Following a private soft opening this past weekend, L’Incontro Italian Bar & Cafe will officially open its doors to the public at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 at 2315 N. Murray Ave. 

Located less than two blocks from the Oriental Theatre, the restaurant is a natural pick for evening dining during the remainder of the Milwaukee Film Festival.

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The restaurant, which offers a menu of modern Italian fare with Asian inflection, is operated by industry veteran Paul Piotrowski, general manager for Izzy Hops and Juneil Cabreza, a chef whose cooking reflects not only his Filipino heritage, but a career cooking a wide variety of global cuisines, including Japanese, Spanish and Italian.

Together, the partners have created a welcoming, casual environment with a menu that pushes the boundaries of Italian cuisine while remaining true to the cuisine’s dedication to locality, freshness and seasonality.

Comfortable & casual

Inside the restaurant, diners will find a casual, modern aesthetic created in collaboration with local designer Jamie Fink. The warm wood floors and brick accents – once flanked by bright red walls – now sit in contrast to a more subdued foundation of dusty blue with complementary accents in orange, green and yellow.  

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The southern wall showcases the restaurant’s name and logo, created by local creative Scott Schwebel, hand-painted by artist Felicia Fink.

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Meanwhile, eye-catching wall-paper creates a cozy respite toward the back of the restaurant where art reflects both the Italian theme at the restaurant along with a casual, lighthearted sense of humor that reflects the personalities of both Piotrowski and Cabreza.

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Myriad plants throughout the space further enhance the bright, welcoming vibe.

Starters

Overall, the menu at L’Incontro contains both the predictable and the unexpected. That applies to starters, which run the gamut from meatballs served in pomodoro sauce ($15) to Seafood Rangoon, a clever take on the classic featuring shrimp, calamari, scallions and mascarpone with toasted nori and agro dolce ($16).

Fried halloumi is wrapped in crepes and served with chili, citrus and calabrian chili aioli ($14), while burrata is served with wedges of pita on a bed of honey pickled stone fruits, sunchokes and sesame seeds with a Thai basil piadina ($14).

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Salads include a wedge version of Caesar salad featuring smoked Caesar dressing ($13) along with a fresh Citrus salad featuring radicchio, spiced hazelnuts, pickled fennel, cilantro and ricotta ($13).

Pastas

Handmade pastas are a highlight of the menu, with offerings like Sunday sauce featuring braised pork in pomodoro sauce with Italian sausage and pancetta ($24); and classic cacio e pepe spiffed up with the sweet, tangy, umami-rich flavor of blac garlic ($22).

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Hyper-seasonal dishes include plump sweet potato gnocchi tossed in sage brown butter with fiddlehead ferns and pistachios ($23).

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Black sesame chitarra pasta – a nutty stand-in for the more traditional squid ink pasta – forms the base for a seafood bolognese topped with spicy breadcrumbs, spring onion and egg ($25).

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Meanwhile, spinach pasta is layered with ricotta, parmesan and stacchino in an eye-catching spiral flavored with tomato butter and topped with pecorino and pea tendrils ($23).

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All pastas can be enjoyed as-is or upgraded with meatballs (+$5) or chicken parmesan (+$7).

Entrees

Entrees depart most radically from the Italian canon with offerings like a half chicken, brined in citrus and chilies which is grilled, roasted and topped with Frank’s Red Hot butter. It’s served topped with a fresh salad of lettuce, pickled shallots and jalapeno ($27).

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The Whole Fish Cake is a wonder of both technique and flavor, featuring a whole de-boned branzino that’s been stuffed with a filling of shrimp, calamari, jicama and chives and topped with green goddess dressing ($29).

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Since the bones have been extracted, the fish is simple to navigate; simply approach it as you would a stuffed filet of fish. It’s also a great choice for sharing.

The stunning Lamb Shank is braised with tomato and red wine and served with roasted red peppers and crisp fried chickpeas ($28).

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All entrees are served with guests’ choice of sides, including roasted purple potatoes and sunchokes topped with stracchino cheese; or roasted carrots served with rapini, miso tahini, black and white sesame seeds and scallions.

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Fragrant lemon basil rice is also an option. It features black rice seasoned with white sauce, garlic, egg white, fried shallot and lemon. 

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Generous portions of side dishes are also available for purchase at $13 each.

Pizza 

Pizza is also available, made with the dough recipe that has been served in the L’Incontro space for over 50 years. The dough originated with Palermo Villa and was passed along to Divino Wine & Dine and then Tavolino. Cabreza says he has kept the recipe virtually the same with the exception of upgrading it to a high protein flour (a hallmark of classic New York style pies). 

Guests can choose from four signature pies including L’Incontro’s Margherita topped with plum tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, Thai basil and parmesan ($18); and the Pepperoni featuring red sauce, mozzarella, provolone, pickled jalapenos and Fresno chilies and a drizzle of hot honey ($21).

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The funghi features garlic oil, roasted mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, cremini), mozzarella and provolone cheeses, rapini, scallions and stacchino ($19).

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Meanwhile the Sisig (a word that means “sizzling” in the Philippines) features a white sauce base topped with housemade Filipino longanisa sausage, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa verde, provolone and a soft cooked egg ($22).

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The Marinara pizza – topped simply with plum tomatoes, onions and Thai basil ($17) – serves as a vegan option, which can also be modified to include any number of toppings. Options include pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives, red bell peppers, scallion, rapini, pickled peppers, greens and cheeses ($2 each).

Something sweet

Cabreza, who earned his degree in French pastry from the Cooking & Hospitality Institute in Chicago might also have  a few sweet treats up his sleeve.  Among them is this Basque-style chocolate cheesecake served with hazelnuts. 

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At the bar

The full L’Incontro menu is available both in the dining room and at the bar, which offers a full complement of beverages. The wine list features both old and new world selections of wine, along with a small curated selection of beers with an emphasis on craft brews.

A signature cocktail menu focuses on classic cocktails, along with a selection of seasonal drinks which will change along with the restaurant's menu. In fact, for the warmer season, guests can look forward to offerings like Spritz Flights featuring three variations of the summery drink.

Guests can also watch L’Incontro’s social media feeds on both Facebook and Instagram for news and updates. Piotrowski says they plan to announce new offerings like happy hour in the coming weeks.  

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Guests can also look forward to clement evenings on the restaurant’s sidewalk patio and expanded parklet as summer grows closer. 

Beginning on Wednesday, April 17, L’Incontro will be open Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.