The Bartolotta Restaurants’ newest restaurant and event venue, The Commodore, will have its grand opening on Wednesday, July 24, on Nagawicka Lake in Delafield, the Milwaukee-based restaurant group announced Monday.
The concept’s highly anticipated opening follows a two-year transformation of the historic waterfront property at 1807 Nagawicka Road, most recently home to Weissgerber’s Seven Seas Restaurant for nearly four decades.
Developed in partnership with HF Hospitality Group’s Jay Franke and David Herro, who purchased the 3.9-acre property in 2021, The Commodore – A Bartolotta Restaurant “has been reimagined as a fine-dining and events destination” that pays homage to Lake Country’s history while incorporating “contemporary classic touches that will carry the destination decades into the future,” according to a press release.
Bartolotta first announced its plans to operate the property in August 2022. The project turned out to be quite the undertaking as decades of wear and tear and shoddy infrastructure work required essentially stripping the 27,000-square-foot building down to its studs and reinforcing it with steel and other durable — and expensive — materials. An initial summer 2023 opening was eventually pushed back to early 2024 and then spring. A group of local media got a sneak peak at the property in mid-May but an official opening date had not yet been set.
“We are excited to unveil this two-year project and bring this iconic property back to life,” said Paul Bartolotta, chef, owner and co-founder of The Bartolotta Restaurants. “We view this as a long-term commitment to the Lake Country community as we are now custodians, building new legacies and memories for generations to come. We look forward to greeting our guests with the ‘hospitality heart’ that they have come to know and love from The Bartolotta Restaurants.”
The property has changed hands more than 15 times since opening in the early 1900s as the Pleasant View Hotel and Resort, serving over the past century as a hotel, a discotheque, a girl’s camp and a school.
Today, The Commodore’s main-level dining room is designed to look and feel like a 1920s-era yacht club, featuring several dining rooms with views of the lake and curated artwork adorning the walls. There are two private dining rooms, Margo’s and Pepper’s, named after the once-famed “Margo’s Pepper Tree” restaurant which operated on the property from 1976 through 1978.
On the menu, diners can expect a mix of nostalgic classics, including “Beef Wellington for Two” and Wiener Schnitzel — in honor of the late Jack Weissgerber and the Weissgerbers’ family legacy — as well as contemporary dishes such as seared Georges Bay sea scallops and roasted Atlantic halibut. Heading up the kitchen is executive chef Jesse Kloskey.
Complete with its own full-scale kitchen, the upper-level catering and events space is equipped for gatherings ranging from large weddings and galas to smaller business meetings and intimate celebrations. The Grand Heritage Room has capacity for 220 people and can be divided into two separate ballrooms. There are also two smaller spaces: the Baldwin Lounge, a private room outfitted with a fireplace, and the Nagawicka Suite, which serves as a bridal hospitality suite.
The property has three designated outdoor spaces: the Pleasant View Pavilion for groups up to 220 people, the adjacent Fountain Patio for smaller ceremonies and cocktail receptions of up to 100 people, and The Garden, a secluded courtyard space for small groups.
Bartolotta’s announced Monday that an exclusive members-only social club, dubbed Club 1902, will open at a later date on the building’s lower level.
Starting July 24, The Commodore will be open Wednesday through Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations can be made through the restaurant’s website.
