Lupi & Iris Was a Special Experience

Lupi & Iris. Photo by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

The first thing my companions and I noticed when we walked into the dining room at Lupi & Iris was the subtle aroma of smoke from the wood-burning oven. We were there for Sunday brunch. We knew at once that we had entered a special place: The classy chandeliers, the sound-absorbing panels on the ceiling, the gorgeous wine cellar in the main dining room, and even the pillars wrapped in something to absorb sound all told us the owners had paid attention to every tiny detail.

What to order for brunch presented a dilemma, as each of the seven brunch entrees or “oeufs” sounded too delicious to pass on. There was oeufs Benedict with smoked salmon; trofie al limone, pasta quills with ricotta and a poached egg; a classic quiche Lorraine; and the dishes we settled on: uova in purgatorio, galette d’oeufs and polenta.

For the eggs in purgatory, similar to shakshuka, two eggs were baked in tomato sauce along with onions and peppers and served on toasted country bread from Rocket Baby that had a mildly smoky taste from the wood-burning oven. When the runny egg yolks mingled with the spicy sauce and the thick-sliced bread, it turned into an irresistible riot of flavors.

Ditto for my companion’s polenta, a creamy, understated dish that included a variety of sautéed wild mushrooms that were hidden underneath the polenta. For a chewy contrast, there was kale, and on top, two sunny-side-up eggs completed this entrée that was full of surprises.

For the galette d’oeufs, the chef layered two sunny-side-up eggs, French ham, and whipped ricotta on a buckwheat crepe, and topped it off with a handful of arugula. The way the creamy ricotta introduced the ham and eggs to the crepe was magic.

Our shared side of roasted potatoes was an added delight, as were our cocktails, French 777s made with gin, limoncello and brut rosé. This gentle, mellow drink paired perfectly with our slightly spicy entrees.

Everything about our brunch can be distilled into three words: simple, delicious and elegant. We can attribute that to chef and owner Adam Siegel, a James Beard Award winner who opened Lupi & Iris in 2022 with a focus on French and Mediterranean dishes. He named the restaurant after his parents, Lupi and Iris, and settled on Mediterranean because it offered options to create dishes from several countries, including Spain, Italy and Greece.

There was no set price for the brunch. Our entrees were priced at $21 to $23 and the drink was $15, all worth it, we felt.

A friend and I continued our exploration of the cuisine at a later lunch at Lupi & Iris, where the Menu d’Affaire caught my attention. You could call this the lunch special, where there is a choice of two courses (for $28) or three courses (for $36), including soup or salad, an entrée and dessert. The insalata mista, or mixed salad, was an artistic display of celery, shredded carrot, red cabbage, half an egg and red leaf lettuce dressed with a light vinaigrette. It was almost too pretty to eat and tasted as good as it looked.

Cavatelli con ragù was made with tiny house-made pasta shells mixed with roasted and minced pork in a tomato ragù. It was spicy from tiny bites of chopped Calabrian chili and slightly creamy from ricotta. Every bite included some of the pork.

Course number three, olive oil cake, was another beautiful plate that included tart yet creamy lemon sherbet, toasted pistachios, whipped cream topped with a dot of pistachio flavor and, under the whipped cream, the olive oil cake. It was a masterpiece of textures and flavors — sweet, sour, crunchy, soft — and an appropriately light ending to this three-course meal.

My companion’s pez espada, wood-grilled swordfish, was equally delicious, or in her words: “The fish just melts in your mouth. You don’t even need to chew it.”

Because we were so enamored with our meals, I texted photos of my lunch to a friend who lives in Los Angeles. She replied, “Wow! That looks like a meal you’d find in NYC or L.A. Not Milwaukee!”

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The Rundown

• Location: 777 N. Van Buren St.
• Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mon-Fri; Dinner: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Thu, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sun; Aperitivo-happy hour 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mon-Fri; Brunch 10 a.m. to p.m. Sun
• Neighborhood: East Town
• Website: https://www.lupiandiris.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milwaukkee.wi

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