"Open for: Brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinnerPrice range: $$$$Fifteen years after claiming James Beard’s Best Chef Midwest award for his work at Lake Park Bistro, Adam Siegel, along with co-owner Michael DeMichele, earned a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2023 with Lupi & Iris. But the duo don’t rest on their laurels at their high-style downtown digs. The restaurant plays host to an ever-expanding roster of special events — wine classes, black truffle dinners, high tea, “demo and dine” nights when chefs reveal their secrets — but dinner menus inspired by the French and Italian Riviera remain the kitchen’s focus. The goat cheese tart with smoked trout, wood-grilled octopus salad with Romesco, cavatelli, wood oven-roasted veal chop with anchovy-garlic and olive oil potatoes, and orange olive oil cake are some players that might give Lupi & Iris a run as perhaps the new leader of Milwaukee fine dining. Know before you go: Outstanding happy hour and lunch prix-fixe specials make the restaurant more accessible than it seems." - Todd Lazarski