Aria Offers Lovely Brunches and Art Works

Aria-The Restaurant at Saint Kate. Photo taken Feb. 8, 2025 by Cari Taylor Carlson.

Brunch at Aria-The Restaurant at Saint Kate turned out to be a double header where the combination of delicious food filled our stomachs while we enjoyed Saint Kate’s extensive collection of contemporary paintings on view in the dining room. From the moment you enter the lobby of the hotel and see Big Piney, the oversized skeletal sculpture of a horse by artist Deborah Butterfield, you know you are going be surrounded and delighted by Saint Kate’s eclectic collection. There are more than 100 works in the permanent collection plus rotating exhibits curated by the Museum of Wisconsin Art in the first floor galleries. You will also see several sculptural pieces as you make your way up the wide staircase to the second floor where Aria is located.

They serve brunch on weekends until 1:00 p.m. and call it Bubbles and Brunch. My companions and I noticed several diners enjoying the Mimosa Flight, a choice of three mimosas from a list of Cranberry, Elderflower, Pineapple, Orange, and Raspberry. We ordered Orange Mimosas and a Morning Mule which was nothing like the classic made with ginger beer and vodka. For this mule, the bartender combined Don Julio Blanco Tequila, lime, apricot nectar, and ginger beer. If you want a mule with your brunch, order this one. It will wake you up and you will begin your day with a smile. You could also order the Endless Mimosa that comes with a one-and-a-half-hour time limit; a Grasshopper Martini with Crème de Menthe, Crème de Cacao and half and half; and a Proper Wake-Up with Wollersheim Bourbon, Coffee Liqueur and Orange Bitters.

The Brunch and Bubbles menu has a brief list of egg specialties and after two visits friends and I have tried four of them: Eggs Any Style; Brussels Sprout Hash; the Denver Omelet; and the Classic Benedict.

Eggs any Style with scrambled eggs, sausage, tri-colored potatoes, and toast, hit all the rights notes for a basic brunch entrée. The eggs were fresh and local, and the two fat sausages were especially tasty as were the crispy creamy deep-fried potatoes.

The Classic Benedict had something extra that my companion appreciated because, as she noted, too often the underlying English muffin is too stiff to cut. Then you struggle for every bite and it makes a mess on the plate. Not this time, however — the muffin was knife-friendly and easily managed. Two perfectly poached eggs and brown-butter hollandaise finished this far-above-average benedict.

The Denver Omelet was filled with melted Gruyere that bound the filling, ham, mushrooms and caramelized onions. The Brussels Sprout Hash, like a taste of autumn, combined the Brussels with roasted sweet potatoes, apples and a lot of crisp, thick chunks of bacon. It was topped with two scrambled eggs and finished with a drizzle of honey. This was the brunch dish of my dreams, roasted veggies, bacon, farm fresh eggs, with multiple complementary flavors that left me wanting more.

From the list of Plates, the Shrimp and Grits were very buttery. Five shrimp were served on top of cheesy grits and sauced with a lot of garlic butter and a spicy creole sauce that featured roasted tomatoes.

Other Plates entrees include Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Fried Chicken and Waffle, Avocado Toast, P B & J French Toast and a Greek Yogurt Bowl with chia seeds, almonds, banana, blueberries and honey. A menu at Aria would not be complete without a stroll down memory lane and their take on the Classic Big Boy Burger, with two patties, sauce, lettuce and American cheese.

When you enter the restaurant, look carefully at the black painted bookcase with a carefully curated collection of red and yellow-gold-colored books. It doubles as a door that leads directly into the Dark Room where you can book a private party.

Friends and I found Aria delightful. Everywhere we looked there was art. I’d recommend it as a brunch for locals, but also as a great place to show off Milwaukee’s art-filled hotel when out-of-town friends come to visit.

On the Menu

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• Location: 139 E. Kilbourn Ave.
• Phone: 414-270-4422
• Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., 5:30 pm. to 9:00 p.m. Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sat-Sun
• Neighborhood: East Town
• Website: https://www.ariaatsaintkate.com

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