The concrete slab is being poured this week at Cassis, a French bistro in the works by the owners of Birch for the 333 Water luxury apartment tower in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Construction is on track for the restaurant’s anticipated opening in late fall.
James Beard-nominated chef Kyle Knall and his wife Meghan of Milwaukee restaurant Birch announced plans in December to occupy a 5,175-square-foot space in 333 Water, located along St. Paul Avenue and the Milwaukee River. The space will have seating for nearly 200 people and is the largest of three retail suites on the ground floor of the apartment tower at 333 N. Water St.
All of the plumbing and electrical work in the space is finished, with construction to begin on the walls and the kitchen next, Knall said.
Cassis’ menu will feature French brasserie classics like moules frites, escargots and elements of charcuterie and seafood. No menu items have been firmly decided on for the new restaurant, but Birch has hosted a series of Cassis pop-up events, which served hors d’oeuvres like a tart with soft scrambled eggs and caviar, and various other French-inspired small plates and main dishes.
Knall is in the process of piecing together the team at Cassis and has so far hired veteran Birch chef Miles Thomas as chef de cuisine and Matt Haase who will serve as corporate chef a both Cassis and Birch.
“For the longest time, we really pushed to find experienced cooks who have worked around town and that’s been a great thing for us,” Knall said. “But, our goal (at Cassis) is to find culinary school students who want to come and learn.”
In addition to Cassis, downtown Milwaukee will soon add several other new casual fine dining restaurants like il Ponte, an Italian concept from the owners of Lupi & Iris planned for the ground floor of the renovated Northwestern Mutual North Tower, and The Vig, a refined kitchen and sports parlor planned for the second floor of The Couture.
The surge of casual fine dining restaurant development begs the question: Is casual fine dining the new norm in the city?
“I think for a while now, cooks and restaurant workers have loved to be in that kind of environment,” Knall said.
The increase of casual fine dining is of no concern to Lupi & Iris’ chef Adam Siegel either. Siegel and his wife Daria Aitken-Siegel are planning to open il Ponte, a more casual restaurant less than a block away from their upscale concept Lupi & Iris located on the ground floor of Northwestern Mutual’s 7Seventy7 luxury apartment building at 777 N. Van Buren St.
“Milwaukee always has more room for casual fine dining,” Siegel told BizTimes in June.
