Milwaukee chef and restaurateur Justin Carlisle is planning to open a second restaurant on the first floor of the proposed 13-story mixed-use tower on Farwell Avenue on Milwaukee’s East Side.
The restaurant will be different from Carlisle’s acclaimed fine dining restaurant, Ardent, located at 1751 N. Farwell Ave. He is planning a casual sit down/deli for the space in the 13-story tower, said Tim Gokhman, managing director of New Land Enterprises, which owns the building Ardent is located in and the property the tower will be built on.
“Justin is an exceptionally talented, humble individual,” Gokhman said. “Another one of his restaurants on Farwell would be a wonderful addition.”
Carlisle said he is very interested in the retail portion of the space, but has to wait until the building is approved to move forward.
If he does proceed, he is envisioning a “two-spot” space with a casual dining establishment open during the day and evenings and a retail deli counter open during the day.
“I love the space and the neighborhood,” Carlisle said. “(The developers) are very much about revitalizing the area and keeping it a neighborhood feel. Ardent is more of a destination location, I like the idea of having a neighborhood-orientated restaurant.”
James Wiechmann, who operates Wiechmann Enterprises, is planning the 13-story, $33 million mixed-use project at 1832 N. Farwell Ave. and 1840 N. Farwell Ave., that will include 153 residential units and 10,000-square-feet of commercial and office space on four floors.
Wiechmann said if he receives approval from the Milwaukee Common Council for the project in April, he plans to start demolition of the four-story office building at 1840 N. Farwell Ave. in May and begin construction of the new tower in June.
Wiechmann said Carlisle’s restaurant will be 1,500 to 2,000-square-feet, depending on what Carlisle needs.
“He has a very good reputation so it’s great to have him there,” Wiechmann said.
Carlisle, who was nominated in 2015 for “Best Chef: Midwest” by the James Beard Foundation, was the former executive chef at Unami Moto before opening Ardent in May 2013. In mid-2014, he began Red Light Ramen, in the same space as Ardent, which opens at 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Milwaukee Alderman Nik Kovac said people in the neighborhood would welcome a deli or a carry-out option, especially of Carlisle’s caliber.
“Farwell is full of great international cuisine, but most of it is sit-down,” Kovac said. “Of course this would still have to go through all of the necessary licensing, but I would think this would be an extremely popular option.”
