We’re going to switch to envisioning-the-future mode. It’ll be a bit, but Birch’s Kyle Knall announced last week that he and his wife Meghan will open a second restaurant. It will be called Cassis – the French word for “black currant,” it also refers to the town in Provence, France. Wonderful associations. The Knalls’ Cassis is also French. It’ll be an all-day bistro offering classic French dishes – he names moules frites, escargot, charcuterie and seafood boards, as the kinds of things you’re likely to find there.
The restaurant – to anchor the new Third Ward high-rise, 333 Water – has a fall 2025 projected completion date. The Knalls are working with local firms Amy Carman Design and Dan Beyer Architects, who are incoporating mosaic tile, leather banquettes and vintage chandeliers into the design of the 5,175-square-foot space. To whet diners’ appetites for the new spot, Birch is hosting a pop-up dinner series that features dishes you might see on the menu at Cassis. The most recent pop-up was Dec. 18.
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Cassis has been percolating for a while – really, well before the couple moved to Milwaukee. It goes back to very early in his career. Knall got a position working on the kitchen of Chez Fonfon, the French bistro in Birmingham, Alabama, owned by chef/prolific restaurateur Frank Stitt III. Over the two-and-a-half years Knall worked at Chez Fonfon, he says he fell in love with classic bistro cuisine. “If there’s a food that I love to eat and cook and be around, besides the American food that we cook at Birch, it’s definitely French bistro style,” he says.
With Cassis, he and Meghan want to create a “bustling,” “fun” experience for diners – something he thinks many restaurants in Paris do a good job of. The location will help that, he thinks. “You’re walking down the sidewalk looking at this new, modern building,” then “walk in the door [of Cassis] and hopefully feel like you’re taken away to Paris or Provence,” he says.
And also, the name “Cassis” – light, upbeat, fun. “There’s a bar in New Orleans called Le Bon Temps Roule [which translates to “The Good Times Roll.”] I love the idea of ‘bon temps’… I wanted [the name] to feel fun. I wanted it to represent a good time, but also not something you have to think too hard to pronounce or say,” says Knall.
Cassis will have seating for about 200, which is larger than Birch. And what a corner it will occupy – St. Paul and Water, kitty-corner from the Milwaukee Public Market. An area of plentiful food traffic. Says Knall: “We want [Cassis] to be something that everybody can go in and feel comfortable finding something delicious, from steak frites to a croque madame.”