Chef Peter Sandroni of La Merenda will see a long-time goal come true this week.
His new restaurant, Engine Company No. 3, will open at 217 W. National Ave. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The restaurant, which will serve breakfast and brunch six days a week, will focus on a mix of savory and sweet offerings, with as much local sourcing as possible.
Once a partner in the the Bongo Room, a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Chicago, Sandroni has always wanted to open a breakfast spot of his very own. But, at the time he opened La Merenda in 2007, he didn’t feel the neighborhood was ready for it.
Fortunately for Sandroni, Walker’s Point has become a dining destination to which consumers flock for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And so the time is ripe to realize his dream.
The space, which inhabits a firehouse originally built in 1904, showcases ladders and other apropos paraphernalia. Décor Seating is available at both tables and booths, as well as at the bar.
Like La Merenda, the food, which includes omelettes, as well as chilaquiles, shrimp and grits, pancakes, French toast and other specialty items, puts an emphasis on hand-made, locally sourced fare. Special touches include cinnamon whipped butter for toast (made by Troubador Bakery), as well as housemade jams.
Housecured bacon – including "streaky" and Irish styles – is available, thanks to in-house butcher, Matthew Devan, as well as housemade sausage.
Engine Company No. 3 will be open Tuesday-Friday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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