I went to Kil@wat for the second time last week, the first was lunch I will say that there were some bumps, however I do not feel that was a typical day for the restaurant. The atmosphere in the restaurant is warm and inviting, "earthy" if you will. Reflects some the best modern style that Milwaukee has to offer. My girlfriend and I were sat in a booth over a nice lighted view of all on water street. Any menu of course can be a little confusing at first, our waiter for the night was very patient and broke it down nicely for my girlfriend, even taking the to recommend pairings with courses and wine from the menu to what we would like.The waiter was kind enough to assure us the quality of the scallops as my girlfriend felt iffy about having them med rare, yet that quickly dissipated when I saw the look on her face and she refused to let me have any, so the red wine sauce on them "looked" good. The flat bread was surprisingly well composed for a simpler dish.The second course, the red pepper soup, was very comforting, sweet yet this nice heat in the back of your throat.The beat salad was an eye opener , I don't like beats, but those were roasted and with the vinaigrette and goat cheese, it was light and entirely devour-able.After our waiter asked us if he could pair a glass selection with what we were eating, and since we like pinot noir, he recommend one of the 3 choices they had according to our entrees, but also gave us a half bottle choice (side note: I have had half bottle selections before at restaurants and they are always disappointing.Being that kil@wat could definitely double for a wine bar.) On to the 3rd course, the polenta cake isn't really my forte, albeit it was pretty good,nicely done for any vegetarian. Where I was impressed though, the sea bass, I have had the sea bass at Umamimoto, wth bamboo rice, it is light, earthy, fresh, ethereal. So it made my eyes roll into the back of my head, and the kil@wat sea bass was better. It had more pizazz and way with flavor, up, down, then this slight zip from the pickled ginger on top. Now the short ribs came at me from left field and I'd say my girlfriend was being generous, but she was full.They were good, better than I would think a meat/potatoes dish could be.The waiter was so knoledgable to point out how it all was preped, and everything that was used in the sauce of the ribs, it all melts in your mouth. Almost, mind you, enough to pull me away from my bass. Overall, now with the wine it was a really nice flavor experience.Definitely, coming back with larger group and getting dessert, not very many restaurants have a pastry chef, and from what I was able to see go to other tables made me jealous. I highly recommend to let the waiter pick out what flavors you like. Food is 11/10. Service, you feel like you know them right away, attentive and thoughtful.The check was $145.For what we got surprised we weren't charged more, that same level does not go far at Sanfords,Carnivore,Capital Grille,Umamimoto.
Pros: Wine, Value, Modern/chic, ambiance
Cons: An arrow/sign for restroom
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