Join us on Saturday, July 22 for some lakeside munchies at the second annual OnMilwaukee Food Truck Fest. Choose from a menu of 20 trucks and enjoy the live music, games and entertainment. It's the biggest gathering of the best food on four wheels.
Beginning on Friday, July 15 at 6 p.m., you can get both your cheese fix and your cocktails too at the grand opening of Blind Tiger, the new cocktail bar and hookah lounge at 2242 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View.
It seems like a lifetime ago that we announced that Makk ’n” Cheese and Blind Tiger were opening in Bay View. At the time, the plan was for two distinct concepts to open in the same retail storefront. One was a casual mac & cheese shop; the other was a speak-easy style bar.
But all of that changed when the pandemic hit in March of 2020. The opening of Makk’n’Cheese was delayed until August of 2020, and the Blind Tiger space was used primarily as a space for small events and private parties.
More recently, owner Marcos Ramos-Garcia closed down Makk ’n’ Cheese in order to redesign the space to accommodate both concepts in one fluid space.
Walk into the front of the space and you’ll find a more open, lounge-like area where the Makk ‘n’ Cheese dining area once was and a long bar extending to the back of the venue. The aesthetic features a palette of black and copper with accents like trendy Edison bulb lighting. Ramos-Garcia says he’s also hoping to have a parklet approved by the city before the summer is over.
As for what guests can expect, Ramos-Garcia says Blind Tiger will offer a chill, lounge-like vibe with house and Top 40 music. The bar will showcase a short list of wines, bourbon and craft cocktails – including classics, ‘tinis and spirits – created by Badger Liquor.
Blind Tiger will also offer tobacco-free e-hookahs in flavors that range from mint and cotton candy to blueberry, watermelon pear, grape, cherry and raspberry.
As for food, guests can order from a pared-down food menu from the Makk kitchen featuring "tapas" like elote, tomato soup and spinach artichoke dip with chips along with signature melts like The Rodger That, a three-cheese grilled cheese; The Buffalo Makk Melt with cheddar, bacon and Buffalo sauce; The Avocado Club; and The Willie Philly Cheesesteak Melt.
Blind Tiger is available to rent for small parties and gatherings. Interested parties should call (414) 837-3054 or send an inquiry by email to info@myblindtiger.com.
Starting Friday, the kitchen at Blind Tiger will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until 3 a.m. The bar will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5 to close.
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.
