concept in favor of a single focal point – Southern cuisine, with items including catfish, salmon croquettes and fried green tomatoes. • At Avli’s (1818 N. Hubbard St.) new Sunday brunch, the menu choices include a zucchini frittata with feta, and French toast on tsoureki bread (reminiscent of challah). • The third season of Roundhouse Beer Garden, operated by The Bartolotta Restaurants at McKinley Marina (1750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr.), is replete with super-size pretzels, beer and slushies, plus giant versions of games like Jenga and live music on Monday and Friday nights.
