Il Cervo

Il Cervo (pronounced Il Chair-vo) is a modern Italian restaurant on top of the Trade Hotel in the heart of the Deer District, an area of downtown Milwaukee. By dining here, you get to experience twists on Italian classics, all while taking in a unique view of the city.

Even knowing that Il Cervo is located on the top of the hotel, it’s a little tricky to find at first. You walk into the main entrance of the Trade, go right, and take the elevator up to the ninth floor, the rooftop. Stepping out of the elevator, you are greeted by the sight of some fridges that not only give a glimpse into the kitchen, but also show the dry aged meats and fresh pasta that will be prepared for you that night. The staff were quick to acknowledge us as we walked into the restaurant and they swiftly got us to our seats. I highly recommend booking a reservation as the tables and booths were mostly full when we got there. The restaurant provides an open concept where the majority of seats have a view into the large kitchen and expo area. It was a nice little bonus being able to watch the chefs work from afar.

Environment

Service typically has two ends of the spectrum: your server is either never around or around way too much, leaving you with no privacy. The staff here have found that perfect balance where they were not overbearing but were always around when you needed them. When we first sat down, the menu was a little intimidating. The server was able to break it down for us and gave recommendations for how much food to order.

Drinks

A large and unique cocktail list, there are more than enough options for anyone to find something for their tastes. I will also give credit to any “fancy” establishment that keeps Spotted Cow on tap. From the signature cocktail list, we had Un Bel Viaggio, Photo Romance, and The Way Home.

I (Olivia) have been in my gin era so I was drawn towards the Un Bel Viaggio, made with gin, Nonino Aperitivo, honey, celery, and lemon. Admittedly, even though celery was listed in the ingredients, I didn’t expect the earthy flavor to come through as strong as it did. This wasn’t an issue for me since I love celery, but I think it’s important to point out in case you’re not a fan of the stringy vegetable. The drink itself was well balanced, and if you like green juice, I think this is the one for you.

Photo Romance, a bourbon drink with peach liqueur, amaro, lemon and mint was solid but largely forgettable, which is not often a great sign but it was a generally enjoyable drinking experience. It overall just kind of blended together and you didn't get to appreciate those peach, lemon and mint flavors that we were hoping for.

The least favorite was The Way Home, a rice rum based drink with many different bitter flavors combined into one drink. That ended up being its biggest detriment as there was not enough balance to the bitter, and every sip left that dry bitter aftertaste.

Overall the drinks were good, yet unspectacular and did leave some to be desired.

Food

The intimidating menu was broken down into 8 different categories; Pane, Mozzarella A Mano, Spuntini, Insalate, Pasta, Piatti, Sourdough Pizza, and Contorni. 4 of these categories represented what we would consider a more traditional “appetizer”, 3 a “main” dish, and 1 being side dishes to accompany a main. There were more than enough options where anyone in a party would be able to find something that would pique their interest.

Starter

We ended up getting 2 items from the Spuntini, the Arancini and the Crispy Pork Belly

If you’re unfamiliar with Arancini, it’s a delicious cheesy rice ball that’s coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. When the plate was on its way to our table, I was impressed in the best way. The portion size and the size of the arancini itself was larger than anticipated - perfect if you have a group and are sharing plates. They were nice and hot and crisp on the outside with no grease in sight. What made this different from other arancini I’ve eaten was that it tasted like they added lemon juice or zest, which helped cut through the cheese & rice. If I had to make one critique it’s that I wish it came with a red tomato sauce to dip instead of the ‘nduja vinaigrette - but that’s more of a personal preference. If you’re on the fence about ordering these, do yourself a favor and give them a try.

The Crispy Pork Belly came with a stone fruit agrodolce, broccolini and white truffle oil. The belly itself was excellently cooked and the fat was rendered down to a state of melting in your mouth while the meat provided a nice counter bite. The agrodolce, which is something between a jam and a sauce, provided a tangy almost asian cuisine vibe to the dish. Overall, a strong appetizer to start the meal.

Main

For our mains, we ordered the Squid Ink Gnocchi from the Pasta section and the Grilled Spring Chicken from Piatti.

Upon arriving Squid Ink Gnocchi’s first impression was one of “that doesn’t look like that much food, maybe i should have ordered something different”. But that could not have been further from the truth, the pasta dishes used here must share some properties with a black hole because I struggled to finish the entire dish, and it had nothing to do with flavor. The gnocchi had a great texture, where the squid ink granted a nice salty birny bite that paired excellently with the squash blossom cream. The lobster played a nice second fiddle to the gnocchi, and blended into the dish well but didn’t overpower the rest of the dish. If I had one complaint, it would be that I was not able to feel the heat of the Calabrian chilis or the tang of the lemon olive oil enough. I would gladly order this again.

I was in the mood for chicken, so I ordered the Grilled Spring Chicken, expecting to get a chicken breast and some vegetables. What I got instead was a whole roasted chicken on top of a plate of ultra cheesy polenta and carrots. This dish did not disappoint. The chicken was juicy with a fire roasted grill flavor and the carrots were cooked perfectly - done enough to not be raw but still a little crunchy on the inside for some bite. I didn’t even know I needed cheesy polenta in my life but I do now, that’s for sure. I would definitely order this again.

Dessert

In the words of Olivia, “there is always room for dessert”, and if we are going to try this food blogger thing out, it is our duty to taste test desserts to let you know what’s the deal.

We weren’t sure what we wanted for dessert, but if there’s Tiramisu on the menu you can bet that it will be ordered. When Olivia asked the server about the tiramisu, he mentioned how it was different from the traditional dish and was served in a chocolate shell, layered with lady fingers and topped with a whipped mascarpone filling. We immediately jumped on this and when it came out it did not disappoint. The best thing about this tiramisu is that the classic flavor is there, but in a revitalized form. The dark chocolate shell was thick enough to hold everything together but not too thick that it couldn’t be broken up and eaten at the end. We would definitely order this again.

When looking at a dessert menu, my checklist for me to order one is pretty short. Does it contain citrus? If Yes, order that. If No, look at the next item until the answer is yes. I made it to Cornetto Con Crema and found my match for the night. At its roots a cornetto is essentially a stuffed croissant, and this one was stuffed with lemon pastry cream, macerated strawberries and topped with candied almonds. This was honestly delicious, the cornetto itself had a nice chew but the star really was the lemon pastry cream. It was just the right amount of tart but also creamy, and then you got the tangy sweetness of the strawberries.

Final Thoughts & Recommendation

In total, Il Cervo far exceeded our expectations. Although a little on the pricier side, from the service to the food it felt like we were getting our money’s worth. The menu had good concepts that played out well on the plate, and there was something for everyone from the drinks to the desserts. If you are looking for a nicer night out, we would strongly recommend venturing to the top of The Trade and checking out Milwaukee’s newest Italian restaurant.

TL;DR

Environment: 8.5/10

Drinks: 6.5/10

Starters: 8.2/10

Mains: 9/10

Dessert: 7/10

Price: ~$150+

Overall: 8.6/10

Drinks: Un Bel Viaggio, Photo Romance, & The Way Home.

Starters: Arancini & Crispy Pork Belly

Mains: Squid Ink Gnocchi & Grilled Spring Chicken

Dessert: Tiramisu & Cornetto Con Crema