Oddly enough, the forthcoming Bierock craft beer bar isn’t named for “bier” but for an eastern European hand pie called a bierock. Brian Carriveau, who is opening Bierock with his wife, Amanda, explains that the base recipe for the filled pastries come from his wife’s Volga German ancestors. The classic beef, onion and sauerkraut-filled bierock will be joined by other “interpretations,” says Carriveau, including rosemary lamb; tofu, peanut and kimchi; and mushroom masala. “People will come to have a bierock, but first and foremost we will be a craft beer bar,” says Carriveau. He hopes to have 18 to 24 taps, and envisions one-third local beer, one-third state beer and one-third national and international beer.
Bierock will be located in Northside Town Center, next to Habanero’s Mexican Grill. “I like that the Northside Town Center is becoming revitalized, with the Willy Street Co-op and Goodwill coming in,” says Carriveau. “We like that it’s adjacent to the Mallards and Warner Park. There’s a lot of traffic on Northport and Sherman — the area is growing. The north side is up and coming.”
Other planned menu items include a spaetzle stroganoff and bites like devilled eggs and bacon dates. “The bierock itself is not a health food,” says Carriveau with a laugh. “But we are trying to be a little bit health-conscious by trying to serve organic locally sourced food.” Bierock will appear before the Alcohol License Review Committee in February, and Carriveau hopes for a May opening.
Lake Edge Seafood Co., a new fish market and restaurant at 4100 Monona Drive in the Lake Edge Shopping Center, is half open — owners Robert and John Kitto are selling fresh seafood from the counter, but the restaurant half is now slated to open Jan. 22. On the menu will be appetizers, fish tacos and po’boys, chowders, fish dinners and, of course, a fish fry.
Just down the way at the East Side Club, 3735 Monona Drive, HMI Southern Style Catering has taken over the Friday fish fry (5-9 p.m.). Fried catfish, fried or baked cod, fried ocean perch or fantail shrimp (all you can eat, $15) are the choices along with the usual sides — but, less conventionally for Wisco, hush puppies and fried breaded okra are also available.
