Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on “ This Bites.”
Our latest episode mixed in some bad news with the good. Let’s get the bad out of the way first: Fool’s Errand in the Third Ward and Palomino in Bay View announced they’re shutting down, albeit for different reasons. On the brighter side, we talked about Comet Cafe officially restarting dinner service, Big Daddy’s BBQ making a big move across town, and MKE Wine Fest decamping to the Deer District for its second installment.
Different kinds of closing
Earlier in the week, Ann had the unenviable task of reporting on a restaurant shuttering for good. Fool’s Errand, opened by Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of DanDan and EsterEv fame, will see out the rest of July before closing. The duo shared a release that noted they "do not currently have plans to continue a Fool’s Errand concept, but we do have other exciting projects on the horizon!"
The news out of Palomino was slightly more encouraging, with the owners using the phrase “temporarily closed” in a notice on their website. The culprit: pandemic-related staffing shortages they hope will fade in time so they can reopen next year. As Urban Milwaukee reported, staff received an email indicating that most of the Palomino team would relocate to shore up efforts at Honeypie, SmallPie and Comet Cafe.
A restart and two relocations
Speaking of Comet Cafe, it’s been a gradual resurrection for the East Side eatery, which shut down two years ago but reopened for breakfast and lunch under new ownership last month. Now, dinner’s back on the menu as of this Saturday, when closing time moves to 9 p.m. (with drinks or pie available until 10 p.m.).
The first of the two moves belongs to Big Daddy’s BBQ, which decided to trade its spot on Humboldt Avenue in Riverwest for one at 92nd and Capitol. Co-owner Rita Lee told Urban Milwaukee the owners of the Humboldt building decided to sell, resulting in the relocation.
MKE Wine Fest is the other site-switcher, with its second annual installment moving from last year’s Mitchell Park Domes location to the Deer District. Organizers expect around 200 wines and champagnes for attendees to sample at the Sept. 17 event.
