This is the week. The Bartolotta Restaurants has announced the grand opening date of The Commodore, their new concept in Lake Country, as Wednesday, July 24. The project – two years in the works – is located in the former Weissgerber’s Seven Seas Restaurant on Lake Nagawicka (1807 Nagawicka Rd., Hartland).
The Commodore will serve dinner Wed-Sun 5-9 p.m. and offer a mix of classic and contemporary American fare celebrating Wisconsin farms, cheesemakers and creameries, according to the press release. The menu includes oysters Rockefeller, Waldorf salad, crab Louie, seared Georges Bay sea scallops, roasted Atlantic halibut, beef Wellington for two, 28-day dry-aged bone-in rib eye, and wiener schnitzel (in homage to Jack Weissgerber, who opened Seven Seas in this space in 1981). Desserts have a decadent and nostalgic theme too, including apple pie a la mode and bananas Foster flambe. Entrées $28-$76.
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There’s also a different multi-course menu offered daily – prime rib with Yorkshire pudding (Wed), beef stroganoff with buttered noodles (Thurs), Nantucket fried seafood basket (Fri), McFarland Farms trout (Sat), and British Sunday roasts (Sun), $59-$79.
The new restaurant, says restaurateur Paul Bartolotta, “enlivens the nostalgia of Lake Country. We embrace what life once was and what it can still be,” citing its connection to Nagawicka Lake history. Built in 1902, the venue originally operated as a hotel and resort. Over the subsequent years, it functioned as a discotheque, a girls camp and a school.
The expansive Commodore property will host different styles of hospitality. The restaurant occupies the main level and features several dining rooms with views of the lake. There’s a bar with both indoor and patio seating. The private upper level will operate as a catering and special events space.
Outside the property are the Pleasant View Pavilion, The Garden (billed as a “serene outdoor retreat”) and The Fountain Patio, which can host small receptions and ceremonies.
Still to come is the “exclusive, members-only” Club 1902, to be located on the lower level. Per the press release, the club will offer “the most elevated and bespoke experience on the property.”
