Shawn Mueller uses a novel term to describe his new business, 106seeboth. "It's a foodie bar."
Take a look at the menu, and you know he's not kidding. What other Milwaukee watering hole offers free-range quail (wrapped in bacon for $10), peppercorn crusted smoked salmon ($12) and a caprese sandwich with tomato, basil and mozzarella ($10)? A small side salad of organic greens accompanies sandwiches.
Flatware at 106seeboth has the well-balanced heft typically found in fine dining establishments, and the dishes are fashionably designed. All of this sophistication is appropriate for the foodie bar's location.
The new venture, which opened Aug. 11, is in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Luna, a singularly hip and interesting nightspot that featured live jazz with specialty drinks and desserts.
Luna had the bad timing of opening as the recession struck and the bad luck to be on the ground floor of the financially troubled First Place on the River condo development. That project eventually got a new developer and is now called The Point on the River, but Cafe Luna did not survive the building's and the economy's struggles.
The location, which is next door to Screaming Tuna Sushi and Asian Bistro, is at the confluence of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers, and it offers a spectacular view of Downtown unlike any other. Its street address, 106 W. Seeboth St., provides the name for Luna's successor.
Mueller, who owns 106seeboth with his parents, wisely chose to make few alterations to the interior. Johnsen Schmaling Architects won a design award from the state society of the American Institute of Architects for their work for Luna, and the two-story space continues to have a sleekly cool and cosmopolitan vibe.
The biggest change is the transformation of Luna's coffee bar at the south end of the space into a tiny kitchen where executive chef Brittany Kolarik prepares small plates and sandwiches from behind an attractive screen. The lounge does not offer full entrees.
Reflecting its foodie bar status, 106seeboth gets its produce from Bay View's Sweetwater Organics. That includes fresh fruit used in its drinks. When Sweetwater offered a shipment of organic blueberries, Mueller concocted a tart and tasty blueberry martini as a $5 special.
The owner uses fresh basil in a raspberry cooler that includes Bombay Sapphire gin, and it's not unusual to find other herbs and spices in his bar creations.
Mueller's inventions extend to one of the three desserts served at 106seeboth. The stout float ($6) consists of a large scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass of Lakefront Snake Chaser stout.
"That's from my days working at Dairy Queen, when we brought in Guinness after hours," the owner admits with a grin. "The ice cream counters the maltiness of the stout really well."
Mueller grew up in Brookfield, but he received much of his hospitality industry experience in San Francisco, where he tended bar and served as a restaurant general manager. He also became a certified sommelier while living in the city by the bay.
With the exception of Prosecco, all wines at 106seeboth are North American. Prices range from $5 to $12 a glass. A special emphasis is placed on Oregon and Washington state vino.
Classic cocktails, including side cars, mint juleps, Negronis and Singapore slings, complement Mueller's contemporary creations – basil lemonade with Absolut Citron vodka, lemon ginger caipirinha, and a macho margarita with roasted jalapenos and agave nectar. Mixed drinks are $8, but 106seeboth regularly offers $5 specials.
A majority of the 31 available beers, including all five tappers, are Wisconsin brands.
The new bar and restaurant can seat 70 persons on its main floor and 50 upstairs. A beautiful outdoor patio accommodates another 30. The kitchen is open from 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
