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Hong Kong Seafood Buffet location, 270 W. Holt Ave. Photo taken January 11, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
The South Side’s Hong Kong Seafood Buffet is temporarily closed after about six months in business. But permit requests from the owner Ting Cai Zhou indicate that the restaurant will soon return under a new name.
The buffet restaurant opened in January at 270 W. Holt Ave., offering crab legs, shrimp, crab rangoon and more in a former Applebee’s restaurant.
At the end of July, Hong Kong Seafood Buffet announced that it would temporarily close for “inventory checks and maintenance.”
Shortly thereafter, Zhou filed a permit for the signage and requested that the restaurant be renamed “Asian Buffet.” The redesigned restaurant will feature hibachi and will serve beer and wine, according to the sign drawings.
Zhou, a chef and entrepreneur, gained industry experience in New York before moving to Madison, where he opened five restaurants. He continues to operate Ragin Cajun and two locations for Hot Pot 608.
Funding program aims to support black-owned restaurants
Running a business is challenging. As part of a historically marginalized group, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge, especially in the restaurant industry.
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Heinz, along with the LEE Initiative and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice, is working to change this through the Black Kitchen Initiative (BKI) grant program.
Since 2020, Heinz has donated $1 million annually to help Black restaurant owners address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and long-standing systemic barriers and inequities.
The company’s total donation for this year’s program, which will accept applications through mid-September, is $4 million.
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East Side gets new açaí bar and café
A new destination for smoothies, snacks, açaí bowls and more is springing up on Milwaukee’s East Side, announcing its impending arrival with bright pink floor-to-ceiling signs.
Baya Bar, a New York-based chain, is opening soon on Prospect Avenue. And if you think the signs are colorful, wait until you see the menu.
The health-conscious restaurant serves a wide variety of fresh juices, smoothies and frozen açaí bowls with toppings such as bee pollen, granola and peanut butter. For a more substantial meal, Baya Bar offers porridge with various toppings and toast with seasoned avocado or fruit and nut butter.
The cafe also offers bottled juices and super shots with ginger, oregano extract, wheatgrass and other superfoods.
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Forage Kitchen enters the public market
A new health-conscious vendor is heading to the Milwaukee Public Market with plans to offer grain bowls, soups, salads and more made with locally sourced ingredients.
Wisconsin-based Forage Kitchen plans to open this fall in the Food Hall, 400 N. Water St., replacing The Green Kitchen.
Green Kitchen has been in operation for 16 years, offering a menu of custom-made salads, sandwiches and wraps from a 35-square-foot stand across from Foltz Family Market. The last day of operation is scheduled for September 1.
Like its predecessor, Forage Kitchen prides itself on its farm-to-fork philosophy.
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Southside Dining Week returns with the biggest program ever
In September, Southside Dining Week returns for its biggest year yet, with more than 40 restaurants taking center stage during the week-long celebration of diverse cuisine.
The fourth annual dinner week, presented by North Shore Bank, begins September 28 and runs through October 5, with participating restaurants offering a specialty meal for $20 or less.
This year’s list of establishments spans more than 25 neighborhoods in Milwaukee’s South Side and surrounding suburbs, offering a wide variety of regional and international cuisines, including American, Chinese, Filipino, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Puerto Rican, soul food and more. Several cafes and breweries, as well as two ice cream shops, are also featured.
Like last year’s event, Dining Week 2024 will kick off with a “Live Band Kickoff” party at Zocalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St., featuring live music from local artists, a pop-up maker market, collaborative art activities and more.
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Yemeni café planned for the East Side
In recent months, a number of Yemeni cafes have sprung up in the Milwaukee area, offering spiced drinks, pastries and, of course, the country’s distinctive coffee.
After visiting cafes in Oak Creek and Greenfield, Madhi Hassan And Hasan Abuasi were immediately impressed by the coffee’s earthy, complex flavor – a result of dry processing the beans with the fruit intact. In other regions, the beans are usually separated and dried before roasting.
“Being from the Middle East, we have always been heavy coffee drinkers and have always tried different types of coffee,” Hassan said, noting that he has tried Turkish, Arabic and other types of coffee on his travels abroad. “I developed a passion for this type of stuff and that’s how it all started.”
The partners are now planning their own location on Milwaukee’s East Side.
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US Secretary of Agriculture promotes climate-friendly agriculture during visit to Milwaukee
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with farmers, community leaders, union representatives and several other groups on Monday to discuss the role of climate-friendly investments in improving rural America.
Before a crowd of about 65 people gathered in the second-floor event room of the Central Standard Craft Distillery, Vilsack described how large-scale farming had decimated the market for small and medium-sized farms, causing 544,970 farms — or one in six — to disappear between 1981 and the most recent agricultural census.
Vilsack said he is working to change the reality outlined by a former agriculture secretary. Earl Butzwhose mantra to farmers was: “Grow big or disappear.”
“The question is whether we agree with that,” Vilsack said. “If not, what is the alternative?”
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New Japanese restaurant serves home cooking in Walker’s Point
Japanese cuisine is widely known for its meticulous sushi preparation, umami-rich ramen, and ultra-crispy tempura. And while Milwaukee offers many of these traditional dishes, known as washoku, the city has fewer choices when it comes to yoshoku—Japanese comfort food with Western influences.
A new restaurant, Cute Robot Japanese Kitchen, wants to change that.
With an extensive menu of street food, snacks, curries and katsu, as well as an anime-inspired dining room, owner Janet And Marc Boettner have curated a restaurant experience that evokes the warmth and familiarity of home cooking – regardless of cultural background.
Cute Robot, 704 S. 2nd St., welcomed its first customers on Aug. 13, filling the space formerly occupied by The Noble. The previous restaurant, known for its ever-changing menu and industry brunches, closed last summer.
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New restaurant and lounge planned for the south side
A new, diverse store is set to open in a south Milwaukee shopping center, but the current tenants will have to make room.
Mariana Herrera recently filed an application to open Arcane Lounge Bar and Banquet at 5121 W. Howard Ave. According to a license application, the plan is to serve food and beverages, offer catering services and host events in the basement.
Arcane also wants to appeal to a broad range of customers, offering in-house entertainment for those who prefer to eat in, and drive-thru and delivery services for those who don’t.
The 2,937 square meter restaurant space currently houses the Brewtown Eatery & Sports Bar, which is located under Scott Kwapick And Martin Gulzcynski in 2014.
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Lulu Cafe is still a winner
Before Bay View became a dining destination, there was LuLu Cafe & Bar, a few steps from S. Kinnickinnic Avenue at S. Howell Avenue. You could say the owners were pioneers in a neighborhood that had yet to be redeveloped and had few restaurants. That was in 2001, when Lulu opened with a small dining area, mostly counter seating and a few tables.
Now they use the original space for takeout and special parties, having expanded into a much larger space with a full bar and multiple tables. They have a loyal following dating back to 2001, and that includes me.
One thing has remained the same and we hope they never stop making those huge homemade fries and crisp Asian slaw. If you order from the sandwich menu of burgers, pitas, melts and baguettes, your sandwich will come with fries or slaw or a little of both. That “little of both” is relative because even if you share, the portions are generous. You’ll want to order the blue cheese dip, a mild accompaniment to the fries, on the side because you can and they only charge $0.50 for that dipping sauce.
When you order a pita (and there are several choices), be prepared for a pita stuffed to the brim with a guaranteed delicious filling. The Roasted Vegetable Pita, for example, features an entire vegetable garden roasted to perfection and served with a refreshing cucumber sauce. If you want to skip the chips and coleslaw, you can enjoy the roasted vegetables in a salad with spring greens and red wine vinaigrette.
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