Even if you're paying close attention, it's sometimes difficult to keep up with the latest in food news here in Milwaukee. So here's a taste of what's new and notable – including news about Anodyne’s new roastery, the Milwaukee Cocktail Week Kick-Off Event at Horny Goat Hideaway, and the dill pickle flavored popcorn that’s winning rave reviews.

Anodyne roaster to open this week
According to Steve Kessler, director of wholesale operations, Anodyne Coffee Roasters' new 24,000-square foot Walker’s Point Roastery, 224 W. Bruce St., will open this week, most likely Thursday, Sept.19.

The new café and roaster will feature coffee, as well as two cold brew coffees and two beers on tap, including the much awaited Anodyne Brown beer brewed by Milwaukee Brewing Company.  Visitors will be able to enjoy their brews while sitting at a bright 40-foot bar repurposed from the Nautical, a bar in Bay View that closed almost a decade ago. Large windows keep the space bright, while warm wooden floors and brick walls keep the interior modern, yet cozy.

Anodyne also plans to offer a series of coffee classes, according to Kessler, something they’ve not previously been able to offer frequently in their smaller café in Bay View. The building is also large enough to house a a training lab that features a plethora of manual brewing devices, as well as a state of the art La Marzocco Strada espresso machine that allows the barista, for the first time, to have absolute and direct control of pressure at any point during extraction.

Although the roasting operations will be moved to Walker’s Point, the Bay View café at 2920 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. will remain open for business.

Just a few more days to get your tickets for the MKECW Kickoff!
Celebrate the kick-off of Milwaukee’s first-ever Cocktail Week on Sunday, Sept. 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m at Horny Goat Hideaway.  Thirty dollars gets you unlimited sampling of cocktails and delicious fare from area restaurants.

This all-inclusive, ticketed event at Horny Goat Hideaway, 2011 S. 1st St., will feature tailgate-themed bites from seven area restaurants perfectly paired with sample-sized cocktails from some of Milwaukee's best and brightest bartenders.

Restaurants include Bavette La Boucherie, Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub, Love Handle, Maxie's, Sanford, Smoke Shack and Wolf Peach.

Bites will include creations like:

• garlic sausage stuffed porchetta
• seitan sloppy joe sliders
• duck sausage with black current mustardo
• smoked pork and cheese hot links with peach barbeque sauce
• kettle cooked lentil sloppy joes with smoked onion jam
• mini Oktoberfest beer brats
• smoked garlic polish sausage, and jalapeno cheddar brats

Participating cocktail luminaries will include Wolfgang Luethy of Bacchus, Joey Haughtaling of Blackbird, Daniel Beres of Blue Jacket, John Dye from Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, Jeff Kinder of Distil, Dan Dufek of Hi-Hat and Nick Behrends of Horny Goat.

Meet and greet local restaurateurs, chefs and bartenders, mingle with other cocktail enthusiasts and indulge in all the great Milwaukee food and drink as you play classic tailgate games and watch the football game on Horny Goat’s giant TV.

Tickets are $30 each, or attendees can opt for the Touchdown Pass for $180, which includes seven admission tickets for the price of six! Tickets are available online at mkecw.eventbrite.com

Wolf Peach chef to teach class at Milwaukee Public Market
Dan Jacobs, executive chef at Wolf Peach restaurant, is scheduled to teach a cooking class at Milwaukee Public Market on Monday, Sept. 30 at 5:30 p.m.

"Dan Jacobs is by far one of the most exciting and talented chefs in Milwaukee right now," says market culinary director Jill Nickerson. "People have long been curious about the secrets of his dishes. Now they’ll be able to get an inside look at his culinary creations."

During the class, Jacobs will feature his signature ricotta, which will be used to make three recipes: Tomato Rice Salad; Ricotta Cavatelli and Spinach Ricotta with Dumplings with Meatballs.

The class cost is $29 and includes parking, food samples and printed recipes. Interested participants can register online or by calling (414) 336-1111.

Second Miller Time Pub location opens in Nebraska
This week, the Marcus Corporation opened its second Miller Time Pub location in Lincoln, Neb., in the iconic The Cornhusker, A Marriott Hotel. 

The spot offers more than 20 gourmet burgers, in addition to a variety of salads, entrées and desserts. Offering more than 50 varieties of beer and over 20 draft beer options in growlers, boots or flights, cicerone-certified beer experts assist guests in finding their perfect pairings. The restaurant offers a sizable bar, in addition to ongoing specials including a beer of the month, happy-hour drafts, beer dinners and beer flights – perfect for the beer enthusiast or novice who wants to learn more about their favorite brew.

Wisconsin Dill Pickle Popcorn nominated for award
Van Holten’s, a food product company in Waterloo, Wisconsin received big honors this week when their Big Papa Dill Pickle Popcorn was nominated in CSP's Retailer Choice Best New Products Contest. CSP is a leading source for convenience store industry news.

"We were pumped when we got the news of our nomination," says Steve Byrnes, Van Holten’s President. "We’re a small Wisconsin manufacturer and we‘ve got the chance to beat out the big boys to win this award."

The other two products nominated in the Salty Snack Category are COMBOS Baked Snacks 7 Layer Dip Tortilla (Mars Chocolate North America) and Mocha Coffee Almonds (Blue Diamond Growers).

Big Papa Dill Pickle Popcorn, the first of its kind to be sold nationally, was introduced in June 2013. Here in Wisconsin you can find it the product at Woodman’s Grocery stores, SuperAmerica and Ulitimart Convenience stores and CVS Pharmacies.