The Union House is a 2024
"Best of the Burbs"award winner!
The Union House just garnered the coveted "Best of the Burbs" award from Milwaukee Magazine for 2024. Now make your reservation and see what all the buzz is about!. Call 262-968-4281 to make your reservation.
........
The Union House featured on
Leap 36 Podcast featuring Leroy Butler & Gary Ellerson.
The Union House is featured on an episode of Leap 36 Podcast with Green Bay Packer legend Leroy Butler! Check out a sneak peek of the episode below.
........
The Union House earns Wine Spectator award of excellence!
We are honored to be a recipient of this timeless award. Stop in to check out our ever-evolving wine list and glass offerings to excite every wine lover’s palate! See our wine list here
........
........
The March chef spotlight goes to Christian Garcia Cortez, Executive sous chef from the Union House in Genesee Depot!
Christian was born and raised in Veracruz, Mexico, and he moved to the US at a young age. His interest in the culinary world started from watching his mom cook his favorite Mexican dishes at home.
His very first job in the food industry was at Chipotle Mexican Grill and that’s where his love for cooking began. From there he pursued further interest in the culinary industry by working at more classically trained restaurants such a Millioke, Garden Inn Grill, Mason street grill & the Mecca sport & bar grill. Today he has found himself back to fine dining and is running the kitchen at The Union House!
“I’m a passionate chef who loves to create delicious family-friendly dishes! I like making new recipes and playing with flavors while mixing Mexican and American cuisine”.
Christian loves switching up the menu with his cultural influences and believe me, the guests are loving it too! He adds a Mexican flare to Union House’s traditional wild game feature with his wild boar pozole, and he is certainly flexing his mole game on some of these featured comfort dishes. Who doesn’t love a good mole?! Outside of work Christian loves being a dad and spending time with his family. That is his daily motivation. He also enjoys watching cooking videos and other chefs. He loves learning new things and believes it’s important to stay humble.
Check out these beautiful culturally inspired creations by Chef Christian!
1. Green Mole Pipián, rabbit sausage, chickpeas, poblano peppers, watermelon radish, micro greens
2. Mole Poblano, lamb meatballs, cotija cheese, toasted sesame seeds, radish, micro chervil
3. Wild Boar Pozole, tomato & guajillo broth, hominy corn, cabbage & pickled red onion slaw, oregano
4. Choco Flan, pomegranate compote, espresso mousse , pistachio sugar
Congrats to you and all of your successes, Christian!
........
The Union House is one of the 25 best restaurants of 2023!
In the Milwaukee Magazine March issue, dining critic Ann Christenson, picked the 25 best restaurants in our fair city. The Union House in is among them! Check out the March issue to see more!
........
The Union House is a 2023 Open Table Diners' Choice Award winner!
This award celebrates top-rated restaurants based on feedback from diners who booked on Open Table.
Wisconsin best for: Special Occasions, Romance, Notable Wine List
Milwaukee best for: Food, Service, Overall, Ambience
........
Wisconsin Foodie Features Hoard's Dairyman at The Union House.
Wisconsin Foodie | Season 13 Episode 5
Travel to Fort Atkinson, home of Hoard’s Dairyman, to learn about the heavily decorated St. Saviour cheese. Hoard’s Dairyman is a beloved publication that was started in 1885. Hoard’s also runs a cheesemaking operation with Willow Creek Cheese and a dairy farm. Host Luke Zahm samples the famous cheese at The Union House restaurant.
........
Restaurant of the Week:
The Union House
Written by Rachael Muhlenbeck Published on February 13, 2023
in Food & Drink, Restaurant of the Week
Thirty miles west of Milwaukee sits Genesee Depot, a small community teeming with history and charm–in the center of it all lies The Union House.
Set in a historic hotel building dating back to 1861, The Union House gives off all the traditional Wisconsin supper club vibes and then some. Echoes of the still-active railway across the street accentuate the appeal and ambiance of this vintage space.
........
The Union House is a 2022 Open Table Diners' Choice Award winner!
This award celebrates top-rated restaurants based on feedback from diners who booked on Open Table. A huge thank you to all of our guests for making the Union House what it is today! We appreciate you and our entire Union House family!
........
........
International Autos Porsche Event.
Event date: July 13th 2022
........
The Union House featured on WTMJ4
The Morning Blend - The Mader Menu.
Genesee Depot, Wisconsin, November 7th 2021
........
........
........
The Union House restaurant headed for growth under new ownership.
Feb 19, 2020
GENESEE DEPOT - Longtime fine dining restaurant The Union House in Genesee Depot has been purchased by local entrepreneur Jim Lindenberg.
After operating the restaurant for 30 years, owners Curt and Patty Robinson sold the business and the building at S42 W31320 Highway 83 and retired. The deal closed Feb. 18, Lindenberg said.
Lindenberg is owner and president of Lindy Enterprises and JML Holdings. He previously owned Waukesha patio and rec room retailer Master Z’s, but sold the business in 2018. He has been involved with a number of other local ventures in recent years, including the Milwaukee Wave, which he owned from 2008 to 2013.
A longtime customer at The Union House, Lindenberg was approached by the Robinsons late last year about purchasing the restaurant. Now, as owner, he plans to grow the business and introduce new diners to a “hidden gem,” he said.
All current staff members at The Union House will be retained, and Lindenberg plans to make some new hires in the coming months.
Lissie Vorberg will serve as the restaurant’s executive chef and general manager. She previously worked at the now-closed Coquette Cafe and Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro. Her husband Nick Vorberg, who played goalie for the Milwaukee Wave while Lindenberg was owner, has been hired to head up the bar and assist with operations.
Heidi Lindenberg will lead marketing for the restaurant. She currently serves as marketing manager at Lindy Enterprises.
“We could not be more excited about the future owners and management,” said Patty Robinson. “We know they will do a great job keeping the fine tradition going moving forward, and we are excited about them taking this restaurant to even another level.”
The two-story historic Union House building was built in 1861 as a hotel, and has since functioned as a social gathering spot for locals.
Lindenberg said the structure “needs a little TLC.” He plans to finish the second floor for additional seating and private events. That would increase total seating from 75 to 120, and allow the business to business to book events on weekends.
“Currently they turn away people on Friday and Saturday because they’re so booked,” he said.
He also plans to update the outdoor patio to add outdoor seating.
“I’m excited that the restaurant has great history, great reputation and that we’re going to be able to take it to another level, increase sales, increase revenue, add some staff, fix it up,” said Lindenberg.
........
Where to dine on wild game like kangaroo, pheasant and quail in Lake Country.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
July 30, 2018
GENESEE DEPOT - The name implies bringing people together, and there's no loss in translation from that to the reality at the Union House.
"We think of ourselives being like a 'Cheers' bar. We have a lot of regular customers. Frequently people will come in and just have a glass of wine and pretty soon the people next to them are like old neighbors," said Union House owner Patty Robinson.
Patty and her husband, Curt, have created and cultivated the camaraderie and cuisine at their establishment for nearly three decades.
"My husband and I have been here since 1989. The building had been empty for five years," Patty said.
The structure itself was built in 1861, and its name is inspired by the great conflict that was going on in America at the time.
"It was built in the Civil War. It used to be a stopping place with a hotel and a few rooms, and you could get a hot meal. It's always been a restaurant. There was a burger bar before, before that it was more like just a hangout place where they had pool tables," Patty said.
"That's probably what spurred us on at the time. There was nothing really around in this area. There was very little development; lots of farmhouses," Patty said. "It seemed like the thing to do."
Two years after opening, the Robinsons teamed up with chef John Mollett, who is still running the restaurant's kitchen and helping to produce signature dishes.
"I know that their chef has been there a long time with them, and I think it's just one of the best places in the entire Milwaukee market even though it's pretty far out here," said Delafield resident Cheri Larsen.
Patty noted that the Union House has been referred to with a number of different labels in terms of what type of restaurant it is.
"We call it 'country gourmet.' We have some standard items that we feature on the menu, we have a selection of steaks and seafood, but we always have some farm-to-table offerings," Patty said.
One recent example is the Alaskan sockeye salmon.
"We always have a wild game option on the menu. It could be venison, kangaroo, pheasant, quail," Patty said. "It changes often. We just do a variety of things."
A couple of particular specialties at the Union House include the roast duckling, pecan-crusted chicken, steaks and the signature wild game options.
"I've tried a lot of new things there, and it's always been excellent. I don't even know if I could say that I have a usual because I don't get to go quite as often as I wish, and when I do, I'm always interested in something new," Larsen said.
Patty, herself, makes all of the restaurant's desserts, and the Robinsons also pride their restaurant on its wine selection and array of single malt scotch.
The Union House is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. For a time, the restaurant also offered lunch, but Patty and Curt have decided to focus on the evenings.
"There are several other places in town now that offer lunch, and we didn't find it to be to our benefit. It's not consistent enough at our location to really warrant being open," Patty said.
But while the Robinsons are well aware that there is plenty more around them than when they first opened nearly 30 years ago, they're more than happy about it.
"We've just had an incredible year with all of the development in our area, subdivisions popping up and new houses being built," Patty said. "Business is great."