On the way to the Third Ward’s Tre Rivali, my friend turns to me, his brow furrowed, “Where are we going again?” He’d never been to the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel restaurant, only bypassed it to head up the elevator to the rooftop bar. “You never hear about this place,” he adds. And he’s got a point. Its claim to fame was executive chef Heather Terhune, a former Bravo “Top Chef” contestant who turned out great food here but has been gone for over two years.
Would the fire have cooled? I wonder. But worry not.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Terhune’s successor, Brian Cripps – a Florida-reared chef whose resume lists San Francisco’s 3-Michelin-Star Atelier Crenn as a previous employer – is keeping the kitchen on course, sticking to the modern Mediterranean theme and the wood oven focus. On the menu, there’s still grilled octopus and fresh crudo appetizers, whole roasted branzino, fresh, house-made pastas and pizzas. Light, citrusy sauces and Middle Eastern spice mixtures bolster the flavors. The dining room – with its grounding warmth and buzzing energy – hasn’t lost its vitality since its 2016 opening.
The food is generally quite good, with some minor flaws. I experience that with the lamb kafta ($15), a skewered log of ground, seasoned meat served on a thin, more-crisp-than-soft flatbread layered with tzatziki (cucumber yogurt) sauce. There are two issues with this dish: The meat is pretty rare inside, and it needs seasoning! I have to flag down a server to bring a salt shaker. Dullness isn’t an issue with the other shareable plate, the mellow whipped goat cheese with a minty pea relish, honey and layer of floral, fruity za’atar, served with charred, grilled bread ($12). It’s really tasty, and we wipe that plate clean.
Among the entrées, there’s a meaty, delectable Bolognese (veal, beef and pork) over handmade rigatoni ($24). Curiously, though, it’s buried in shredded ricotta salata – still tasty, but wow, excessive. I’ve had branzino on the brain lately – it’s one of the dishes I love at Lupi & Iris, where it’s steamed en papillote (in parchment) – and here I want the very different experience of a whole roasted, skin-on fish. Crispy outside and lusciously creamy inside, the interior stuffed with fresh herbs, it is delightful – and more than I can eat ($39). It comes with a miniature pitcher of tart, warm verjus that I pour around the sides of the fish to keep that skin crispy. It contrasts with the heartier, heavier roasted chicken (which the server describes as spatchcocked; it’s merely cut into pieces) served, like the lamb kabob, on a thin sheet of flatbread with (oddly) curried rice and three sauces, the best of which is a cucumber tzatziki ($32).
I had begun to think Tre Rivali had fallen into the shadow of its rooftop rival. But I shouldn’t have underestimated it. This restaurant has charm and delicious food.
Tre Rivali
200 N. BROADWAY | 414-291-3971
Hours: D Tues-Thurs 5-9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5-10 p.m.
Prices: Pastas/pizza $18-$24; large plates $32-$62
Service: Helpful, friendly and unexpectedly candid
Reservations: Recommended
