As Lazy Susan wraps up service on April 8, after 9 years in business, there are new plans brewing for the Bay View restaurant at 2378 S Howell Ave.
After nearly three years operating the Heirloom MKE food truck, owners Pete and Jess Ignatiev will be taking their business to the next level by opening their first brick and mortar restaurant.
Heirloom Bay View, which is slated for an opening in mid-summer, will offer guests a chef-driven menu focused on dishes made with locally sourced ingredients that change with the seasons. Even more, it will be a restaurant that focuses on the Ignatiev’s values: creating and supporting community, uplifting other small businesses and creating a welcoming inclusive environment for guests.
“We decided that we really wanted the experience of a full service restaurant where people can really get to know us,” says Jess Ignatiev, “Where they can see more of who we are through our decor, our food, our cocktails and the music that we play.”
She says can expect a restaurant interior that reflects a mid-century modern vibe, bold colors, lots of plants and a warm inviting atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the menu will cater to a wide range of diners with fare that runs the gamut from plant-based to meaty Midwestern comfort.
Expanded menu
Guests will find a variety of favorites from the food truck, including their signature fried cheese curds, handmade burrata, soul-warming soups and sandwiches including their signature burgers, chicken sandwiches and tempeh reuben. There will also be seasonal renditions of steamed PEI mussels, crab cakes, and braised beef and baby back ribs.
But they will also expand the menu to include a variety of items that were too unwieldy to offer regularly on the food truck. That includes dishes like cioppino, plant-based offerings like cauliflower steak with farro risotto and a few dishes that have formerly debuted as specials on the truck like grilled jumbo shrimp served over creamy roasted jalapeno cheddar polenta with sauteed spinach, bacon, roasted pepper butter sauce and basil pesto.
Guests can also look forward to regular specials including Chicken Saint Marie, a dish featuring chicken breast, boursin cheese and broccoli in a mushroom sherry sauce wrapped in puff pastry.
At the bar, Ignatiev says, they will offer a curated selection of local craft beer, wine and a selection of both cocktails and zero proof options.
“We love Bay View,” notes Ignatiev. “And we can’t wait to share more of ourselves with the community there.”
Once open, Heirloom will start out offering dinner service, expanding hours as capacity allows.
Join the team
Are you looking to work for a growing team that believes in community, inclusion and empowerment? Heirloom is currently hiring staff for both front and back of house, as well as crew for the food truck this summer. Serious inquiries can be directed to jess@heirloommke.com.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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