Ardent

What a great experience! From the moment you walk in, to the moment you leave the staff couldn’t be kinder or more attentive. The food is just plain amazing! The tastes & feels are wonderful. Did I like it… YES!

Prepare to be impressed! The talent of all the chefs is top notch. I took pictures of every dish. I dreamt of all of them and I can’t stop looking at the photos this morning and trying to choose my favorite. They were all outstanding! Brilliant combinations of flavors, perfectly executed, beautifully plated, absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to recover from the awe of this experience and book a date to go back. Utterly A-​MAZE-​ING!!!

Comfortable and casual, in warm feeling from entering to service. I felt like we entered a friends home and was served and absolutely amazing meal. The attention to ingredients, presentation and our enjoyment is exquisite. We are truly lucky to have such great team making a full experience that is really great.

I had a lot of expectations going into this place. It was listed as Milwaukee’s top 5 restaurants. Overall — I don’t think it lived up to that reputation.
The good
1. Great service. We were always taken care of.
2. Dessert — both the pre-​dessert and the the chocolate dessert to finish with were unique and awesome
The bad
1. The food was good — but really I have had better food for the $ 85 price tag per person.
2. The vegetarian options were limited and they had no options that included fish or shrimp.
3. The portions were small — but that was expected for an 8 course meal. However the main course was barely a main course. The vegetarian main was minuscule. The beef was a little more chewy than I expected. We were left not feeling satisfied.
One thing that I would add here. The service was great though — the waiter asked us if we were fully satisfied and since my wife (the vegetarian) was definitely not — they made a special dish for her. Classy.
Overall — I always ask myself this question when I finish a meal. Would I go back here again? The answer in this case is no. It just wasn’t worth the price I paid.

This place was fantastic. I decided to eat here while on business in Milwaukee and after reading an article in the Chicago tribune. You are served an eight course meal, all of which were beautiful and a creative mix of flavors, while using ingredients you don’t see typically used. The portions may be small, but I left absolutely stuffed. Despite the steep price tag, I would love to experience this again, it was one of the top meals I have had.

Ardent is an honest homage to farm fresh food brought to you by a James Beard nominee chef who grew up on a farm in Sparta, Wisconsin. This place is not pretentious, smug, or precious. Simple wood tables with plain wood chairs make up the interior design of the tiny room. A cozy bar greets you as you enter the basement lair of Ardent.
While the décor is plain, the food is sophisticated and creative, representing the very best of local produce. This is an ensemble effort, as even the award winning chef helps serve, a vestige of the socialist history of Milwaukee. (Frank Zeidler) The food was delicious and the service professional. While not every dish hit the mark, I applaud the creativity and the artistry. Ardent is a Milwaukee culinary treasure, reminiscent of the departed Forage of Salt Lake City fame. This is a great restaurant.

Hubs and I visited the old haunts in Milwaukee and wanted a really nice meal that didn’t include the standard steak and potatoes. Ardent was the right choice. The tasting menu was clever and the service was perfectly paced. The milk and beef courses were the standouts. The others were good– but lacked balance. I thought there was a bit too much salt in some dishes– but that may be me. There was no pretense like you get at a lot of Chicago restaurants– these are folks who like to make good food and share it with others.

The second best meal of my life. And, the only reason it’s the second best meal is the «best meal of my life» was at Ardent in 2014.
Chef Justin is a genius. His team is so extraordinarily gifted and talented. Each one of them could be running a kitten of their own. Instead — they lend their creativity to Ardent to make some of the best dishes in the country.
Ardent is one of the most underrated restaurants in the Milwaukee-​area. .. if not the entire U.S. The food is so creative and unique that its hard to believe you’re not eating at a Michelin starred restaurant.
The highlight of my meal last night was a flavorful concoction that infused gnocchi, fermented cheese and dehydrated fish goodness (I think that’s what Chef called it :-) into one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. It was marvelous and so balanced. Each layer gave a new flavor profile.
I could go on and on about Ardent. I just think it’s the best place ever. And, it’s worth ever penny you pay for a multi-​course tasting menu with wine/​beverage pairings. Awesome!

The location is a little concealed (which just adds to it’s appeal) but it’s worth finding! Food was tasty and original, and service was professional and private. Attempt the steak. It is the finest I Have had in years. We’ll definitely be going back shortly. Adore it!

I was in Milwaukee last month for work and I was hesitant to check out the food scene since a lot of people say the Midwest doesn’t have good food, but eating at Ardent was the highlight of my trip!
Obviously the food was delicious and creative but the service was top notch as well. I really liked how multiple chefs throughout the course of the meal introduced me to their dishes and I got to meet chef Justin as well. I really appreciated how friendly and welcoming the entire staff was. I find that normally dining by yourself can be painfully awkward but I enjoyed everything about eating at Ardent. Justin even invited me to take a look around the kitchen when I was finished eating. I really wish I was going back to Milwaukee again soon just so I can eat here! Next time I’m in Milwaukee I’ll definitely be stopping in to see what other unique dishes Ardent is serving!

Love this venue! Despite living in Chicago and having many wonderful restaurants in walking distance of my home, three times now over the past several months I’ve made a special overnight journey to Milwaukee specifically to dine at Ardent.
The space itself is small and cozy and embraces the trend towards casual fine dining — despite upscale highly creative food there is a relaxed, energetic even playful vibe. There are a handful of tables but my favorite seats are the stools at the counter directly across from the open kitchen — it is so much fun watching the chefs in action.
Expect a tasting menu of approximately eight courses. The food is highly creative with beautiful presentations and interested combinations of flavors and textures. The Executive Chef (Justin Carlisle) is seriously talented yet still improving — each subsequent visit has been more delicious than the last. Expect top quality, fresh ingredients that are perfectly executed by Justin and his talented crew. I love the family component of Ardent; in addition to the staff treating you like family, Justin’s father has a cattle farm where he procures his beef from (some of the best domestic beef I’ve tasted) and his mother sews the chefs’ aprons and knits beautiful shawls that adorn the backs of the chairs.
In addition to amazing food, what elevates Ardent into an upper echelon venue is the service. Such personable down-​to-​earth people and absolutely no pretentiousness. The font-​of-​the-​house staff is awesome and the chefs themselves often deliver some of the courses and happily answer any questions. They also will happily tweak the menu when feasible to accommodate allergies or even aversions (of course providing them with advance notice facilitates this).
Another really cool aspect of Ardent is that Friday and Saturday nights they shut down for an hour after last service and at approximately 11:30pm reopen as a popup ramen shop. Really fun vibe and delicious yet inexpensive ramen as well as boozy slushies and cans of PBRs. I can’t think of any other fine dining venue where in a single night you can experience two memorable, fantastic yet polar opposite experiences in a single evening. Ardent is doing it right.
Update: Ardent was just named best restaurant in Wisconsin by Business Insider — Congratulations!

And we actually thought that our second trip to Ardent was filled with too high of expectations because our first meal there was so amazing!
Pshhht! Chef Justin and his staff hit it out of the park from the moment you step inside to the final «come back for Ramen!» as we’re heading out the door. The smiles by the staff and «Welcome back, glad to see you again!» are unexpected while they fill you with comfort and warmth as if you’ve just walked into the door of a good friend (who happens to fix you one of the most amazing meals of your life.)
My husband ordered the Brandy cocktail and the Gin cocktail later on in the meal and both were outstanding. My drink pairings with the tasting menu were spot on and since I have to dig very deep for any time of perceived criticism, I would say that a single espresso with the final desert would have been nice (I can order one too, like I said, I’m digging deep for something helpful to write to improve our next visit.)
The escargot dish makes me want to lick my (and my husband’s) plate. When the beef tartare plate was placed on the counter in front of us, you just knew it was something special. I think I made mine last for over 20 minutes. In both visits, there is a dish or two that you just don’t want to come to an end. The cauliflower soup was the other. While all dishes and deserts were on point, executed brilliantly and so absolutely delicious; that soup made me want to order a gallon of it to go.
Sitting at the counter and watching the staff maneuver the small space as if they’re dancing a ballet was a big hit, we’ll try to do that every time. I had commented to Chef Justin that things seemed so relaxed in comparison to some other restaurants we’ve been to and have watched on television. This is truly a team at work and the food reflects the positive energy put into it. The staff is deceptively efficient as they calmly move to fill glasses or clear dishes and you don’t even realize that they’re actually doing about 20 tasks per minute.
I’m personally thankful to Chef Justin for putting up with so many of my questions, we not only enjoyed one of the best meals of our lives, we learned so much about the entire experience.
We’ll be back, we just know it won’t take us 7 months again to get there.

Ardent is ABSOLUTELY my new favorite restaurant. I stopped by with the bf to celebrate our anniversary & have an early birthday dinner. I wish there were adequate words in the English language to full capture what I experienced here that night.
I was introduced to Ardent by Rick R. (who, coincidentally was at Ardent the night before I was, and had the same tasting menu), when he brought me to my first Red Light Ramen experience a few months back. Since then, I’ve been hooked (to RLR), but thought it was time I actually try Ardent, the formal restaurant and not it’s Friday & Saturday late night wonderland.
I’m not a stranger to fine dining or small plates, so to some extent, I knew what to expect regarding portion size and the price point. Ardent is a tad different in that they have the tasting menu — which seems to always change — but they also have full plates, too (if I understood correctly). What makes this place special is the attention to detail and level of creativity put into every dish, along with their very special staff.
To begin and end the meal, Chef Carlisle brought us «puffs»: The beginning of our meal was the «amuse bouche» — a beer cheese filled puff with 7 year aged cheddar on top — just thinking about this makes my mouth water. Living in Wisconsin, you can never have too much cheese — and this was a great blend of layers flavors. The end of our meal was a homemade cream puff — arguably better than the ones they serve at State Fair! To me, these two plates not only showed dedication to the things that make Wisconsin great — but it also showed a lot of thoughtfulness: there was clearly a theme here, and I love that the kitchen managed to bring it full circle for us.
I truly believe that there is so much creativity in every dish we ate — but the two that really blew my mind were the «Milk» and «Buttered Popcorn» dishes: «Milk» highlights a local WI farm, and featured their cheese, Ardent’s house-​made butter and bread (with the products from that farm). The bread and cheese were fantastic, but to me the real star of this plate was the house-​made butter: it was more of a butter-​cheese, very rich in flavor. The guy next to us asked if it was okay to lick his plate. It was THAT. FREAKING. GOOD. I ended up taking a roll of it home. The Buttered popcorn desert plate was also fantastic. When the chocolate mousse is what balanced the rest of the flavors on a plate out, you know you have something good going on. I seriously felt like a kid again — the caramelized corn flakes and the rich taste and texture. YUMMMMM.
Also of note, the Guinea Hen. Ardent doesn’t have your typical roof kitchen — they actually don’t even have a gas stove. So, they are pretty creative in their cooking methods. The Guinea Hen was sous vide-​d (meaning, cooked under pressure) — and I LOVE IT! You don’t see many places that do that type of cooking, so it’s pretty nice to see that they are creative in their methods, too. It had the perfect moisture and texture to it.
Lastly, I wanted to highlight the service here. Everyone is super friendly and attentive. From the moment we stepped foot in, to us walking out at the end, we never felt neglected or unwelcome. The staff cracked jokes with us, answered all of our (probably annoying) questions and were just SO down to Earth — which just made this an even better experience for us. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS NIGHT SO MEMORABLE FOR US!

I got a little choked up twice during my tasting menu.
The first time was near the beginning, when I was presented a dish of raw and cooked vegetables in a buttermilk broth with chaat masala. The intention, as explained by the man who prepared it, was to invoke vegetables and ranch dressing. Tasting it reminded me of my childhood, sitting around snacking on Hidden Valley. There are probably many other Midwesterners who used to do the same thing.
The second time was upon hearing the words «dehydrated summer sausage.»
These things, along with the beer cheese soup puff that serves as the amuse bouche and the milk course are so uniquely and utterly Wisconsin. It’s food that invokes a sense of place as much as it does the talents of Justin Carlisle. It’s upscale but completely convivial — the food is presented to you by the kitchen as it’s being completed, and special diets or food aversions are not only accommodated, but invited. Amid a series of wine pairings, one of my courses was paired with a Spotted Cow. You leave with a copy of the menu and a few tea cakes.
There’s a lot of great restaurants in Wisconsin, but Ardent may very well be the first great Wisconsin restaurant, able to capture all of the wonderful things about this state and elevate them to a level previously unseen. They’re truly a Milwaukee treasure.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… Ardent provides a dining experience that you won’t find anywhere else in Southeastern Wisconsin.
Why is that?
You know those vegetables that you don’t like the taste or texture of? Ardent will prepare them in a way that you do. Last night I had a Cauliflower dish with lentils. I don’t like cauliflower or lentils, but I loved the way they were prepared and assembled in the dish I had last night.
Is service important to you? Most of your dishes will be served by one of the chefs, who will tell you what’s in the dish and how it was prepared.
Do you like to have your mind blown when you dine out?
Last night, I split the 8 course tasting with a friend. The portions look small, but after 8 of them, you should be good to go. I always leave satisfied.
Dinner started with a «snack» that consisted of a bite sized pretzel roll filled with beer cheese soup and topped with a 7 year aged cheddar. That wasn’t even one of the courses in the chef’s tasting. It was a throw in, and it was spectacular! Our first course from the tasting menu was pork dumplings and mushrooms with a delicious, earthy broth. There was also a loaded baked potato cheddar purée and a dish of smoked pork with cornbread grits that simply kicked ass!
If your mind isn’t blown yet, one of the ingredients in a dish last night was «sorrel ice.» They took an herb and gave it a texture of tiny bits of ice! Then they served it with pear and chiffon cake. It was amazing! Who does that?! Ardent does.
How about celery root cake? Have you had that before? I doubt it, but Ardent served it up last night with a white chocolate ganache and apple, and it was pretty damn good! So was the dessert with chocolate custard, cornbread cake, caramelized corn flakes, and butter popcorn ice cream! Yes, butter popcorn ice cream!
If you set your cell phone on the table, they will bring a block of wood and a handmade cloth pouch to set your cellphone in and place on top of the wooden block. Even your frickin’ phone gets special treatment!
Do you get chilly when dining out? No problem, there is a shawl on the back of your chair that was made by the Executive Chef and owner’s mother. You can use it to keep warm.
Look, if you haven’t been to Ardent yet, I don’t know what the hell you’re waiting for. You are missing out on an experience that you’ll remember for a long time, at least until you go back and have a new amazing experience.
Don’t wait for a traditional «special occasion.» You work hard. Making yourself or your special someone happy already qualifies as a special occasion. You can have a 3 course dinner for under $ 40 per person, or you can go all out with a full 8 course tasting and wine pairings for $ 125 per person. Do what works for you.
Leave this site and go make your reservation now. If you don’t like to be the person in the office trying not to listen to your friends and co-​workers talk about an episode of Game of Thrones or the Walking Dead that you haven’t seen yet, then don’t be the person who still hasn’t been to Ardent.

Walking into Ardent you aren’t impressed with the ambiance and wonder how this place keeps getting rave reviews. To enter the restroom you have to venture into a hallway that is draped with curtains. The dining area is very tiny with one of the smallest kitchens I have ever seen. In fact, Ardent has a kitchen without any gas stove… they use induction burners and other heating methods.
It was girls night out so we decided to give the eight course tasting meal a try. The amuse bouche was a tiny pretzel filled with beer cheese soup and sharp cheddar. What a start to what would be an amazing flavor adventure!
The courses were perfectly timed with impeccable service. Once a course was cleared the next one arrived within a few minutes… just enough to give you a slight break to digest. The staff comes out for each course and explains what they are serving. Chef Carlisle comes out for many of them and gives descriptions so he just isn’t a owner/​figurehead. The passion he exudes for food is incredible.
The milk course that everyone raves about is actually that amazing. The muenster cheese is the creamiest I have ever eaten. You want to lick the remaining cultured butter off the plate it is so delicate and delicious. Every course used seasonal produce from local farms including his family farm. The flavor pairings were very unique and each course had the right amount of texture variation. There was always a little snap paired with creamy.
The only slight «miss» was the sassafras in the dessert… however, all of us were self-​proclaimed black licorice haters so this stands to reason. The sassafras was a bit overpowering and the meringue with the peanut sauce was just a little too sweet. However, every other course was incredible and the final dessert was great but just not as awesome as the other courses.
I read other reviews stating people were hungry when they left. The portion sizes for each course are not large but at the end you feel full. If you are a quantity vs. quality person and like AYCE buffets then maybe this shouldn’t be your dining spot. To me the food was just the right amount.
Beyond the food, my favorite thing about Ardent is the lack of pretense. They are wearing jeans serving you and don’t pretend to be some stuffy place. Justin’s down-​to-​earth personality shows through from the décor all the way to his Mom’s homemade wares throughout the restaurant. His family farm provides the beef plus many other of the seasonal veggies.
Justin invited us to see his very small kitchen and chat with the team. When we teased him about getting his autograph in anticipation of him winning the James Beard award he was kind enough to scrawl his signature on our take home menus. Chef Carlisle makes great food approachable for everyone and provides not just an incredible meal but an entire dining experience. If you have not tried Ardent yet you are missing out on one the best restaurants in Wisconsin.

I wish I had more stars to give, but 5 will have to do. We made reservations on-​line. Knowing that the restaurant is open for only four nights a week, I have no problem holding the reservation with a credit card. When making my reservation, I was only able to secure an 8:15 reservation on a Saturday night. My husband and I preferred an earlier time, but I went ahead and made the reservation, including a note that we would prefer a counter seat and an earlier seating if possible. Low and behold the, Dan from Ardent called us up to let us know that they were able to move our time up to 6:30.
I also gave them a call right before coming in to dinner to ask if they were able to accommodate bringing in our own personal wine choice for a cork fee, which they happily did for $ 25.
We have been to the restaurant many times for ramen, but this was our first chance to see the place in the light. We were greeted warmly and our coats taken. Our seats were at the far end of the bar with allowed for a great view of the kitchen.
I love that this restaurant has an unpretentious atmosphere. At times, I do enjoy the white linen tablecloths, but I would rather feel more comfortable just taking a seat at the bar without losing the fine dining experience. This is exactly what made me love Ardent so very much before we even received our first course. I love «fussy, well constructed meals», but I don’t always need to feel uncomfortable with «fussy, over the top service». Ardent takes great care of their guest, but with a much more laid back feeling. All of the staff works together well as a team, and everyone shares in the service duties. It’s great to get to interact with the kitchen staff directly. They have under the counter hooks for purses, and wood blocks with little cute blankets for cell phones. The staff took great care with opening and decanting our wine selection from home. Of course we were here to have the tasting menu, so on to the food.
First Course — Amuse Bouche This was their take on beer cheese soup. A pretzel like pastry filled with a creamy cheese concoction topped with 10 year aged cheddar — delicious and a great start to the evening.
Second Course — Roasted Mushroom with Parsley and Sambal This dish have the perfect balance of earthiness from the mushrooms, freshness from the parsley and complexity provided by the sambal.
Third Course — Milk Course We both loved the cultured butter and Munster cheese from New Glarus. The cheese and butter were severed at the perfect temperature, along with a terrific bread roll. The texture of the crust on the bread and the tang of the butter were heavenly.
Fourth Course — Escargot This dish was one of the one I was most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. The snails were served at the perfect temperature, and more importantly the perfect texture. They were tender; not chewy. The creamy butter and crisp parsley cracker paired well with the snails. I have had escargot many times, but this was the most perfect execution of the dish I’ve ever had.
Fifth Course — Grilled Onion The dish had perfect balance. It was cool, smoky and sweet. It was dressed with a fermented onion and red pepper purees, which had just enough acidity to balance the sweetness of the onion. It was topped with seaweed croutons that added the perfect amount of crunch.
Sixth Course — Sea Urchin We were served a Santa Barbara sea urchin with fresh asparagus. It tasted like spring, and the sea urchin was creamy, tasting of the ocean.
Seventh Course — Beef with Potatoes Three Ways The beef brisket was served with a combination of potatoes. This was one of my husband’s favorite dishes, and the texture of meet was fall apart tender and intense in flavor.
Eighth Course — Steak Tartare At this point in the tasting, I could tell we were not going to be served their famous steak tartare. I asked one of the sous chefs if we were able to add this one in before progressing to the sweet dishes. They were so very accommodating. The seasoning of the beef, topped with the deviled egg cream and bone marrow was awesome.
Ninth Course — Miso Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote Again, this dish was perfect for the season. The creamy cheesecake paired well with the brightness of the rhubarb.
Tenth Course — Smoked Chocolate Ice Cream with Marshmallows and Bananas My favorite sweet course of the night. I wish I could duplicate the smokiness of ice cream at home, it was that good.
Eleventh Course — Vanilla Cream Puff A perfect end to the meal. It was the best cream puff bite I’ve had. If only State Fair could serve these little morsels.
In all, none of the dishes failed to hit the mark. They had a great balance of flavors, textures and seasonings. It was easy to tell that each component had a purpose, and the construction of each dish was well thought out. We will be back, as this is easily the best dining experience I have had in Milwaukee.

I liked this place. Was not totally blown away, but still impressed.
I don’t remember all of the exact courses, but there were a few that were memorable. One of the initial courses was a salad-​like plate, that had a really intense smokey flavor and some spicy kick. There was some asparagus in it as well. I really liked this one even though I do not remember all the components. Another highlight for me was the milk course — just bread, butter, and cheese, but they were all simple and delicious.
My favorite item was the beef tartare with deviled egg cream and bone marrow mouse. Soooo savory and the deviled egg really makes it.
However, by the time we got to the «main» course, I was actually a little underwhelmed. The beef brisket we were served was cooked just fine, but had no originality to it like the other dishes had.
Overall was a good experience, but probably would not do the chef’s tasting again for the price tag. Would maybe go back for the a la carte (hopefully they have the beef tartare!).

Easily one of the top 3 meals I’ve ever had! This review is long overdue as my wife and I went here on Feb 28^th and absolutely loved it.
To start, we had reservations, which I think are required as we saw a single walk in an get turned away despite a spot at the bar. The chef later mentioned not wanting to ruin the other couples (who were eating at the bar) dining experience. I love that he was willing to turn away business in the name of a better experience for the people who made reservations.
Parking is an issue here so see their website for directions to the lot across the street. The restaurant itself is tiny! There are only 6 table in it and only 2 of those are «4 tops» with the others being «2 tops». They also have maybe 8 spots at the bar (which I view as the ideal spot given the completely unobstructed view of the kitchen.
We did the 8 course tasting menu as were adventurous eaters and we’ll eat just about anything. I’d stop there and say that if you’re looking for Cheesecake Factory size portions and a quick meal — I would pass on Ardent.
Here’s what we had, in order:
1. Our meal started with a pretzel ball with beer cheese soup inside. It was a great first bite that got or taste buds firing.
2. Cured lamb with a salty peach glaze — very good
3. Celeriac «soup» — not really a soup but it had salmon roe and white chocolate as well as the celeriac prepared several ways — hard to describe why but it was good, not great.
4. Play on beef Bourgogne with «mushroom bacon» (mushrooms tureen that was dehydrated and prepared as bacon). The sauce was cooked for 6 hours. This is easily one of the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
5. Fermented fois gras with black garlic, rye chips and peanuts — not my fav and I like all those ingredients. Just didn’t work for me. easily my least favorite.
6. Roasted beet dish — not my fav
7. Beef brisket with potatoes 3 ways — now we’re talking! Another great dish, not as good as the other beef dish but still very good!
8. Our first sweet course — lychee fruit with pineapple sorbet — very good
9. Banana bread pudding — not as sweet as the last course but it was even better!
10. Vanilla cream puff… a little mini cream puff… very good last bite.
We also got a take home piece of coffee cake… great touch. The chef asked if I wanted to come see the kitchen so I got to talk with him in there. The chefs present rah course and explain it to you, they all noticed me looking into the small window above our seat into the kitchen so that’s why they asked if I wanted to come in.
Chef is up for a James Beard Award and it’s easy to see why. We had just gone to thw highly regarded Chicago restaurant Girl and the Goat a few weeks prior to this meal and as I told the chef… Ardent blew that place away! I absolutely LOVE this place and will be back, hopefully as a regular given that I entertain clients for my job. If you’re a foodie, a fan of Top Chef, really good food or not you’re looking for much more than a great meal… Ardent is for you! I considered this not only a great meal but a great dinning experience as well.

I simply cannot describe how wonderful this restaurant is. My review is far less than eloquent, as words cannot express how much we enjoyed our evening at Ardent. We sat at the counter, Wednesday night. As suggested by Steven, we should try the tasting menu. Eight courses about two bites each. We let Steven pair our wine. Excellent job! My favorite was the cheese starter and onion soup. All the samples had unexpected twists and tastes. Please see my pictures, although they do not do justice. Beware, this was pricey at about $ 245 without tip (the wine pairing) but worth it. Thankfully I have a nice job and will be back to try the tartar!
Regarding dress code, I was wearing jeans and nurse shoes and my other counter companion was wearing Patagonia so show up wearing whatever, they will be happy to serve you and service will still be excellent. Other dinners were likely dressed nicer than me, but that wasn’t hard to achieve.
Ardent represents what I am so thankful and proud of in Milwaukee. Farm to table, pride in food and presentation! Service with a smile. Well done, well done Ardent!