WATCH NOW: New Silver Lake Restaurant Hopes To Revitalize Downtown; owners are planning a second boutique in April | Business

JILL TATGE-ROZELL
SILVER LAKE — The owners of the new Silver Spoon Gastropub & Pizzeria hope to breathe some life into downtown Silver Lake by anchoring the business district with a flagship restaurant.
“We wanted to bring the people and the energy back,” said co-owner Ken Naselius, who some may recognize as the man in the fedora-style chef’s hat who once worked at the Village Pub on Cogswell Drive.
If the most recent “Cantina Night” crowd is any indication, people are hungry for more options.
“We flipped the dining room four times,” said co-owner David Allen Staral, who approached Naselius with the idea of opening the restaurant.
Davis hopes a successful business might be enough to convince others to start a new business and reinvest in the area.
The new gastropub is located at 101 S. Second St., in a former bank building that for more than 30 years was the Taste of Italy restaurant. David said he started negotiating with the previous owners last July. Customers will be delighted to know that the deal they made included the Taste of Italy pizza dough recipe.
People also read…
It was Ken’s wife, Barbara Naselius, also a partner, who coined the name Silver Spoon Gastropub & Pizzeria.
“We all said right away, ‘This fits perfectly,'” Ken said. “It pays homage to the white tablecloths that have been used here forever and it pays homage to Silver Lake.”
The “signature table setting” also includes a silver spoon and supper-club style folded cloth napkins. Patrons receive free bites of pizza dough and a roasted garlic and parmesan “spoon dip” in keeping with the upscale comfort food atmosphere of a gastro pub.
Ice cream, confectionery in project
In April, the partners will also open Silver Spoon Ice Cream and Sweets in a storefront across the street. It will include Schoppe chocolate ice cream, homemade candies, freshly baked cookies and other treats.
In addition to their regular menu, the restaurant hosts special multi-course dinner specials, for which limited-seat tickets are sold. For example, there will be a tequila tasting and wine pairing event on March 9.
They offer brunch, lunch, and dinner on Saturday and Sunday, when they are open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. They are open from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Ken said people are very surprised to hear that everything is made from scratch using food from local suppliers and is fresh every day. In addition to making all the sauces and dressings, Ken, a former butcher, cuts his own USDA meats and makes his own chorizo and andouille sausages. The brunch also offers freshly baked cinnamon rolls and made-to-order frittatas and omelettes.
Tradition and variety
“You can have a solid, small menu and still be able to do just about anything you want for your specials,” Ken said.
David said locals want variety. To meet this demand, they are offering some of the same iconic Italian dishes that Taste of Italy customers have been waiting for after the restaurant closed, but are also mixing things up. For example, there’s a breakfast burger topped with peanut butter, bacon, and a fried egg.
“We want to find that balance for those who still want traditional Italian food and those who want new, fresh dishes,” David said.
Ken said he often asks customers for feedback on new dishes.
“If I’m working on something, I’ll just pull it out and say, ‘Try this,'” he said. “That feedback is part of what I use to qualify that it has that ‘wow’ factor that I’m looking for.”
IN PHOTOS: Readers’ January photos
012822-kn-en-photooftheday
Deborah Mink shared this photo, which she calls “January on Lake Michigan.” About the image, she tells us: “We live right next to Seventh Place with a view of the lake. This was our morning view on January 25. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
012722-kn-en-photooftheday
June Ambro shared this photo, which she calls “Wintertime Antidote”. Residents of Wisconsin, she said, “need to pay close attention to their mental health during these dark winter months. Growing a brilliant amaryllis or other flowering plant indoors can really boost your mood! » Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
012322-kn-fr-photooftheday
Chaz Bartucz shared this image. “I took this photo last night of a fairly rare group of ‘frozen pancakes’ that congregated in Kenosha Harbor,” Bartucz said. “These discs form when waves bang together chunks of ice, rounding their edges as they freeze and grow.” Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
012122-kn-en-photooftheday
GiGi Whitmore shared this photo, which she took on Tuesday “while walking along the Kemper Center. The sun really magnified the icy beauty. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
012022-kn-en-photooftheday
Aimee Arreguin sent this photo, which she calls “Magnificent Morning!” Arreguin captured the scene early Tuesday morning. “I was so blessed by this beautiful work of God today which only lasted a few minutes,” she said. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
011322-kn-en-photooftheday
Brighton resident Jan Marchuk sent in this photo, calling it ‘Snow Ripples’. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
011122-kn-en-photooftheday
Sharon Broadway shared this photo, which she calls “Winter by the Lake”. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
011022-kn-fr-photooftheday
Gary Brown shared this photo, which he took at Southport Marina on Wednesday. “A rare leucistic mallard duck (yellowish in color) can be seen sleeping among Canada geese and other mallards on this cold and windy day at the Kenosha Marina,” he said. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
010822-kn-en-photooftheday
Brian Platt sent in this stunning sunset photo, taken at dusk on January 3. He calls it “Rubyset”. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
010722-kn-en-photooftheday
Brian Platt shared this photo of a new day breaking over Lake Michigan on Sunday morning. He calls the image “Rising Sun”. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
010622-kn-en-photooftheday
WINTER SCENE
Jeff Puterbaugh sent this photo, which he calls “First Snow”, taken in Petrifying Springs Park in Somers on Sunday morning. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
010522-kn-en-photooftheday
Jill Letven sent this photo of birds in the snow. “My husband caught this woodpecker and cardinal hanging out together after the snowfall,” she said. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted
Photo of the day January 4
Jimmy Jones drove around the neighborhood where he grew up and captured this snowy image in Lincoln Park on Saturday night. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
PHOTO SUBMITTED
010122-kn-fr-photodujour
Bob Zoiss shared this photo, which he calls “Feathered Foursome”. As he tells us, “I took this picture of sandhill cranes through my truck window. I was surprised they stayed so close for the photo. Do you have a photo to share? Email [email protected]
Photo submitted