New restaurant and bar for Ambassador Hotel

The Ambassador Hotel in Milwaukee will remodel and rename its restaurant and lounge to convey more of the 1920s era in which it was built, with the changes expected by late June, when Summerfest brings thousands of visitors to the city.

The hotel also is getting a large, new patio on the west side of the building, with a covered bar, a fire pit and seating for 50 or so.

The hotel's owner, Rick Wiegand, said Tuesday that the Envoy restaurant and lounge will become the Fitz restaurant and Gin Rickey bar. Wiegand restored the Art Deco hotel at 2308 W. Wisconsin Ave. in 2005.

The Fitz is named after '20s writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, while the Gin Rickey is named for his favorite drink.

The Envoy restaurant will close after brunch service on May 28 for redecorating in earth tones and the addition of booths and modern lighting. The dining room is the only public space in the hotel without its original light fixtures, Wiegand said.

The restaurant, where Jason Gorman is the chef, will again serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch when it reopens.

Because the $250,000 construction project designed by Quorum Architects will be in phases, the Envoy Lounge won't close until the end of the day June 10. It will have its own menu for lunch, dinner and late night, and it will serve pre-Prohibition era cocktails and craft beer.

Food and drink will be available at the hotel's Deco walk-up coffee shop throughout construction. Jennifer Gorman, Jason Gorman's wife, is the hotel's new pastry chef. She is creating a new pastry menu for the cafe, which also will have small-plate breakfast and casual lunch items.

Wiegand said he hopes the patio will be finished by early June to accommodate more customers during interior construction.

The impetus for the changes at the Ambassador is Jason Gorman, who joined the hotel in March as its culinary director.

“Envoy will always have a special place in the hotel’s history and our hearts," Wiegand said in the hotel's announcement, "but when we brought on our dynamic new chef, we knew we really wanted to take the opportunity to elevate the Ambassador’s culinary offerings within the community.”

Gorman said, "Everywhere I go, I try to change the food to fit the venue." He's been the chef at Dream Dance and then Dream Dance Steak, the Iron Horse and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The aim at the Fitz is to serve classic dishes through a contemporary lens, he said. "We're trying to push food forward," he added.

The new, relaxed atmosphere and the prices (with entrees less than $30) are meant to be approachable, but the look of the food and level of service could remind customers of fine dining, Gorman said.

Diners at the Fitz could expect to see appetizers of steak tartare, foie gras with roasted green apple, and escargot, and main dishes such as lobster Newburg, roast chicken and rack of lamb with Indian flavors. Desserts could include items such as baked Alaska, the pastry chef's grandmother's apple cake, and chocolate cake with a glass of milk, Gorman said.

The more casual menu at the bar will have items such as a chicken and waffle sandwich, in which the chicken is marinated in rice wine and coated in potato starch for light, crisp breading; venison sloppy joe sliders; and tuna crudo with prawn crackers, a play on fish and chips.

The pastry chef will make soft-serve ice cream, with flavors changing frequently. Also planned: alcohol-infused cupcakes, and a brown sugar angel food cake with brown sugar whipped cream filling, covered in fairy food.

The Deco coffee shop also has house-made bagels, scones, muffins, cookies and other pastries.

Plans for summer include Deco After Dark on some Friday nights, when the cafe will have a jazz combo, wine and cheese, and candlelight.

Source:  JSOnline.com