New executive chef at Mason Street Grill
Mason Street Grill, the Marcus Restaurants Group steakhouse, has a new executive chef: Ramsés Alvaréz, a 15-year veteran of Milwaukee-area restaurants.
Alvaréz was corporate chef for Water Street Brewery and designed the menu for Vagabond, the restaurant that replaced Rudy’s Mexican Cantina downtown.
Among other positions, he was the opening chef at Juniper 61 in Wauwatosa and was chef de cuisine at La Merenda; he’s also worked at Lake Park Bistro and Sanford.
Alvaréz so far has added items to Mason Street Grill’s lunch menu, including Parmesan and butternut squash ravioli ($16.50), chicken pot pie ($16), a daily quiche ($14) and 64-hour braised short rib ($24).
Early this year, Mason Street Grill’s longtime executive chef, Mark Weber, was promoted to director of operations for Marcus Hotels & Resorts.
His chef de cuisine, Angela Rondinelli, took his place; she since has left to become the chef at the Bartolotta Restaurants’ Downtown Kitchen. River Lane in Brown Deer, happy hour is 5 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, with all appetizers half price, as are wines by the glass.
Beer taps are $3, and rail highballs are $4.
At Pastiche at the Metro, 411 E. Mason St. in Hotel Metro, happy hour is 4 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Glasses of wine are $5, and tap beers are $3; specialty cocktails are $2 off.
It serves a tapas menu in the lounge during happy hour, items such as patatas bravas ($5), empanadas filled with roast chicken ($8), steamed mussels in curry cream sauce ($10) and manchego baked with salami and caramelized onion ($8).
Pastiche in Brown Deer opened in February, and Pastiche at the Metro opened in September, after the original location in Bay View closed.