On this week's episode of Milwaukee's longest-running culinary podcast, we're talking about the new coffee shop that just took over the former Fuel Cafe spot in Riverwest, a Korean fusion pop-up at Zocalo Food Park, and news of a Cheel pop-up.
But we kick things off by discussing some news about the very building in which I work: Radio Milwaukee is opening a new cafe in the former Stone Creek coffee shop that used to be in the building.
The name of the new "sound cafe" is Deadwax. There's a cool origin story for that name. “Deadwax is a term for the space on a record after the last track and before the label,” Radio Milwaukee Executive Director Kevin Sucher explains. “It’s the space in between, which is exactly what we want this space to be for our community.”
The cafe is set to open next year. The menu will change often, but staples will include scotch eggs, breakfast wraps and toast for breakfast; “lunch boxes,” soups and sandwiches for lunch; and samosas, “things on sticks,” and empanadas and pub-style pizzas from other Milwaukee businesses for dinner. The Marketplace will feature to-go salads, musubi, beverages and dry goods sourced locally and from around the world.
Great news for Riverwest coffee fans!
The neighborhood has been short on coffee shops since Fuel Cafe closed. But a pop-up coffee shop in Centro Cafe called The Daily Bird started during the pandemic to help fill that void; it was where I used to get my coffee when I was working from home. And now The Daily Bird has a physical location in the old Fuel Cafe spot. That location just opened yesterday.
Zocalo Food Park is hosting an interesting pop-up this weekend. Modern Bop is bringing a menu of Korean fusion dishes to Zocalo today and tomorrow, and the menu sounds really fantastic. "The menu will include a short list of delicious items including a beef bulgogi sandwich featuring a bun filled with beef bulgogi, lettuce, mayonnaise and tomato ($8); and a Korean style spicy pork sandwich ($8). Guests can also level up their sandwiches with rajas (sauteed poblano peppers and onions) for $0.50 and/or an over-easy egg for $1," OnMilwaukee's Lori Fredrich reports.
Hear us talk about all that and more on this week's episode below.
