The vacant View building in Brewers Hill is getting a modern Greek restaurant
Avlí, a Chicago restaurant group specializing in regional Greek cuisine, will take over the vacant View MKE building in Brewers Hill, with plans to open there in the spring.
Avlí has five restaurants in Chicago, one of which the Chicago Tribune called "an important addition to the River North dining scene" and another that Michelin named a Bib Gourmand restaurant in 2019 and 2021.
The two-story Brewers Hill restaurant with upper and lower patios, at 1818 N. Hubbard St., would be the group's first outside the Chicago area.
That's the former site of View MKE, a restaurant that opened in 2018, closed for the winter in late 2020 and never reopened. Owner Carl Tomich put it up for sale in spring 2021 but took it off the market; he still owns the property.
Previously, the building — well known for its view of downtown Milwaukee's skyline — was home to Wolf Peach restaurant and, before that, Roots.
The setting and structure of the building are what sold the restaurant group on the site.
"Avlí means the courtyard, so all of our restaurants have an outdoor element," said Louie Alexakis, a founding partner of the group.
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"Outdoor dining is very Greek," he said, and he observed that diners in the pandemic have embraced eating on patios even more than previously.
The building's two levels will allow the restaurant to hold private events, such as parties or wine dinners, he said.
"Of course, we‘re going to make it Mediterranean in its look and feel," Alexakis said.
Equipment will be added to the kitchen to reflect the grilled items that will be served. Alexakis, who formerly was the group's culinary director, said he hopes the building's wood-burning oven can be used to finish some dishes or bake some of the pita.
Avlí to bring modern Greek flavors to Milwaukee
Avlí (say ahv-LEE), in its announcement for the new restaurant, says the restaurant group's mission is "to bring more modern flavors to diners' (palates) beyond the traditional Greek-American specialties." It characterizes its menus as "regional, creative fare."
Diners sometimes think of Greek cuisine as meat heavy, but "that’s far from the truth," Alexakis said. "We eat a lot of seafood in Greece, and we eat a lot of vegetables."
The chef of each of the group's restaurants has creative control of the menu, he said, so the menus all differ. The Milwaukee menu likely will have some dishes in common, however, that are popular at the other restaurants.
Those could include kataifi prawns, which are wrapped with shredded phyllo dough and served with spicy mayonnaise and herb oil, and saganaki. Alexakis said the cheese isn't set aflame in Greece as it commonly is in the U.S.; Avlí serves it with a savory-sweet accompaniment, such as tomato marmalade or peppered fig marmalade.
The restaurant makes its spinach pies from scratch, down to the the dough. "We make it the way a household would in Greece," Alexakis said. The restaurants also use ingredients imported from Greece, such as feta, olives, capers and caper leaves.
The bar will feature Greek wines, and it will have spirits such as masticha of Chios and other liquors and liqueurs less widely known than ouzo. They'll be incorporated into cocktails, as well.
And, Alexakis said, "We will try to get Milwaukeeans to drink Greek beer."
In addition to in-person dining, the restaurant will have takeout.
No name yet for Avlí restaurant in Milwaukee
The Brewers Hill restaurant doesn't yet have a name. Alexakis pointed out that all of the group's restaurants have slightly different names, and each is distinct in its focus, but he characterized all of them as approachable and casual.
"We want to be the place where, on a moment’s notice, (diners) say, 'Let’s go get a bite and have a drink,' " Alexakis said.
Avlí's Chicago-area restaurants are Avlí River North; Avlí on the Park in Lakeshore East, near Millennium Park; Avlí Estiatorio in Winnetka; Avlí at Time Out Market Chicago, the Fulton Market food hall; and previous Bib Gourmand recipient Avlí Taverna in Lincoln Park. (Bib Gourmand restaurants are ones that Michelin considers best value for the money, taking quality into account.)
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The group had looked in various cities for two years for its first expansion outside of metro Chicago, Alexakis said.
"I’ve gone many times to Milwaukee," where he has friends, Alexakis said. "I just think it’s a great city."
Alexakis is the son of Greek immigrants. The couple operated hot dogs stands in parks for 54 years. His mother finally retired at 81, but only because his father had been in a car crash , he said. He shares their perspective on restaurants, he indicated. "I appreciate trying to run something professionally, but also, it's your baby," he said.
Alexakis' partners in the restaurants are Chicago sportscaster Lou Canellis and investor William V. Glastris Jr.
Contact Carol at carol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chicago restaurant group Avlí to open Greek restaurant in Milwaukee
