You can't help but wonder if the area near Farwell and North Avenues is cursed by the god of fire. Century Hall was consumed by fire and Beans and Barley and Sweet Doomed Angel suffered similar fates not long after.

In late August of this year, Ma Fischer's, 2214 N. Farwell Ave., an East Side landmark which has been dishing up diner-style cuisine since 1947, was engulfed in flames.

Owner George Panagiotolopoulos said that the fire was caused by the restaurant's neon sign -- the same sign that hearkened to hungry customers 24 hours a day.

Fans of Ma's, which is especially popular with the post-bar crowd that transforms the family-owned restaurant into something of an after-bar party, were devastated to peer through the smoke-stained windows into the blackened void. A gaping hole in the roof left them wondering about the future of a neighborhood institution.

"Every day we get phone calls (asking about when the restaurant will reopen)," Panagiotolopoulos said recently. "Every single day."

Work on the restaurant is progressing and Panagiotolopoulos assures OnMilwaukee.com that the restaurant will not only reopen, but will be better than ever.

"There are going to be a lot of changes, a lot of new looks on the inside and outside," said Panagiotolopoulos, who also owns the Riverbrook Restaurant at 1111 E. Capitol Dr. in Shorewood.

"There's going to be a patio in the parking lot for 50 or 60 people. There's going to be a whole new look. It's going to go back to the 1960s, 1950s, with new booths, new seats, everything."

"There has been a big hole for breakfast and late night eats on the East Side since Ma's suffered their fire," said Jim Plaisted, Executive Director, East Side B.I.D. #20. "We can't wait for them to reopen with their new look and outdoor patio."

Panagiotolopoulos said that he is working to secure a license to sell beer and wine, too, by the time Ma's reopens for business. When will that be?

Panagiotolopoulos hedged a bit, but is banking on January.

"Middle of January," he said, adding "between the first week and the last week of January."

Oh, yes, there'll be one more big change at Ma's.

"No more neon," said Panagiotolopoulos, laughing, but sounding like he was only half kidding. "You betcha life, buddy. I've got enough experience with them."