Purslane, a Mediterranean pop-up restaurant in Viroqua, will replace the upscale Lower East Side restaurant Ardent at 1751 N. Farwell Ave. in Milwaukee.
The announcement of Purslane’s entry to Milwaukee comes on the heels of Ardent’s closure announcement after 11 years in business.
Mary Kastman, James Beard Award-nominated chef and head of Viroqua’s Driftless Café, will serve as executive chef at Purslane’s first brick and mortar location on North Farwell. Purslane’s concept was spearheaded by Kastman in the summer of 2024 as a pop-up in Viroqua, according to Kastman’s website.
Purslane will focus on eastern Mediterranean cuisine and mezze (small plates), but will offer larger entrees as well. Kastman showcases the flavors of the Mediterranean and Middle East while utilizing a network of small and family farms in rural Wisconsin, her website said.
“While we are sad to leave our Viroqua community, we are humbled by the opportunity to turn this dream into a reality,” Kastman and her husband Erik wrote in a statement on their website. “What started as an idea back in 2014 will now have a home at 1751 N. Farwell Ave. I am excited to continue the story of this revered and much-loved space with a new concept.”
Purslane will take over the entirety of Ardent’s garden-level space on Farwell including its formal tasting room and its casual lounge. Back in 2023, Ardent relocated its main tasting room into the adjacent former Red Light Ramen space and filled its original space with the casual lounge.
Kastman intends to maintain the intimacy of dining at Ardent, but introduce some new colors and lighting to adhere to the Purslane Mediterranean concept.
“I’m excited to introduce a new (Milwaukee) audience to the flavors that transformed me as a chef,” said Kastman.
Ardent’s executive chef and four-time James Beard Award-nominated Justin Carlisle told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week that a new concept by a new operator — “someone close to our hearts and we’ve known for a very long time” — was already planned for the North Farwell Avenue space.
Kastman’s many friends in the Milwaukee culinary scene as well as the greater scale of opportunity in Milwaukee drove her decision to establish in Ardent’s place. A long-standing friendship with Carlisle and Amilinda’s head chef Gregory León is making her transition to the city much easier, she said.
Ardent will close its doors on Dec. 31, but will continue its normal operating hours during its final weeks of service — Thursday through Sunday for the lounge and Thursday through Saturday for the tasting room.
