Chef Bryce Stevenson will make the 400-mile trek from Madeline Island to Milwaukee in January, bringing Mijim -- the Ojibwe word for food and the title of his restaurant and -- along with him.
The celebrated Indigenous chef is hosting a Jan. 19 pop-up in partnership with Ross Bachhuber and Sam Ek of Odd Duck, which will be held at the Walker's Point restaurant, 939 S. 2nd St.
The multi-course meal will eschew a strict theme in favor of a guiding philosophy, drawing on hunting and preservation techniques, Ojibwe tradition and seasonal winter foods -- yes, even in sub-zero Wisconsin.
Following the announcement, the pop-up sold out almost immediately, Odd Duck noted online. The restaurant is now considering adding seats or starting a waitlist for cancellations.
Future updates will be shared via social media. Tickets for the seven-course dinner cost $125, with an optional $50 wine pairing. Non-alcoholic beverages and specialty cocktails will also be available a la carte.
Stevenson launched his acclaimed restaurant, Mijim, in 2023 on Madeline Island, a place also known as Mooningwanekaaning to the Ojibwe people, who have called it home for centuries. The counter-service eatery serves local Native American dishes with a subtle French influence, according to its website.
The menu changes seasonally, but typically centers on wild game such as deer, elk and rabbit -- all enhanced by wild, local foods such as mushrooms, ramps, chaga and bergamot.
The upcoming pop-up holds particular significance for Milwaukee diners, a city with rich Indigenous history but no Native restaurant of its own.
Stevenson, citing sickness, was not available for comment by the time of publication.
A neighborhood tavern with more than 120 years of history is no more. Bay Street Pub quietly closed its doors in recent weeks, marking the end of an era for the building at 338 E. Bay St.
The business started as a Miller tied house in 1900 but has undergone numerous transformations in ownership, name and appearance since then, as documented in Michael Horne's 2015 Bar Exam.
Ignatz Tominsek steered the business through the Great Depression and Prohibition, later renting the space to Patrick Malinger, who renamed it Pat's Place. Subsequent tenants including Scotsman Lounge and Tequila's Sports Bar also took their turns before the tavern transitioned to its most recent -- and final -- iteration as Bay Street Pub.
In its earlier days, Bay Street Pub served as a no-nonsense watering hole for locals. "This is a place where everybody knows your name, except for when they don't, and in that case you might as well be nobody," Horne wrote. "This is not Bay View as 'The Other East Side' -- this is Bay View as 'The Same Old South Side.'"
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The former Working Class tavern is set to return next spring as a family-friendly eatery. Entrepreneur Tressa Jones plans to open Favorites Restaurant & Lounge at 1810 W. Fond du Lac Ave., offering a menu of "straightforward food with soul," according to a license application.
The new business has been under development since 2019, when Jones purchased the property. Starting in early 2023, she worked with contractors to gut and redesign the triangular, two-story building. The project is now approaching completion, with a proposed opening date set for March 2025.
The updated, 2,800-square-foot business will include an all-new interior and fixtures, a bar, dining room and entertainment areas, well as a retractable garage door leading to a 890-square-foot outdoor patio.
Although construction is not yet finished, Jones already has a clear vision for the upcoming restaurant and lounge.
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"If these walls could talk, the stories would be unbelievable."
The Jones brothers -- Jim, John and Vic -- shared these words in a video message Tuesday as they announced the imminent closure of their longtime nightclub, Victor's.
"My brothers and I have decided to retire from Victor's after 60 years," Vic said in the video. "We couldn't think of a better way to end our careers here than with the 2024 New Year's bash. We're definitely going out with a bang."
The business, 1230 N. Van Buren St., still plans to host an all-out farewell New Year's party lasting from 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 through noon the following day. Victor's popular New Year's party is famous for being a hangout for service industry workers that completed their shifts at other bars and restaurants.
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Milwaukee's microbrewery scene has made a macro-level impact on the city, shaping weekend plans for residents, fostering unique partnerships with local businesses and re-earning its old distinction as "Beer City."
That longtime tradition in Milwaukee, with large-scale operations like Pabst, Schlitz, Miller and Blatz, has been buttressed by an increasing number of craft breweries throughout the past several decades. The trend reached its peak in the mid-2010s, as a surge of new craft breweries emerged, joining stalwarts like Sprecher Brewing Co., Lakefront Brewery and Milwaukee Brewing Company.
Milwaukee Brewing has since closed, passing off its recipes and branding to Eagle Park, which continues to produce its brews. Sprecher, meanwhile, has expanded beyond beer, and now generates most of its revenue through a line of craft sodas. And while many of the newcomers are still in business, recent closures have left locals wondering if the golden era of craft brewing is circling the drain.
The latest announcement came in early December from Enlightened Brewing Company, which will close Jan. 5. It follows MobCraft Beer and Company Brewing, which both shuttered earlier in 2024. A cidery, Lost Valley Cider Co., also closed its doors. Larger operations are scaling back as well, with Molson Coors planning to close breweries in Milwaukee and Chippewa Falls.
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As 2024 draws to a close, so too will Conway's Smokin' Bar and Grill. The longstanding tavern, 2127 W. Wells St., will officially call it quits after service on Dec. 27, owner Debbie Thatcher announced last weekend.
"THE SUN WILL SET ON Conway's Smokin Bar & Grill," she wrote in a Facebook post. "Please come visit us before we close and say goodbye to this 70-year-old institution."
Thatcher has led the business since the early 1990s, taking over from her stepfather, Bernard T. Conway, Jr., according to Michael Horne's 2016 Bar Exam. However, the building's history as a local watering hole dates back nearly 90 years, and is packed with history -- both visible and not.
City records show that in 1935, it housed a tavern alongside Berlin Dye Works (a laundry facility), a bakery, a grocer, and Ardison Restaurant, with a handful of apartments occupying the upper floors.
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Goodland Extracts, a Milwaukee business, made a strong showing at the recent America's Best Hemp THC Beverage competition, representing the city's growing presence in the cannabis-infused beverage market.
The company, Goodland Extracts, led by real estate developer Ryan Pattee, submitted its delta-9 sparkling lemonade to the competition, winning the Best in Wisconsin and Best in the Midwest categories, and taking second place in the country to secure a double gold medal. The drink contains five milligrams of hemp-derived THC and is made with real lemon juice, agave, and cane sugar.
Another submission from Goodland Extracts, Cherry Pie High soda, received two gold medals and was recognized as Best in Class for its packaging. Created by Mike Magestro of Mindspike Design, the award-winning packaging features a deep red base fading into tie-dye, with bold, cursive writing overlaying a large, ripe cherry.
In total, Goodland Extracts left the competition with two regional awards, two national awards and distinctions as the best in the region, state and at the show, according to a social media post.
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The gap between historic Celtic lands and modern-day Mexico is vast in both time and distance, but one Milwaukee building is bridging it in an instant. The former Thistle and Shamrock space at 3430 N. 84th St. is set to transform into Cinco Lokos, a new Mexican restaurant, according to a license application.
After growing up in the restaurant industry, Izabella Arteaga is preparing to open her own establishment in the coming months, with plans to serve tacos, empanadas, ceviche and other authentic dishes along with a selection of alcoholic beverages.
The new restaurant will occupy 1,900 square feet within the building, offering a spacious dining room, bar seating and several amusement machines.
A proposed menu for Cinco Lokos includes starters like chips with salsa or guacamole, quesadillas, empanadas, nachos supreme, sopes, queso fundido, hot wings and Cinco de Mayo Firecrackers, or stuffed jalapeños with meat and cheese.
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The inviting scent of sauteed garlic, fresh herbs and toasted spices wafts from the basement of the 770 Building on weekdays, as Azhar Shah begins the daily process of preparing a comforting lunch for his loyal regulars.
For nearly three decades, Shah has been serving authentic Pakistani cuisine at his restaurant, Shah Jee's. In addition to his role as a chef and entrepreneur, he has become a pillar of the community -- a man who "has always been the one to give," his daughters shared in a social media post last week.
Now, he's asking for some help in return.
Shah's daughters recently launched a fundraising campaign to support the restaurant, aiming to raise $180,000 to cover operating costs and kitchen maintenance. The business has faced significant challenges since 2020, they said, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of three sister restaurants.
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