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.
In the admittedly limited focus group that consists entirely of myself and Ann, there hasn’t been a more exciting concept announced for the Milwaukee area in recent memory than 1033 Omakase. We made it the podcast’s very first talking point when we initially heard about its opening back in October, and we’re doing it again after the sushi restaurant’s milestone moment that happened this week.
Just a few days before Christmas, Chef Ray and his business partner Cherry Phetleung gave our city a gift by welcoming their first guests to 1033 Omakase as part of its soft opening. The non-numerical part of the restaurant’s name means “I leave it up to you,” reflecting the control that diners turn over to the chef as part of their experience.
In other words: Old Country Buffet, this is not — for so many reasons.
If you’re lucky enough to snag one of the limited number of reservations at 1033 Omakase, you leave the idea of choice at the door. Instead, the chef selects from a menu built on the highest of high-quality ingredients and pairs every dish with an appropriate beverage.
It’s a lot to put in the hands of your chef, but 1033 Omakase has quite a pair of hands manning the experience. Chef Ray has studied under some of the greats in New York and Chicago, and his previous Omakase pop-ups in Milwaukee sold out almost as fast as he could set them up.
For this initial phase, 1033 Omakase will offer just three seatings per night Wednesday through Saturday, with a maximum of six guests per seating. The experience is $119 per person, and you can book your spot via Resy.
Moving from a new spot to an old favorite, Azhar Shah and his family reached out to the community this week with a plea to help Pakistani restaurant Shah Jee's stay on its feet.
The past few years post-COVID have been difficult for Shah, who has served the Milwaukee area for almost three decades. As his daughters put it on the GoFundMe page they recently set up, Shah “is a man who has always given to others, quietly supporting and helping everyone around him. He’s a loving father, a selfless friend, and a respected pillar of the Milwaukee community. But asking for help? That’s not something he does. And so, we're asking for him.”
Their goal is to raise $180,000 for operating costs and maintenance needs, so if you have the means to help a longstanding member of Milwaukee’s restaurant community, please head over to the fundraising page and give what you can.
We’ll wrap up this final installment before the holiday with a trio of dispatches from Ann’s desk at Milwaukee Magazine. First up is her glowing review of The Commodore, the newest jewel in The Bartolotta Restaurants’ culinary crown. The adjectives describing her experience should give you a sense of the place — “elegant,” “delectable” and “revelational” among them.
Ann and I also have quick chats about two items you’ll only find in the pages of Milwaukee Magazine’s desserts issue: her interview with the pastry chefs from Ester Ev, and an instructional on how to poach a pear and make Creme an Glaise.
We hope you have a particularly sweet holiday season and look forward to sharing more of the latest culinary news from around the Milwaukee area in the new year.
