Tied House sets date for Third Ward opening
Tied House, the bar that’s taking over the former Irish Pub space in the Third Ward, plans to open its doors May 21.
It’s on a prominent corner in the Third Ward, 124 N. Water St. at E. Erie St., in a 1904 Cream City brick building.
Owners Melissa and Adam Weber chose the name Tied House because of the building’s history, as a bar tied to Pabst Brewing Co.
Tied House is the first project the couple have taken on themselves; they’re partners with others in Bar Takito and Takito Kitchen in Chicago.
The Webers moved to the Third Ward from Chicago after buying the Water St. building in December. Melissa Weber grew up on Milwaukee’s east side and in Mequon, and has family in the Milwaukee area.
The bar will pour everything from seasonal mixed drinks and craft beers to neat whiskey pours and macro brews, she said. “We really want to be inclusive to people’s tastes,” Weber said.
The kitchen will prepare appetizers and sandwiches and serve brunch on the weekends. Menu items such as charcuterie and cheese plates with state products are planned, as are braised pork belly and other sandwiches, plus burgers and vegan and vegetarian menu items.
Weber said the menu, priced mainly from $9 to $14, will change seasonally. Tied House will roll out a fish fry later.
Changes inside the building include a new concrete bartop and a mural of architectural elements from around Milwaukee. Other images in the bar include historical photos of the Third Ward.
The bar’s second floor is reserved for private events for up to 50. As the weather warms, the property’s patio will be landscaped with ornamental grasses, shrubs and blooming plants, she said.
For Tied House’s grand opening week, days will be tied to nonprofit groups. Free appetizers will be served and 20% of sales from 5 to 8 p.m. on those days will benefit these organizations:
The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee on May 21; Rotary Club of Milwaukee’s Lincoln Avenue Stable project at S. 1st St., which will house Milwaukee police horses and provide horse-aided therapy to people with neurological disorders, on May 22; the Alliance School of Milwaukee on May 23, an MPS charter school that aims to reduce bullying; and Skylight Music Theatre on May 24.
Tied House will be open daily. Kitchen hours will be 4 to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; the bar will stay open later, and brunch will be served until 2 p.m. on the weekends. The bar is online at housemke.com and on Facebook.
New Stella Van Buren chef
Chef Zach Espinosa has departed longtime employer Bartolotta Restaurants to join White Lodging, which operates the Westin and its restaurant, Stella Van Buren, downtown.
Espinosa’s last day at Mr. B’s in Brookfield, where he was the executive chef, was April 18. His first day as executive chef at Stella Van Buren was April 20.
The Westin is at 550 N. Van Buren St. In his role at the Westin, Espinosa will oversee a large culinary team not only for Stella Van Buren, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but for banquets and for room service. The kitchen is open every day, holidays included.
“I’m in a really amazing position,” he added. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at without the 16 years in the Bartolotta organization.”
It might be easier, Espinosa noted, to list which restaurants in the extensive Bartolotta group he hasn’t worked in: Joey Gerard’s and Ristorante Bartolotta.
He started at Pizzeria Piccola in Wauwatosa, moving to Bacchus and then Lake Park Bistro. He’s worked in the group’s catering division, including Discovery World, Pier Wisconsin and the Grain Exchange.
He then became executive chef at the lakefront’s Harbor House. He left there to help open three restaurants at the Mayfair Collection in Wauwatosa, which the Bartolotta group previously operated, and then became executive chef at Mr. B’s in Brookfield.
Birch + Butcher brunch
Birch + Butcher, the restaurant with the wood-fired hearth at 459 E. Pleasant St., now serves brunch on Saturdays.
It’s the same hours as Sunday brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At brunch, Birch + Butcher has dishes such as avocado toast, chocolate French toast, waffles and trout roe, rosemary biscuits with sausage and gravy, and pulled pork with roast mushrooms, egg and polenta. Prices are mostly $9 to $15.
Reservations are recommended; they can be made online at birchandbutcher .com.
The restaurant’s retail counter, by the way, is open every morning at 7:30 for coffee, espresso drinks, bagels and bagel sandwiches.
New Halal Guys owners
The Halal Guys, the New York-based chain that sells beef gyro, chicken and falafel sandwiches and rice plates, has new franchisees operating the east side Milwaukee location.
Tammy and Paul Guadagno and his father, Luigi, are the store’s new local owners. The store, at 3133 N. Oakland Ave., is near the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; it has permanent offers for UWM students, such as college nights on Wednesdays and accepting PantherCards, the student meal card, for payment.
The Halal Guys also is open late at night; hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Saturday.
The new local owners are broadening the store’s fundraising programs for community groups and schools, said Tammy Guadagno, who has 30 years’ experience in the service industry, including operating a Chick-Fil-A restaurant.
Look for dining reviews in Wednesday’s Food section. Contact Carol Deptolla at (414) 224-2841, carol.deptolla @jrn.com or on Twitter, @mkediner.