Unlike most restaurants in Milwaukee, this place decided to skip the uncomfortable metal patio furniture with umbrellas donning the label of a local brewery and went with comfortable understated plastic.

Often described as one of Milwaukee's hidden treasures, Nessun Dorma is in a class all its own.

Nessun Dorma, which in Italian means "none shall sleep," was transformed from a drab corner bar to an earthy, candlelit haven where classy jazz piano flows from the sound system. Owners Joe Gilsdorf and Dean Cannestro had visions of an intense wine and beer menu with panini and antipasti so full of rich ingredients, an Italian would feel right at home.

The weather was on our side one of the nights my dining companion and I decided to eat here, so we sat on the plastic, forest green patio furniture that lined the sidewalk. Unlike most restaurants in Milwaukee, this place decided to skip the uncomfortable metal patio furniture with umbrellas donning the label of a local brewery and instead chose comfortable understated plastic.

Lucky for us, we dined with Nessun Dorma on a Tuesday which meant half-price Lakefront Brewery's Riverwest Stein, conveniently appropriate considering our location.

We scanned the double-sided menu and saw variety of bruschetta. It was hard to veer away from the classic tomato, basil and garlic but once we sank our teeth into the Pesto brushetta ($5.95) we were glad we did.

Unlike traditional bruschetta that is served on toasted crostini, Dorma's was served on large pieces of bread that were cut into triangles. Spread on top was a pesto (the same green as the chairs we were sitting on) that was blended with basil, pine nuts, garlic and other scrumptious delights. Accompanied were pepperocinis that tasted great when placed on top of the savory bread.

Nessum Dorma offers a nightly special that is usually very hard to resist. This time, it was grilled blue marlin with a side of spiced rice, a roma tomato cheesy aioli and some perfectly seasoned, uncut green beans ($13). The fish was grilled to a flaky perfection, and the rice it was sitting on offered the perfect amount of heat to add to the richness of the tomato aioli. Obviously, we could not resist finishing the entire plate.

We also ordered a Puccini Panini ($8.50) that had a mixture of Kalamata and green olive spread right on to the perfectly grilled bread (with gorgeous golden brown grill marks, I might add). Placed inside were caramelized sweet onions, a piece of thinly cut beef tenderloin and the spicy cappicola.

Cappicola is a piece of thinly sliced pork that has been cured in different spices. Unlike corned beef, that uses the same type of curing methods, cappicola has more heat and a tangy taste.

Mixed greens drizzled with the house raspberry vinaigrette accompanied my sandwich. The sandwich was excellent, even despite my lack of interest in Kalamata olives. The panini would have been bland and unsatisfying if they had not been there.

With the bruschetta and the sharing of the marlin dish, it was hard for me to finish my panini. I took the other half home, had it for lunch the next day and I swear it was even better.

We finished our meals just as the sun was setting. We decided to move into the bar were we had a couple more Riverwest Steins as zippy jazz piano soundtrack played in the background.

It was a meal we wouldn't soon forget.

One other item that should be noticed while dining at Nessum Dorma is the Chicken Caesar Panini. Grilled chicken breast with mixed greens, scallions and a perfect house-made Caesar mayonnaise made this dish something to eat very slowly. Served on a thick slice of Asiago ciabatta bread, this sandwich left me no room for dessert.

Tucked inside of quaint and quiet Riverwest neighborhood, Nessun Dorma has a laid-back atmosphere and a mouth-watering menu that will leave you wanting to come back for more.

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