The Ambassador Hotel is reopening restaurants with customer favorites, adding catering division
The Ambassador Hotel is reopening its three restaurants, which have been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, just in time for the Milwaukee institution's 95th anniversary, management of the Ambassador Hotel Trademark Collection by Wyndham announced Tuesday.
Both The Deco Café and Gin Rickey, 2308 W. Wisconsin Ave., reopened this week. The hotel also has added a catering division.
"My gosh, does it sound so nice to hear people in the restaurants and people laughing and having fun, and just the hustle and bustle," Amy Schneider, the hotel's assistant general manager, told the Journal Sentinel. "It feels like we're finally getting back to normal. And it feels amazing."
To develop the menus, the team examined the hotel's menus from the past two decades and selected customer favorites, according to Schneider.
"What we have on that menu now is what everyone has been asking for," she said.
The Deco Café features "fresh, made-to-order" breakfast, including cinnamon brulée French toast and green eggs and ham, and lunch daily, along with Starbucks' full beverage line. Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and lunch, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Gin Rickey, the hotel's casual restaurant and bar, offers lunch and dinner daily. There are appetizers, including truffle pommes frites and Portobello fritters; soups; salads, like the grilled tuna nicoise with seared medium rare tuna, red potatoes, haricot verts, grape tomatoes, red onions, hardboiled egg and lemon herb vinaigrette; burgers; and sandwiches, including grilled cheese featuring Swiss, goat and aged cheddar cheeses, pesto, bacon and tomato on grilled sourdough. Coming soon: Homemade pizzas, a Friday fish fry, entrees and desserts.
The drink menu features craft cocktails, wine and beer.
The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. daily. The kitchen remains open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. The bar is open until midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
The space has a variety of seating options, including bar, booths and stand-alone tables.
The Fitz will reopen on May 4, the hotel's 95th anniversary celebration
The Fitz will make its grand return for dinner on May 4, which has been declared "Ambassador Hotel Day" by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson in honor of the hotel’s milestone anniversary, according to Tuesday's announcement. The hotel first opened its doors on May 4, 1928.
The Fitz, which was once known as the Envoy, will offer dinner, as well as Saturday and Sunday brunch. Schneider described the dinner menu as "upscale but not stuffy" with appetizers, entrees and more casual options made with fresh, local ingredients.
Highlights will include a filet with wild mushroom and cracked pepper demi cream sauce, and garlic mashed potatoes; butternut squash ravioli; orecchiette pasta with basil pesto sauce, Portobello mushrooms and sundried tomatoes; Art Deco porkchops with hot bacon glaze and a caraway sauerkraut; and chicken marsala with white truffle mashed potatoes.
The hotel, known for its Art Deco design, will mark its anniversary with a celebration and tours, featuring its historical elements, architecture and interior design, from around 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. May 4, according to Schneider.
Returning executive chef, new catering division
Juan Pablo Vallejo Martinez, who was the hotel's executive chef prior to the pandemic, has returned. He first joined the Ambassador team 10 years ago as a line cook and worked his way up by "pure talent and determination," Schneider said.
"It feels so good to have him home, and a lot of our kitchen team came back with him too," Schneider said. "It literally feels like family came home. ... When I found out he was coming back, I actually got goosebumps and tears in my eyes."
Recently, the hotel launched a new catering division, called Deco Catering Co., which will "allow Chef Juan’s creations to be served off-premise, enticing new diners to come in for a wonderful dining experience at The Fitz," the announcement said. Orders will soon be able to be placed through decocateringmke.com.
How the hotel has evolved over the years
The hotel fell into a decline during the '70s and '80s as its near west side neighborhood saw a departure of hospitals and other key employers along with an increase in crime.
Local real estate investor and developer Rick Wiegand bought the Ambassador in 1995 and started a decade-long $14 million restoration.
Earlier this year, the hotel added the Trademark Collection by Wyndham brand, the first such national brand affiliation since the hotel opened. That agreement tapped the 132-room hotel into Wyndham's global reservation system.
The hotel is in the process of updating its guest rooms' flooring, drapery, furniture, mattresses and TVs, the Tuesday announcement said. All rooms feature Apple TV, which allows guests to use their own streaming services while on the property.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Ambassador Hotel reopening restaurants, adding catering
