Maison, the much anticipated French restaurant at 5921 W. Vliet St., will open its doors to the public on May 26 at 5 p.m.
The restaurant, which is owned and operated by Chef Michael Quinn, formerly of Coquette Cafe, will also feature dishes created by sous chef Joe Roethel, who worked with Quinn for the past two and a half years at Coquette Cafe. Abigail Watters will serve as bar manager.
The bar will feature classic cocktails, including the French 75, sidecar and sazerac (priced $8-10), along with a selection of French wines, with glass pours in the $7-12 range. Draft beers include Kronenbourg 1664, New Glarus Spotted Cow, Surly Coffee Bender, Milwaukee Brewing Co. Louie’s Demise and Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, along with an extended list of bottled brews.
The bar menu will include offerings like frog legs with creole sauce, green tomato jam, seared heirloom tomato and lemon ($14); a half-kilo of PEI mussels with the sauce of the day ($12); and smoked trout with mustard crème fraiche, fried caper berry, cracked pepper, grilled escarole and rye points ($14).
Salads will include selections like classic nicoise ($14) and spinach salad with balsamic, burnt sugar, forme d’ambert, baguette, roasted shallot and fresh currant ($10). Meanwhile, cheese and charcuterie plates will be available for $16 each with traditional accompaniments like jam, pickled vegetables and baguette. Escargot will be served with hotel butter, grilled baguette and Meyer lemon ($14).
Entrees will include two steaks, a flat iron or bone-in aged ribeye with a choice of wild mushroom demi, soubise, red wine, hotel butter, served with pommes frites ($24/32); coq au vin with roasted fingerlings, black trumpet mushrooms and caramelized shallot ($24); ragout de poisson with fish stew of clams, mussels, prawn, grilled baguette, rouille, charred orange and seared fish du jour (market price); a seasonal grilled vegetable terrine ($19); smoked leg of lamb with parsnip, tart cherry, rosemary and haricot vert ($27); and a seared fish of the day served with marinated potato, rainbow swiss chard, stone fruit and green peppercorn demi ($25).
Desserts will include orange blossom sabayon with fresh currants, black berries and chocolate; petite tarte tatin with anglaise, sea salt and chantilly; and chocolate ganache cake (all $8 each).
According to Quinn, reservations will be available via Open Table beginning Tuesday, May 16. The restaurant will be open May 26-27, but will close Sunday and Monday, May 28-29 to observe the Memorial Day holiday. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, May 30.
Once open, Maison’s hours will be Monday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Lunch service is slated to follow in the weeks following the opening.
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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