In 1842, Tosa got a government together and just nine years later, the railroad came through, cementing the future of this little village. Just five years later, the town of Wauwatosa was created, as homes and businesses sprung up nearby. In 1835, Charles Hart built a couple mills along the Menomonee River that grew into the town of Hart’s Mills. But in the history of the building and especially of the site, 25 years could seem almost like a blip. It is a big deal 25 years is a long time. Because the recovery time on that is long, but it just made sense to do it. "On paper, this would not be something you would put 600 grand into. We're bringing people through here and we want to show them that we're truly serious about investing. We built a showcase kitchen and it makes a statement. "I turned Paul loose on the kitchen and (Chef) Juan (Urbieta) was very involved. "That's where most of the money went," says Bartolotta. It is largely invisible (to customers), but new light fixtures, new HVAC, new computer systems, new coffee machine, new bathrooms."īartolotta’s brother and partner, Paul, came in to tackle the kitchen. "So what you see here now is very similar to what we opened with. We put in some really beautiful Italian tile. There was an uneven floor (near the bar) that we had to fix. "But it had gotten tired after 25 years of being pounded, and the bathrooms were really not great. "I didn't want to create a shock to the system. "We called it a refresh and it's a fine line because people are in love with this space and I didn't want to move their cheese, so to speak," says Bartolotta. Instead of moving, Bartolotta doubled down – or tripled down, if opening Pizzeria Piccola next door was doubling – and spent more than a half-million dollars to renovate the Ristorante. We had thought about moving the business at one time – (because of) the economics it’s just so small – but vacating this building would be too painful for us." It was us and (The Chancery’s) Joe (DeRosa) at the time. "It started the whole thing (for us)," says owner Joe Bartolotta, as we sit with empty espresso cups before us at a banquette in the restaurant – portraits of Bartolotta’s grandparents gazing down at us from among the vintage images that adorn the walls.Īfter reminiscing about childhood visits to the pancake house that occupied the space when he was a kid, Bartolotta adds, "There wasn't much here. That’s definitely a landmark distinction considering the Italian restaurant’s role not only in helping to kickstart the dining scene in the Village – where it remains an anchor draw – but in launching the Bartolotta Restaurant Group and playing a key role in boosting the entire Milwaukee-area dining scene to the next level. in the heart of Wauwatosa Village, celebrates its 25th anniversary. This year (2018) Ristorante Bartolotta, 7616 W. In honor of Dining Month, we're resharing this 2018 story of a classic Milwaukee restaurant.