I was terribly disappointed to hear that Belleview Bistro, 1533 E. Belleview Pl., is shutting its doors. Many of you may recognize David Scott Hudy’s 15 year endeavor as Scotty’s Crab House, a name which he changed with the onslaught of not-so-good crab houses that started opening (and closing) in the late 90’s and into the early 2000s. But, I saw it first in a for sale ad in the Journal Sentinel and then Scott called David later on in the day late last week to confirm the closing.
David plans to keep the restaurant operational as long as he can until it sells, so for those of you who have never been, or old fans who haven’t been in awhile, now is the time to take advantage of the Bistro’s last days. Food quality here is exceptional, service is friendly and eccentric, and the ambience in this house-turned-restaurant is romantic and interesting. If you haven’t visited before, expect to see little idiosyncrasies like elephant wall hooks and mismatched silverware, if you are returning, the venue got a facelift but retains some old Scotty’s décor.
David mentioned that people have reserved Belleview for special occasions so he only sees his regulars once a year or so…not enough to keep a restaurant flourishing. But he’s been doing this for 15 years straight now and is looking at the closing as a welcome change. "I plan to vacation,” he said, “I’ve never been on vacation. And maybe bottle my sauces” -- one of which is a to-die-for Moroccan curry sauce which per his motto one could in fact, happily eat rocks and twigs if they were swimming within it.
The timeline is open, so get their fast lest you go and find a closed door sooner rather than later. Scotty’s Crab House, Belleview Bistro, and David Scott Hudy, your foodstuffs will be sorely missed.
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
