NEW Italian restaurant, opens on Brady Street

“Come have some food and some drinks,” Cataldo said. “And then go to Jo-Cat’s for a nightcap.

Milwaukee Business Journal | By Melanie Lawder

Brady Street’s newest restaurant, Dorsia, debuted this week adorned with eye-catching art, a sleek bar, and an interior that is far from the more traditional design of its predecessor Mimma’s Cafe. Take a look at the attached slideshow to see what the design of the new restaurant looks like. The new dining spot, 1307 E. Brady St., is “our version of a family Italian style restaurant in 2017,” said Milwaukee real estate developer Geno Cataldo, who bought the building with his family last fall. Dorsia officially opened to the public on Tuesday, after months spent gutting and reconstructing the approximately 6,000-square-foot space that was formerly home to longtime Milwaukee restaurant Mimma’s. The concept for the modern Italian restaurant was born after the Cataldo family had the opportunity to purchase the building, which is right next door to their bar Jo-Cat’s Pub. It was too good of a deal to pass up, Cataldo said. “You only get one opportunity to buy your neighbor so we did,” he said. “We were approached by a bunch of different-type tenants that wanted to lease the space, but my brother and I talked about it and we thought it may be a good chance to do something different from Jo-Cat’s and make it how we want and control the corner.”

As for food, pasta, cheese, and charcuterie boards, flatbreads, salads, and pasta are all on the menu, with most dishes being $20 or less. Diners can order a simple dish of pasta bolognese or something a little more adventurous, like the duck carbonara. All the pasta is homemade in Dorsia’s kitchen, with the restaurant also hosting a grow room in its basement area to cultivate its own herbs. And if the name Dorsia sounds familiar, that’s because Cataldo got the inspiration for it from the movie “American Psycho,” starring Christian Bale. In the movie, Bale and the other characters relentlessly tried to nab reservations at an upscale dining spot called Dorsia, but they never succeed. Cataldo said that fictional dining spot had always reminded him of the Milwaukee institution Mimma’s Cafe, where reservations were in high-demand. “Mimma’s was always so busy in the early ’90s,” he recalled. “It always reminded me of what Dorsia would be in Milwaukee, so that’s why I named it Dorsia.” The restaurant, which has brunch service on weekends, opens at 4 p.m. to close during the week. “Come have some food and some drinks,” Cataldo said. “And then go to Jo-Cat’s for a nightcap.

NEW Italian restaurant, opens on Brady Street

“Come have some food and some drinks,” Cataldo said. “And then go to Jo-Cat’s for a nightcap.

Milwaukee Business Journal | By Melanie Lawder

Brady Street’s newest restaurant, Dorsia, debuted this week adorned with eye-catching art, a sleek bar, and an interior that is far from the more traditional design of its predecessor Mimma’s Cafe. Take a look at the attached slideshow to see what the design of the new restaurant looks like. The new dining spot, 1307 E. Brady St., is “our version of a family Italian style restaurant in 2017,” said Milwaukee real estate developer Geno Cataldo, who bought the building with his family last fall. Dorsia officially opened to the public on Tuesday, after months spent gutting and reconstructing the approximately 6,000-square-foot space that was formerly home to longtime Milwaukee restaurant Mimma’s. The concept for the modern Italian restaurant was born after the Cataldo family had the opportunity to purchase the building, which is right next door to their bar Jo-Cat’s Pub. It was too good of a deal to pass up, Cataldo said. “You only get one opportunity to buy your neighbor so we did,” he said. “We were approached by a bunch of different-type tenants that wanted to lease the space, but my brother and I talked about it and we thought it may be a good chance to do something different from Jo-Cat’s and make it how we want and control the corner.”

As for food, pasta, cheese, and charcuterie boards, flatbreads, salads, and pasta are all on the menu, with most dishes being $20 or less. Diners can order a simple dish of pasta bolognese or something a little more adventurous, like the duck carbonara. All the pasta is homemade in Dorsia’s kitchen, with the restaurant also hosting a grow room in its basement area to cultivate its own herbs. And if the name Dorsia sounds familiar, that’s because Cataldo got the inspiration for it from the movie “American Psycho,” starring Christian Bale. In the movie, Bale and the other characters relentlessly tried to nab reservations at an upscale dining spot called Dorsia, but they never succeed. Cataldo said that fictional dining spot had always reminded him of the Milwaukee institution Mimma’s Cafe, where reservations were in high-demand. “Mimma’s was always so busy in the early ’90s,” he recalled. “It always reminded me of what Dorsia would be in Milwaukee, so that’s why I named it Dorsia.” The restaurant, which has brunch service on weekends, opens at 4 p.m. to close during the week. “Come have some food and some drinks,” Cataldo said. “And then go to Jo-Cat’s for a nightcap.