Shorewood’s American Bistro open after makeover
changeover is complete — North Star American Bistro in Shorewood now is Bonobo American Bistro.
Spencer Stewart bought the restaurant at 4518 N. Oakland Ave. in September from North Star founders Michael Stoner and Duffy O’Neil.
Stewart, who had worked for Stoner and O’Neil at their Milwaukee Ale House in Grafton, continued to operate it as North Star until January.
It closed Jan. 12 for five days of renovations, including new carpeting, fresh paint in new colors (the restaurant went from gold and maroon to dark blue and gray), new, larger tables in the bar, a refreshed room for young families and new booths in a new configuration that should help with noise levels, Stewart said.
Bonobo opened Jan. 17 with its new look and an updated menu from chef Trent Leiknes, who previously worked at Pastiche Bistro and Sport Club downtown.
“We wanted some healthier, shareable options” among the appetizers, Stewart said. That resulted in items such as roasted Brussel sprouts ($8) with bacon lardons, apple, toasted almonds and lemon aioli, bruschetta ($9) and baked burrata with prosciutto and sourdough ($12).
The menu includes dishes that go vegetarian or vegan, such as farro risotto with mushrooms and cashew cheese ($16), or Bolognese with Impossible meat sauce ($16).
The menu toes the line between offering new items for regulars looking for a change, and keeping familiar dishes that were favorites among other regular customers.
So, the menu keeps salmon but changes the preparation from one with bourbon that’s served with mashed potatoes to salmon with fingerling potatoes, green beans and lemon aioli ($23).
The kitchen is making much from scratch, including pasta and ricotta cheese.
For Sunday brunch, Bonobo has plates such as Belgian waffles with strawberries ($11), braised beef Benedict ($14) and lemon poppy cakes with honey yogurt ($11).
At the bar, Bonobo makes variations on Old Fashioneds ($9 to $11), such as one that’s barrel aged and another that’s made with maple syrup.
The restaurant has specials such as free kids’ meals for two children with each adult entrée on Mondays and tapas that change weekly on Tuesdays, served in addition to the regular menu. Happy hour drink specials are 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and on Thursdays, the bar has changing food specials such as whitefish tostadas.
In warm weather, Bonobo will add lunch hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
For now, hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Sunday brunch with a bloody mary bar, and dinner 3:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Bonobo accepts reservations by phone at (414) 9644663 or through the website, bonoboamericanbistro. com.
Red Mill Inn & Pizza open
The old Red Mill in Brookfield has sprung back to life. It opened Jan. 14 as the Red Mill Inn & Pizza.
The restaurant at 1005 S. Elm Grove Road had been closed since summer, when then-owner Butch Schettle sold it to Mark Zierath and Brian Eft.
Zierath and Eft also own Von Trier on Milwaukee’s east side, among other businesses.
The restaurant has appetizers such as fried eggplant sticks ($9), salads such as Caesar (two sizes, $4 or $8), main dishes like lasagna ($15) and ravioli of the week (price varies), and two sizes of pizzas (starting at $14 for a cheese pizza, for two to three people, and $18 for four to five).
The kitchen makes its dough and sauce for the pizzas, and diners can build their own or choose from pizzas such as margherita and a five-meat pizza: pancetta, Italian sausage, meatballs, pepperoni and spicy Tuscan sausage.
The Red Mill Inn also has a brief children’s menu. The restaurant plans to bring back the jazz that the Red Mill was known for over the decades, with perforThe mances expected on Sundays during the simple, European-style brunch.
The chef is Christopher Rolfson.
The bar has a half-dozen beers on tap including Peroni, wines that include Italian selections and house cocktails.
Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 3 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant has takeout on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights.
Reservations can be made at (262) 599-8900 or the redmillpizza.com.
Churches, will you have fish fries?
Churches and nonprofit groups, tell us about your fish fries in Lent for the annual Journal Sentinel listing. The list will be published on Ash Wednesday, which falls on Feb. 26.
Be sure to include the price, details of what will be served, the times and dates, and the location. Send emails with “Fish fry” in the subject line to carol.deptolla@jrn.com by Sunday, Feb. 16. Contact Carol at carol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841.