Recent changes to the main restaurant at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel signal less of a reinvention and more of a realization. The restaurant that preceded it, Aria, was certainly convenient if you were going to a show at the Rep, but it didn’t – to me, anyway – feel like a destination unto itself.
Now named The Studio Kitchen & Cocktails, the restaurant fuses Aria and the adjacent champagne bar, Giggly, into one. (I’m kind of sad about Giggly closing because, hello, the name!)
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Aria, like the hotel itself, was only 6 years old. But six years interrupted by a pandemic. There were only two things that I ever wanted to order there – the Big Boy Burger and “Broasted-ish” chicken, and the latter left the menu after a change in chefs. But I don’t feel that way about The Studio. I’m still working my way through the menu, and so far, so good.
The dining room is just very subtly different. One change was paring down a competing design element (books), giving the art displayed here room to breathe. Another thing I like about this place? It serves dinner on Sundays and Mondays – the establishment that does that is becoming a rare breed.
And I have a pretty good list of reasons to come back that do not involve seeing a play or hanging out at the hotel’s lobby bar, which, I might add, is very lively and fun, hosts regular live jams. In early spring of 2025, the hotel added sushi, specifically nori rolls, to Aria’s menu. Rolls and nigiri (mounds of vinegared rice topped with raw fish) have carried over to The Studio.
On separate occasions, I’ve eaten both the rainbow roll (tuna, crab salad, salmon, yellowtail and more, $24) and the spicy tuna with crispy rice ($18). While the roll was respectable, the spicy tuna was an epiphany. Served in three separate parts – the paste-like spicy tuna, soy dipping sauce and crispy fried rice cubes on skewers – this dish took a little MacGyvering to eat; the rice cubes fell off the skewer when I tried to dip them in the tuna. I ended up ditching the skewer for a fork. What mattered is the flavorful result – hot, golden-crispy crunch and cool, creamy, buttery fish.
The Classic Big Boy Burger, a Big Mac twin, is as good as ever, served quartered and pierced with toothpicks ($17). It was surprisingly copacetic with the cremini mushroom terrine ($15), a thick slice of herby creaminess served with grilled bread. Larger plates kept the momentum going: braised beef short rib ($42) with truffled pavé potatoes, roasted carrots and porcini mushroom demi; fried chicken ($32) with french fries and charred lemon; and a seared tenderloin filet ($52) with pepper jam.
All of them were just great. For the filet, though, a warning – it comes only with its sauce, making the a la carte sides (generous portions of very good, buttery whipped potatoes, garlic-buttery sautéed green beans and others) essential.
I’ve got more work to do – Mediterranean sea bass, grilled rib-eye and other dishes to try here – and I won’t be looking for separate reasons to make that happen. Neither should you.
The Studio Kitchen & Cocktails
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel 139 E. Kilbourn Ave. | 414-270-4422
Dinner daily 5-9 p.m. Breakfast Mon-Fri 6:30-10:30 a.m. Bubbles and Brunch Sat-Sun 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Starters $8-$22; sushi $15-$24; entrées $28-$60
Service: Friendly, attentive, relaxed but professional
Reservations: Recommended
