Brace Yourself for an Eatery Explosion
a profusion of new restaurants emphasize theme of eating local
The restaurant business is a volatile one, with eateries coming and going constantly. As diners, we celebrate old favorites, mourn lost standbys, and flock to newly opened places that may eventually become old favorites. Rarely, however, do so many new contenders step onto the Chippewa Valley’s dining scene at the same time. More than half a dozen restaurants are opening in the Valley in the next few months, a fact that should make eaters rejoice – especially those who enjoy quality, locally sourced food.
And the restaurants that are soon to open aren’t just linked by an accident of timing. A number of them have been shaped by powerful regional and national culinary movements – namely the intertwined desires for local and organic food. At these new restaurants, you will be more likely to have a meal made from ingredients grown in the soil of the Chippewa Valley than unloaded in bulk from the back of a refrigerated truck.
The Informalist
Among the most anticipated new restaurants is The Informalist, which will open in the newly remodeled Lismore Hotel in early May. Like the reborn hotel itself – the former Ramada Inn, transformed into a classy digs for business travelers and tourists – the restaurant will be something unique in the Chippewa Valley. “We are looking for American regional cuisine with international flavors, locally sourced,” explains Dean Parent, who will serve as co-executive chef alongside Luke Bilda. Parent’s long culinary experience includes running a catering business and owning Alchemy Family Farm.
“It’s important to definitely propel the slow food and the local food movement forward, because there’s a great degree of good food grown in western Wisconsin,” Parent said. The kitchen will use seasonal vegetables grown on Parent’s farm, plus locally sourced cheeses, meats, and other ingredients as well as sustainable seafood. Parent prides himself on making dishes from scratch, including all the baked goods (there will be a staff of five bakers producing breads, muffins, scones, biscuits, and more), charcuterie (prepared meats such as bacon), and even organic soup stocks. “You’ll see less cans of stuff and virtually no frozen stuff in our whole kitchen,” he explained.
Parent added that the menu will be seasonal, changing with what’s available. Expect steaks, pastas, a signature Lismore burger, fresh seafood, pizzas from a wood-fired oven, daily chalkboard specials, and more. As well as diverse menu options, there will be diverse price points, which Parent hopes keeps the eatery from seeming too exclusive: You’ll be able to splurge on an $80 steak or enjoy an inexpensive but delicious noodle bowl.
In addition to the main restaurant – which will serve three meals a day, seven days a week – The Lismore will include a coffee shop and a second-floor bar (both slated to open in mid-April). Eau Claire Downtown Coffee – ECDC for short – will offer farmer-to-farmer organic coffee, grab-and-go foods, fresh soups, smoothies, baked goods, and even beer and wine, all offered up on a fireside lounge. The bar, Dive, will be on the second floor, where the hotel’s swimming pool used to be (thus the name). Dive will be a classic cocktail bar, offering high-end spirits, signature drinks, an extensive wine list, and bottled beer. Food service will be limited until the restaurant closes each night, at which point the bar will offer a rotating menu of $5 tapas plates. Seating will extend onto a rooftop terrace, offering views of the downtown.
The Lakely
Meanwhile, another chef-driven restaurant, The Lakely, will open this summer at The Oxbow, the new boutique hotel in the former Green Tree Inn, 516 Galloway St. (Full disclosure: The hotel’s owners include Volume One publisher Nick Meyer.) The Lakely will be overseen by acclaimed chef Nathan Berg – former proprietor of Native Bay outside Chippewa Falls, who’s lately been hosting dinners and classes at Forage, a flexible culinary space at Banbury Place. The Lakely will be a showcase of local talent, local ingredients, and local culture: Berg wants diners to experience a uniquely Upper Midwestern cuisine. “To me that means this weird amalgamation of the foods of the Native American people … but also some of the heritage that comes from our area, whether it be big Scandinavian and German and Polish populations,” he said.
Because the restaurant won’t open until later in the summer, the menu is still in flux, but expect it to be full of the hallmarks of Berg’s past efforts: locally sourced produce, meats, cheeses, and more. At Native Bay, he explained, he would often find himself reprinting menus on the fly just before the dinner hour because a farmer had just delivered a particularly inspiring ingredient. Likewise, The Lakely will feature a small but flexible menu that will include creative spins on dishes familiar to Midwesterners. “It keep things fresh and a little bit different,” Berg said. “The more adventurous diners can come in and get something new every time.” And speaking of adventure, The Lakely will also feature a bar serving up specially designed craft cocktails and Wisconsin craft beers, plus live music, particularly jazz.
Overall, Berg’s goal is nothing less than fostering “a style of cuisine that represents the Upper Midwest for all its biological, environmental, and cultural diversity.” More and more American cities are developing their own independent dining scenes, a trend that Berg believes the Chippewa Valley may finally be emulating. “Speaking as a diner and not just as a chef, I’d love to have more options when I go out,” he said, explaining there is room at the table for multiple new restaurants. “There are a lot more adventurous diners out here than the market is currently reflecting.”
Hangar 54 Grill
Downtown Eau Claire isn’t the only place where spring is coming to the dining scene. Another new eatery, Hangar 54 Grill, soon will be landing at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport. In addition to meeting the needs of the airport, which has been without a restaurant for more than a year, Hangar 54 will fill a void on the north side of town. Expect owner Bob Adrian to bring the same love of quality, locally sourced meat and attention to detail as he has to his successful Altoona butcher shop, Rump’s. Adrian said Hangar 54 will feature made-from-scratch ingredients in its upscale pub fare, including burgers, flatbread pizzas, steaks, a Friday fish fry, and ever-changing specials. There will be a bar with specialty drinks, but as Adrian explained, “We’re not trying to be a bar that serves food. We’re trying to be a restaurant that serves alcohol.” The space, which was home to Connell’s II at the Airport for 20 years, has been extensively remodeled and will feature airplane-themed décor.
River Prairie Eateries
Looking to the east, two new restaurants are in the works in Altoona’s growing River Prairie Development along U.S. Highway 53. Like its name, Za51 will be a mix of the old and the new: a fast-casual atmosphere in a new development serving up a family pizza recipe dating back to 1951. That family is the Draganowskis, owners of Draganetti’s Ristorante and Taverna Grill, whose parents began serving up pizza (then an exotic Italian import) at their supper club in Barnes more than 60 years ago. “We stay very true to the traditions,” explained Joanne Palzkill, a second-generation restaurateur. “Our crust is completely homemade, we make our own dough. We are very careful about the cheese we use.” Za51 will open later this year.
Also in the northwest corner of the River Prairie Development, a bar and grill called Cowboy Jack’s will open in spring 2017. There are nine Cowboy Jack’s restaurants in Minnesota, and this one will be the first in Wisconsin. Expect country-themed American fare alongside a park overlooking the beautiful Eau Claire River.
But that's not all ...
Other dining options are in the offing as well. Local restaurateur extraordinaire Lisa Aspenson is planning a new eatery on Water Street next to her existing masterpiece, Mona Lisa’s. Not far a way, plans are brewing to convert the historic Kaiser Lumber Co. building, 1004 Menomonie St., into an as-yet-unnamed restaurant and pub. Meanwhile, downtown Eau Claire’s new Haymarket Landing – the new mixed-used building that will open its doors to student tenants for the fall semester – will include as many as three dining options on its ground floor. Monk’s Bar and Grill, a small Wisconsin family restaurant/sports bar franchise, will open in May in the former Northwoods Brewpub, 3560 Oakwood Mall Drive. Meanwhile, Northwoods itself has relocated to an expanded location just down Interstate 94 in Osseo.
Considering the trajectory of the restaurant scene, undoubtedly plans for other new restaurants will be cooked up by the time you read this. As the Valley’s menu expands, the question “Where should we eat tonight?” may get harder to answer, but that’s ultimately a good problem. In the words of Hangar 54 proprietor Adrian, “With all these new places, the consumer gets the win.”
