Michael Vitucci and Nathan Harris joined creative and entrepreneurial forces with a new "two-concept creation" called Uncle Buck’s and Red Star. The businesses will be located at 1125 N. Old World 3rd St. in the former Ugly's space.
Construction will begin in the middle of July and they plan to open on Sept. 1 for Labor Day weekend.
The first floor, Uncle Buck's, will feature a rustic Northwoods-Meets-Hip-East-Coast theme with buck trophies and a warm, cozy décor featuring funky wallpaper and custom walnut woodwork.
"We plan to make this space glow with energy," says Vitucci.
The second and third floors will be called Red Star, a dance club, lounge and rooftop patio featuring the city's largest "fire bar," a gas-fired bartop for 25 people.
Chef Ben Crevensten created two different menus for the two different businesses. Uncle Buck's will feature, according to Crevensten, "quality-sourced pub fare" like a three-meat House Burger (turkey or vegan patties also available), fried chicken sandwiches, fried-to-order wings, carnitas tacos, fried green tomato BLT, pulled pork and Friday Fish Fry. Brunch service is planned for the future.
"We're going to take pub fare up a couple of steps and offer menu items that are different from traditional expectations in the area," says Crevensten.
Red Star's menu will focus on creative shared plates and possibly small plates and bar snacks. "Red Star is an elevated lounge so it will have an elevated menu," says Crevensten.
The design will also feature garage doors that open to the pedestrian walkway where guests can reserve rooms with a view of the Deer District's 30-foot jumbo screen televising live events.
Vitucci has decades of experience in the bar-restaurant industry and created concepts like Belmont, Murphy’s, Caffrey’s, Whiskey Bar and Izzy Hops. Harris is a serial entrepreneur with a deep passion for building brands, most recently founding Ease, Inc., a Milwaukee-based startup that participated in the nationally ranked gener8tor accelerator program.
"We want Red Star to offer something completely different on 3rd Street," says Harris.
Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for a First Look at the spaces.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
