"Open for: Brunch, lunch, dinnerPrice range: $$When the Black Shoe Hospitality team became semifinalists in 2023 for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, it felt like an acknowledgment of lifetime achievement. The group has a steady history of thoughtful comfort fare, including upscale down-home Southern food at Maxie’s and inspired (and wildly popular) breakfast provisions at Blue’s Egg. Story Hill BKC (that’s Bottle, Kitchen, Cup) combines the best of their efforts. It’s your hip corner coffee shop and a friendly local neighborhood liquor store — that is, if your local liquor store also offered shakshuka with local eggs and sumac mayonnaise, tender Angus sirloin sandwiches with shallot butter and truffle peppercorn mayo, smoked Yukon potatoes au gratin, or cedar plank trout. Accented by warm wood and top-tier hospitality, the restaurant feels like a happy hidden gem within Milwaukee’s most hidden gem of a neighborhood. Know before you go: You’ll need a few visits to truly approach the offerings from every angle." - Todd Lazarski
