INdustri Cafe co-owner Robert Klemm dropped me a note this holiday weekend to say that the restaurant's grand opening party is slated for Thursday, Jan. 6 at 6 p.m.
There will be free hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast.
Chris Miller is co-owner of the restaurant at 524 S. 2nd St. in Walker's Point. Miller and Klemm -- who met while working together at Sake Tumi -- promise to "showcase their very own interpretation of fine dining," though they also note that the restaurant will lack a "stringent dress code."
The menu and beer and liquor lists will feature local products and will buy heavily from Braise coop.
INdustri will open seven days a week at 11 a.m. It will close at 10 p.m. Sundays-Wednesdays, 11 p.m. Thursdays and 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
