Il Ponte – the New York-style Italian restaurant from Lupi & Iris’ Adam Siegel – has an official opening date: Tuesday, Sept. 15. Siegel, along with his business partner/spouse Daria Aitken-Siegel, will close the book on the two-year development inside a building on the Northwestern Mutual campus that has been undergoing a $500 million modernization (818 E. Mason St.).
The Siegels chose the restaurant name (“Il Ponte” is Italian for “The Bridge”) for the way food acts as a bridge builder. It’s also a reference to the skywalk that connects this building to the NML Tower & Commons.
Il Ponte will seat 155 guests between the dining room, bar and two private rooms.
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The dining room has a “special” table that had once been in the couple’s home. Carved into the table are the words Benvenuto Alla Nostra Tavola. “That means welcome to our table. So we’re literally inviting people to sit at mine and Adam’s table,” says Daria.
Il Ponte’s menu is inspired by the Italian-American food traditions of New York, as well as the traditions from the Italian side of Daria’s family. Handmade pastas and red sauce will define it. A symbolic dish for Adam is pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) and the version of this stew made by Daria’s nana. “I think about that all the time,” he says, “We’re doing nods to her family, to things that Daria makes – we want to have that classic Sunday sauce that’s made with all the meats and the ragu.”
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Angel Otero, who was the chef de cuisine at Lupi & Iris, will be Il Ponte’s executive chef. Courtney Beyer, Lupi & Iris’ executive pastry chef, also will oversee Il Ponte’s pastry program.
The couple describe the ambiance of the new space as “casual, everyday,” with sandwich options for lunch and grab-and-go items, too.
Daria, a native New Yorker, focused on Il Ponte’s décor. She wanted vibrant colors and brightness – and not a duplicate of its Mediterranean sibling, 4-year-old Lupi & Iris. Of the design details, she mentions the “Missoni-esque” wallpaper in the men’s room and a “statement” wall near the entrance to the restaurant. “I sacrificed other things to have that wall, which was really important that we have those Italian elements and that we were being authentic, a real homage to our roots – my roots in New York and our roots here in Milwaukee,” she says.
Reservations are now open for Sept. 15 and beyond.
