The Original pairs drinks with dishes on east side
The Original, which brothers Eric and Craig Rzepka opened last week at 2498 N. Bartlett Ave., has a distinctive trait: The menu suggests drink pairings with each main dish.
For instance, chef Vinny Cornils’ scallop dish is served with confit mushrooms, grits, kale, blackberries and roasted-garlic vinaigrette ($24). Suggested: the Bartlett Ave. Collins, with vodka, blackberry shrub, lemon, bitters.
Wines and Wisconsin beers are suggested, too.
The menu by Cornils, former sous chef at Easy Tyger, has appetizers to share, such as Nashville hot tofu and cauliflower ($7) and chicken liver mousse ($8).
Entrées include steamed clams in white wine and oregano ($15) and flat iron steak with smoked tomato butter ($32).
Dinner is 4 to 10 p.m. daily, with drinks till midnight. Brunch is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The restaurant accepts reservations at (414) 763-4811; the menu is online at
Strange Town due soon
Strange Town, the plant-based restaurant with a vinyl-record-loving side, is due next week at 2101 N. Prospect Ave.
Owner Andy Noble has installed what he calls a gourmet sound system.
On the menu, expect items such as a crudite plate of vegetables prepared two ways, such as braised and raw radish, with pipian mole for dipping.
Most dishes will be about $8 or $9, including sfincione, Sicilian-style pizza with toppings such as shaved fennel and breadcrumbs.
At the bar, wine is the focus. “Small production, minimal intervention, fringier grapes is definitely our zone,” Noble said. Wine on ice in a galvanized tub on the bar signals that it’s casual.
Beers will be Old World, and two-ingredient cocktails will focus on aperitifs. “To me, it’s like the drinking version of what our food’s like,” Noble said. “It’s supposed to put or keep a spring in your step instead of knocking you out.”
Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 4 p.m. until bar time Thursday to Saturday, with food served 5 to 10 p.m. nightly.
Watch Strange Town on Facebook for the opening date, as soon as Tuesday.
New Bay View restaurants
You know a neighborhood is hot when three restaurants open within a mile and a month of each other.
Sushi Go, a sushi-burrito food truck’s brick-and-mortar spot, is at 2110 E. Oklahoma Ave. in Bay View.
With the grand opening Sunday, Sushi Go will expand the menu from sushi burritos and classic sushi rolls to include items such as ramen, pork buns, chicken wings and desserts.
Bay View native Erik Irmiger, who owns the counter-service restaurant and food truck with Amanda Trenbeth, worked in Chicago, Seattle and elsewhere before they started the food truck in 2015.
Hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday will expand to Sunday with the grand opening. The restaurant is online at
Hungry Sumo, another restaurant serving sushi, is in its soft opening at 2663 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
The pan-Asian menu includes Thai dishes. Hours are inconsistent for now. To contact, (414) 595-9656.
Nearby, Hot Head Fried Chicken is open at 2671 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. It’s connected to Crafty Cow burger bar.
It has three kinds of fried chicken: Southern, Carolina Gold with mustard barbecue sauce, and Nashville hot. Prices range from $7 for two pieces to $30 for two birds. Sides include broccoli-kohlrabi slaw ($3) and cheese grits ($4).
Hot Head’s kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. To contact: (414) 808-0481; hotheadwi.com.
Look for Carol Deptolla’s restaurant review columns in Wednesday’s Food & Dining section.