The Kimpton Journeyman hosted a preview night for its highly-anticipated restaurant, Tre Rivali. This preview allowed guests to sample some of the restaurant's Mediterranean dishes, which include locally-sourced and organic ingredients.
Urban Milwaukee was among the media outlets to attend this unique experience.
"Tuna tartare micro cones — a fresh raw tuna carpaccio with a hint of finely chopped olives and capers served in a delicate cracker cone topped with a beautiful lemon aioli. A passed hors d’oeuvres of bacon-wrapped dates filled also with chorizo and Manchego cheese was also lovely. Another was eggplant caponata crostini, a riff on the traditional agrodolce (sweet sour) Sicilian chutney, finely blended to stay on the crostini topped with a decorous dollop of creamy goat cheese finished with micro-greens."
We started off with a scallop crudo — raw fresh scallops finely sliced carpaccio style dressed with a light vinaigrette of pink grapefruit wedges, Calabrian chilies and mint. It was delicious, light and fresh. Next came olive oil-braised and charred octopus with salsa verde and preserved lemons which had a Spanish flare served in a cazuela (cooking pot). The octopus was meaty and tender with a lovely smoky grilled flavor. The salsa was very intensely verde, almost like a pesto, but with different herbs. Then came a salad of shaved celery and escarole garnished with white anchovies — not the salted kind but marinated in vinegar, making it pungent and tasty — plus marcona almonds and more lemon. The main courses (there were three also) started with Moroccan spiced little lollipop lamb chops resting on a wonderful tomato-cucumber fatuoush — a classic Moroccan chopped salad, featuring tahini and toasted pita croutons with lemon yogurt.
Next came homemade, light-as-a-feather pappardelle pasta napping in a meltingly tender braised pork neck ragout garnished with ricotta salata. The last and possibly most lovely presentation was a whole coriander crusted roasted bronzino (a saltwater fish sometimes called a European sea bass) on a gazpacho relish with purple fingerling potatoes."
The experience was rounded out by chocolate torte with rum saboyan sauce and shaved chocolate with a butterscotch budino (a kind of pudding). It included a buttery rosemary shortbread cookie.
The food was served family style and each dish was introduced by Executive Chef, Heather Terhune.
Pictured: thinly sliced scallops with pink grapefruit, Calabrian chilies, and mint. Photo courtesy of onMilwaukee.