Ristorante Bartolotta Marks a Quarter-Century of Classic Italian Dishes

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This year, Ristorante Bartolotta, the restaurant group’s highly acclaimed flagship, is celebrating 25 years of bringing classic Italian dishes to Wauwatosa. The historic Cream City brick building sitting on a corner resembles many trattorias—simple and casual Italian restaurants—you would find in Italy. The interior has recently been refreshed with a refinished bar, new tiles, curtains and china, but the Ristorante still maintains its cozy atmosphere.

The biggest update, the kitchen, reflects in the creativity of Chef Juan Urbieta. The new Hestan oven adds dimension to staple dishes, such as chicken, and aids in creating new regional and traditional options. The oven’s intense heat sears the outside of meat, giving it a crispy surface while producing a juicy interior.

While pondering the menu, consider: Bartolotta still has one of the finest wine lists by the bottle and a good selection by the glass. And in keeping with what any good Italian ristorante should offer is the bread they serve. Not only the thin bread sticks grissini on the table, but the basket of warm Italian peasant bread or ciabatta served tableside are excellent.

Ristorante Bartolotta remains an upscale trattoria with Antipasti, I Primi, I Secondi and Dolci e Formaggi (dessert and cheese) courses. The restaurant offers all four courses in a chef selection (for $60), but also you can order these selections à la carte. The baked bufala pizzaiola ($14) is still one of my favorites from the antipasti list. The melted gooey cheese, with salty olives and bursting cherry tomatoes scooped up on freshly grilled bread, is just as comforting a way to start the evening as sharing the cured artisan meat board ($14) served with gnocco fritto—fried bread from the Emilia region that is puffy and crisp. New to the menu is a sautéed shrimp in a chickpea sauce ($14), but we opted for the roasted prawns that evening ($16).

There are three salads ($9.50-$10.50) including a misticanza di campo with fennel and a red wine vinaigrette, and a crisp romaine Cesare with an anchovy-Romano cheese dressing. The dressing was a wonderful balance of anchovies and acid, although I found the croutons to be a little soggy and greasy.

You can’t go wrong with any of the items from the I Primi section, which can be ordered in true primi (appetizer) size or as an entrée. The handcrafted pasta is superb, down to the thickness and shapes in the preparation and paring. They are always served steamy hot. One of the techniques I appreciate in any Italian restaurant is the skillful art of “mantecatura”—the emulsification of the starch in the pasta to a fat or sauce. In each of the primi dishes, whether the garganelli with prosciutto and peas ($17/$26) or the tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and Tuscan nepitella (herb in the mint family) ($18/$27), these delicate pastas are tossed and coated with perfection.

Among the staples on the menu is the pappardelle al ragu d’Anatra ($18/$27) whose beautiful wide ribbons of pasta are soaked in a slow-braised duck ragu. This dish sounds heavy but is light, yet satisfying, and offers a lovely change from the usual red sauce.

The I Secondi portion of the menu includes everything from mista di mare’s assortment of grilled seafood ($34), a wood roasted filet of beef with a rich black truffle sauce ($42), lamb chops ($38) and a bone-in pork chop ($27) for all the carnivores in your group. The orata del Mediterranean al forno ($34) is an oven baked sea bream severed with seasonal vegetables that was exquisite in both presentation and taste.

Don’t forget to end your meal with any one of Bartolotta Ristorante’s desserts or cheese selections. Three of my favorites are the budino al caramello, a sea salt caramel pudding with a light layer of chocolate ganache and served with house made cantucci ($8); chilled lemon cream with toasted meringue ($9); and the simplest of the three, the affogato al caffe ($8:50), a house made vanilla gelato served with a small pitcher of espresso. Pour it over the dessert and say “Salute!”