Each week on This Bites, dining critic Ann Christenson from Milwaukee Magazine and Radio Milwaukee’s resident foodie Tarik Moody dig into the city’s culinary and restaurant culture to help you find new spots, old favorites and the best ingestibles around Milwaukee.
This episode of This Bites is brought to you by the letter “B.”
There’s never a bad time for a Sesame Street reference, but the news at the top of the podcast demands it considering what Kyle and Meghan Knall shared with the Milwaukee culinary community this week.
The owners of Birch, one of which is a James Beard-recognized chef, will open a bistro in the Third Ward at some point next year. The new spot at 333 N. Water St. will occupy 5,175 square feet and seat up to 200 guests underneath vintage chandeliers and other French-themed decorative touches.
The Knalls plan to call it Cassis, which according to the thing I just looked up is “a syrupy liquor of low alcoholic strength made from black curants and used chiefly as a flavoring and sweetening agent.” It’ll sit alongside the Milwaukee River and — according to a press release — will serve traditional items like escargot and moules-frites (mussels and french fries), “alongside modern interpretations of French tradition.”
The couple bring a sterling reputation to the new venture, with Birch being named one of the best restaurants in America by the New York Times and Kyle Knall reaching the semifinal stage of the James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef: Midwest in 2024 and Outstanding Chef in 2022.
We’ve got more sweet stuff to talk about on this episode, including:
- Two Milwaukee Magazine print exclusives about global desserts found right in Milwaukee and a non-math version of pie charts.
- An appreciation of the Tom & Jerry, a classic seasonal beverage you can use to warm yourself in the months ahead.
- An indigenous pop-up dinner at Odd Duck hosted by Ojibwe chef and James Beard honoree Bryce Stevenson of Miijim.
- An update on the former Balzac space, which will soon house a third location for pizza and craft-beer spot North 48°.
- The holiday movie-inspired menu being offered at Agency from Dec. 18-21.
We hope that after listening to this episode, you’re inspired to leave a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, and stay warm.
