Restaurants Aim to Increase River Center Traffic

Vault cocktail lounge at the Associated Bank River Center, 111 E. Kilbourn Ave. Photo taken Aug. 29, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

When thinking of quick office lunches or mid-meeting afternoon snacks, steaming bowls of ramen, freshly-shucked oysters and caviar don’t typically come to mind.

But the Associated Bank River Center is looking to change that, with the end goal of enticing more office workers to return to the downtown building, 111 E. Kilbourn Ave.

The River Center recently introduced four new dining establishments — two restaurants, a coffee shop and a cocktail lounge — with offerings that run the gamut from ultra-filling sandwiches and spicy taco bowls to citrusy ceviche and seasonal panna cotta.

Together, the concepts comprise River Center Market, a project of  hospitality management company 41Fork. Kaelyn Cervero leads the newly-formed group, whose other clients include Noble Catering & Events, Pizza Man, Gülden Room and Timmer’s Resort in West Bend.

Those concepts were once operated by the now-defunct F Street Hospitality group, for which Cervero served as vice president before launching 41Fork.

Three of the new concepts, Toro Tacos & Bowls, On Rye and Knockbox, reside on the ground floor of the 28-story building, catering to the approximately 350 office workers who make the daily commute.

Toro, a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant that made its debut in 2021 at Summerfest, serves a variety of tacos, ramen, grain bowls and salads, as well as nachos, street corn and desserts.

Venture a few steps to the left and you’ll find On Rye, a deli serving salads and sandwiches piled with hand-sliced meats. Time it right, and you might observe a sandwich artist portioning off a massive hunk of corned beef — the restaurant’s most popular meat.

Knockbox, a coffee bar, offers a variety of coffee and espresso drinks, Rishi teas and smoothies. Breakfast sandwiches will be a future addition to the menu.

The latest addition, set to launch this week, is Vault. The cocktail lounge and restaurant has been two years in the making, according to Cervero, and will officially open to the public on Wednesday. Aug. 30.

The space itself makes use of a previously-underutilized gathering area, said a spokesperson for the River Center. The transformed lounge now features a U-shaped, white marble bar, high-top seating and a handful of cozy armchairs. To the west, accordion-style windows open onto a breezy patio with stunning views of the downtown skyline, including Fiserv Forum and the Milwaukee River. Outside, loungey seating and fireplace tables contribute to a laid-back, California-casual feel.

Vault offers a variety of cocktails featuring housemade syrups. Guests can expect both classic drinks — martini, manhattan, negroni — as well as signature offerings such as the Paper Plane, a bourbon-based cocktail with lemon juice, aperol and amaro, topped off with a bright blue paper plane.

The bar also serves beer, with a number of local options featured on the taplist.

When it comes to food, Adam Miller, executive chef for 41Fork, lends his expertise to each of the River Center concepts. His work, however, especially shines at Vault, where the appetizer-forward menu leans on seafood — namely, oysters on the half shell.

A current selection includes Fanny Boy, Savage Blonde and Delaware Bay varieties, some of which give off a clean, briny smell that Miller said reminds him of his hometown in Cape Cod.

Oysters are available plain, with lemon, horseradish and mignonette, or “dirty” with a dollop of creme fraiche, caviar and sprinkling of minced shallot.

Also from the ocean, there’s shrimp cocktails, ceviche and togarashi-spiced ahi tuna. Additional offerings include seasonal burrata salad, cheese plates, charcuterie boards and salty snacks such as marcona almonds, marinated olives and kettle chips.

Starting Aug. 30, Vault will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Cervero said the space may also be available to rent on Mondays and Tuesdays for private events.

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