Palomino Bar, 2491 S. Superior St., will be closed for four to six weeks beginning on April 7 to accommodate a light remodel, including updates to the kitchen and bathrooms. While the old school tavern-style bar will remain, more booth seating will be added, and the restaurant's façade will be updated.
Owners Leslie Montemurro and Scott Johnson, of the Mojofuco group, have partnered with Valerie and Adam Lucks, co-owners of Comet and Honeypie Cafes, to give the restaurant a new feel, including a new menu, which will launch this summer.
"Palomino opened in 2002, and like any restaurant 10 years old, it’s due for a little TLC and some new ideas," said Montemurro. "We know from our customers that Palomino is well-loved and we will stay true to our Southern style comfort food menu."
The new menu will riff on those comfort foods, using Midwest ingredients to reinvent classics like cast iron fried chicken, steamed clams and smoked duck sandwiches. Many of the favorite items will remain such as the hot wings, burgers, po-boys, and yes, tater tots. This time around though the kitchen will be making the tater tots from scratch.
Chef Adam Lucks said, "As at Honeypie and Comet, we will be making everything possible from scratch, using local ingredients more extensively, and changing up the daily menu with specials. The plan is to add a wood-burning smoker and grill in the kitchen to give simple things like burgers an upgrade and smoke our own meats – items like brisket, smoked duck legs, and bacon. In addition to the home-made tots, we will also be making our own biscuits and sourdough bread."
The new menu will have a core of 8-10 sandwiches with additional appetizers and bar snacks available daily, in additional to a changing entrée menu. The restaurant will maintain a healthy offerings of vegetarian and vegan options, along with meatier fare. Brunch will be offered on weekends with a similar focus on southern style comfort food like cheesy grits, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, and sourdough waffles.
This round of the restaurant's refresh will be fairly basic, with a focus on food more than function. Long-term plans will include expansion of the Palomino kitchen.
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.
