Starting May 17 there will be a brand new dining spot to check out on the east side. A "fine fast food" restaurant called Love Handle is scheduled to open at 2215 E. North Ave. in the former home of Wow Dog.
The restaurant, owned by husband and wife team Chris and Ally Benedyk, seats about 25 in a tight 900-square foot space.
The couple plans to offer a daily menu with sandwiches, small plates and desserts, along with changing daily specials and craft beer and wine.
Chris, who formerly worked at Goose the Market, a gourmet butcher shop and café in Indianapolis, has a particular affection for sandwiches, so the restaurant will focus on modern twists on classic offerings like a BLT with pork belly, tomato jam and sorrel.
His wife Ally, formerly a pastry chef at Recess in Indianapolis, plans to offer daily homemade ice cream and ice cream sandwiches, along with a plethora of dessert options.
Dishes to be featured at their friends and family soft opening will include dishes like a foie gras torchon, Mexican hot cocoa and churros, and Taleggio ice cream with almond Florentine.
The Benedyks moved to Milwaukee five months ago to try out something new.
"We wanted something different," Benedyk says. "We’d been here a few times and thought it was a cool town. My parents moved here and said it was a cool town, so we decided to try it out."
Beginning May 17, Love Handle will be open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight. They also plan to serve brunch on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Customers should note that the restaurant will be cash-only to start.
Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee.com for a more in depth look at Love Handle's offerings once they open.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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