Milwaukee restaurant owned by James Beard Award nominees gets a refresh with new location, menu

James Beard Award nominated chefs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite will reopen their high-end tasting menu concept, EsterEv, on April 17 in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood.

Relocating from a private dining room inside sister restaurant DanDan in the Historic Third Ward, EsterEv’s new location at 2165 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., which formerly housed C-Viche, not only gives the concept its own home, but also doubles seating capacity from 20 to about 40 and allows for a “more accessible” dining experience.

“Opening EsterEv in its own space has been a long time coming,” said Jacobs. “The constant flow of inspiration from our team reinforced that EsterEv is ready for its own home with expanded hours. A dedicated kitchen with more capabilities gives us more ways to play around with recipes and continue to push the boundaries of our creativity beyond guest expectations.”

EsterEv serves globally inspired comfort food classics using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients; its moniker pays homage to the chefs’ great-grandmothers, Ester and Evelyn, who are remembered for their shared love of cooking and adventurous spirits in the kitchen, according to a news release.

Since opening in 2017, the concept has catapulted Jacobs and Van Rite to local — and national — culinary fame, with five consecutive James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef Midwest. In addition, Jacobs is among 15 cheftestants competing on season 21 of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” which takes place in Wisconsin, filmed largely in Milwaukee and Madison.

EsterEv will reopen with a four-course tasting menu starting at $80/person with optional beverage pairings for $50/person. Diners can personalize the experience with a la carte items such as seasonal Wisconsin cheese and the Caviar Tater Tot, which is inspired by the chefs’ shared love for McDonald’s hash browns.

Other items on the opening menu include, as noted in the press release:

• Chicken Liver Toast (green tomato, red onion, everything bagel) – a long-standing Jacobs family tradition that brings generations together in the kitchen during the holidays

• Matzo Brei (egg, onion, schmaltz) – a spin on Jacobs’ favorite meal as a kid, breakfast for dinner, or “brinner,” that he would enjoy with his grandmother

• Halibut (white asparagus, almond, meyer lemon) – a marriage of late winter and early spring ingredients

• Sunchoke (dulse, citrus) – EsterEv’s sous chef, Syd Zwieg, reimagines sunchokes as a dessert to perfect one of the menu’s final bites

Cocktail pairings include the Balam (Anodyne cold brew coffee, xtabentun, cardamom cream float) and the Drunken Monkey (bourbon, brandy, amantillado, apricot, coconut, lime, pineapple, Chinese 5 spice), a nod to DanDan. Diners can also choose from a curated selection of wines, such as American Wine Project “Rivals,” a unique women-owned Wisconsin varietal.

Jacobs and his wife, Kate Riley, headed up the design of EsterEv’s new space. They worked with Scott Star of Milwaukee-based RevPop and Josh Miller to incorporate mid-century modern elements into a bright and homey environment.

Starting April 17, the restaurant will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m.