Take the picturesque drive down Highway 83, which weaves through the Kettle Moraine Forest, and you’ll eventually find yourself in the small community of Genesee Depot. Despite its size, it’s a destination teeming with charm and fascinating history. But it’s also home to one of the area’s most lauded eateries: Union House, S42 W31320 Highway 83.

The massive two-story restaurant is the largest in the area and it beckons with its crisp black and white facade and picturesque wrap-around porch. 

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But it’s inside where the magic happens. Take a seat at the convivial L-shaped bar to enjoy a classic cocktail, including their popular barrel-aged Old Fashioned or Manhattan, both enhanced by the bar’s collection of house-made bitters. Or delve into the restaurant’s whiskey collection which boasts 150 Scotches and 100 bourbons, or its Wine Spectator Award-winning wine list, which offers particularly strong selections from California and France.

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Then take a seat in one of the restaurant’s cozy dining areas where you can enjoy classic supper club-esque dishes like wedge salad, French onion soup, and an entree featuring steak or chops. Alternatively, you can branch out and indulge in one of Union House’s famed wild game entrees like quail with ‘nduja stuffing served with sweet corn cream, maitake mushrooms and black truffled-honey. 

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Every dish is part of the ever-evolving history of a restaurant that has roots leading back to the Civil War era.

Linking the past to the future

It was 1861 when Irish immigrant Patrick Lynch opened The Union House Hotel. It was a popular stop along the railway line which transported Union soldiers cross country, a fact which is likely at the root of the Union House name. Even today, guests can hear the sound of trains making their way through Genessee Depot, almost like an echo from the past.

Throughout its history, guests have dined at Union House. Some were simply passing through. Some lived in the area and made it a community destination. And that hasn’t changed. Even today, Union House welcomes a diversity of visitors from both the immediate community and well beyond.

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In fact, it was the desire to preserve that tradition which led Curt and Patty Robinson to purchase the historic property in 1989 and operate Union House for three decades. When they decided to retire, they sold the restaurant to local investors and Union House customers Jim and Heidi Lindenberg, who purchased the restaurant in February of 2020.

When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Lindenbergs to close the restaurant just a month after reopening, they took the opportunity to update the interior. They took pains to pay respect to the venue’s history, even as they brought it up to more modern standards, employing VJS Construction Services in Pewaukee to install new black booths in the dining area, refresh the walls and open up the bar area.

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More recently they’ve added a “VIP room” on the second floor, which is currently being upgraded with its own bar. The private space is an increasingly popular choice for corporate events, wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners, as well as the restaurant’s own special events, including monthly chef tasting dinners featuring courses paired with wine or spirits. In September, the dinner will feature wine from Frank Family Vineyards.

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Decor throughout the restaurant pays homage to the past with vintage black-and-white photographs taken in the area and sourced from the Waukesha County Historical Society. Among them is a signed portrait of Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, the 20th century Broadway legends whose Ten Chimneys estate is now a National Historic Landmark. The famed thespians summered in Genesee Depot and were frequent diners at Union House.  

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“When we bought it, Union House was a hidden gem,” notes Jim Lindenberg. “They had a loyal audience that sustained them. But with a little work and publicity, we’ve doubled sales since we reopened." 

Classics with a modern twist

Executive Chef and General Manager Dan Harrell, whose career has included work with the Milwaukee Bucks, Calderone Club and Mason Street Grill, says the menu at Union House offers a balance of nostalgia and modern sensibility.

“We’ve really stuck to the core of traditional dishes,” he says, “While incorporating new fresh ingredients that give them a modern twist.”

Guests will see global flavors weave in and out of the menu with ingredients like North African harissa providing a pop of flavor for this pork tomahawk served with a couscous and sultana pilaf. 

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They will also find a wide range of wild game and seafood integrated into the menu’s specials. Sometimes it’s a more unusual protein, Harrell says, like camel, ostrich or kangaroo, which he has prepared in the past with chimichurri roja and Spanish rice. But they also feature more familiar game like elk, bison and wild boar.

Harrell says that the wild game offerings are a popular part of the menu.  

“We have guests who wait patiently for proteins like wild boar or Red Deer to land on the menu,” he says. “Sometimes we’ll even call them to let them know that it’s being served.”

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Whether it’s classic offerings like shortribs, duck or scallops, or more creative takes on seafood or game, Harrell says he makes sure that accompaniments change with the seasons and products are sourced locally as frequently as possible.

For instance, blackened North Road salmon is currently served with poblano creamed corn, salsa verde and chili oil; while an autumnal preparation of bison strip has been served alongside rye spaetzle, brussels, mulled cranberries and parsnip puree.

“We work with Lester’s Bison farm in Salem for bison and other wild game,” says Harrell. “We source lamb from Pin Oak and produce from Pink TeePee Farms and I often pick up bread orders from Rocket Baby Bakery since they don’t deliver out this far.”

The restaurant also maintains a special relationship with Hoarde’s Dairyman in Fort Atkinson, sometimes benefitting from exclusive access to cheeses in development. Currently, he says, they are testing out their aged Manchego, a cheese that isn’t yet available to the public.

The ability to provide something new for returning guests and appealing offerings for everyone who walks through the door are among the things Harrell says has kept Union House relevant. But he says that it’s also the staff's dedication to exceptional service that keeps people coming back.

Union House is open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to close.  Reservations can be made online or by calling the restaurant at (262) 968-4281.

Follow the restaurant on Instagram and Facebook for specials and updates.

Taste it for yourself

Join the OnMilwaukee Squad before Sept. 20, 2024 and you'll be entered into a drawing for a chance to join us in October for an intimate Chef Tasting Event at Union House featuring creative dishes and beverage pairings from Chef Dan Harrell.