Take Me to the Belfrē Kitchen Church in Delafield

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After nearly two years of not going out and staying home with her five kids, I wanted to take my cousin out to a nice dinner somewhere we both hadn’t been before. Someone told me about an old church that was converted into a top-tier restaurant in Lake Country and that was all I needed to hear. We were off to 606 N. Genesee Street to the Belfrē Kitchen for a night out.

Admittedly, I don’t leave Milwaukee County much for a Friday night dinner so Lake Country is a bit foreign to me. Walking up to Belfrē Kitchen it feels like a warm and welcoming place with a promise for a good meal. Upon entering, the decor is modern but the space honors its religious roots. We were sat upstairs where perhaps the choir could have been. The walls were adorned with paisley church-key wallpaper and a golden organ was set in the background. There’s a story here.

Our waiter told us the story of how owner Amy Quinn came up with a concept of a restaurant where the community gathers for farm-fresh meals sourced locally. And that’s exactly what you get at Belfrē Kitchen.

We order a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that didn’t break the bank, the roasted cauliflower appetizer, and a tomato soup to start. My cousin is a vegan-leaning vegetarian and I’m someone who’s on a mid-winter health kick, but there were plenty of options for us both. I got the Faroe Islands salmon and she got the poke bowl. I intended to go back and dip into the meatier entrees again someday.

After our lovely meal, we left the church and stepped out into a snow squall—one of the most terrifying weather conditions to drive my old Prius in—for a long drive home. While I wish we would have checked the weather before committing to a night away from Milwaukee, it was certainly worth the trip.