Sanford Restaurant

If you're looking for a refined and intimate dining experience, Sanford is a must-visit. From the moment you step inside, the cozy and elegant atmosphere immediately sets the tone for an amazing night. The four-course menu was very diverse yet cohesive. Cocktail, beer and wine list was impressive also. Tried the special Cupid Cocktail, which was tart and smooth. To start, we tried a grilled pear and Roquefort tart and the coppa. The tart was a perfect balance of sweet and savory. The second course was a shellfish soup. It was very rich and flavorful, but did have a strong seafood flavor. For the main course, I opted for the duck and my partner the tenderloin. Both dishes were expertly prepared. Duck was juicy, flavorful, and complemented by a rich sauce. We really liked the texture and flavor that the grilled lettuce added to the tenderloin. Lastly, the desserts really stole the show. The banana butterscotch toffee was great if you like a sweet dish. The Drive In hot fudge sundae was like an elevated childhood treat, so wonderful and nostalgic. Overall, we were so happy with our meal and grateful to the wonderful staff who were so forgiving to us being late due to travel and a snow storm. Valet was easy when we couldn't find any street parking nearby. Cost was added to our check which simplified things also.

The outside of this restaurant does not match the inside at all. From the moment you walk into the restaurant it's like you were transported to a completely different place.The service was amazing. Our server was very knowledgeable and touched on the table when needed. She gave wonderful suggestions and everything was delicious. Kudos to the chef and his team for the amazing things that they create in the kitchen!We were given an opportunity to see the kitchen and it's amazing what they can do in the kitchen that they have! Highly recommend.

Sanford is a nice restaurant with some good food options, good flavors, kind and thoughtful service.To properly rate/review something like this it needs to be against other fine dining establishments. I think for a lot of people it's 5 stars compared to the standard chains and mom and pops they might frequent. But what about when it's rated against other high end places like Per Se, French Laundry, Alinea, or Smyth? Still good but not 100% the best.If those are the 5 star restaurants, then Sanford would find 4 it's ceiling.My main gripe here is the timing. We were a party of 6. We arrived slightly before 6 and left a little before 10. That's four hours which is far too long. Since each course is smaller you find yourself finishing faster and then sitting and waiting for the next course to appear. The gaps of time between courses made my table a little impatient/frustrated.The food itself was pretty good but the service fell short.The poor pacing of the meal left everyone having the same conclusion. It was good but there was no desire to go back.

Sanford is a great choice for an upscale dinner in Milwaukee. They are very consistent, so whenever you're going there, you know what you're going to get. Very professional service and consistently good food. They do try to push the envelope in terms of creativity, but the flavors are pretty consistently new American. They have an a la carte menu or a tasting menu. It is fairly pricey and a dinner here can take longer than other places. The ambiance is intimate. With those things being said, it's a great choice for special events like birthdays or anniversaries.

I wanted to love it. Maybe I'm just not the fine dining type, but the food left something to be desired. Went with my bf for our anniversary, and the service was phenomenal. I appreciated the well spaced, thought out menu, but the main dish was lacking. They offered a four course menu that we opted out of due to the options. I'm not into huge portions, however I finished my main course in 3 bites! The dessert, however, was out of this world. I still think about that delicious toffee....All in all a very pretty place with fantastic staff but I won't hurry back.

We went for our anniversary and chose their 7 course Chefs Surprise dinner with the wine pairing added on. Upon entering and being seated I looked around and thought to myself, " what's all the fuss about". The interior decor and setting were not impressive but ok. But the Sanford is not about Decor it's about a food experience, and they certainly stand out above most restaurants I've been to. Their Wine pairings with the dishes was spot on. The servings were both delicious and presented well. After being seated initially we sat for a bit with just waters waiting for our server, but once or waitress arrived she was very informative and helpful. We had a few food preferences that we wanted to try and she went to the chef and asked if they could be incorporated in the tasting, and he did so. I would highly recommend reservations for this restaurant, as it is quite popular.

No special occasion...really just came for a nice dinner. We made reservations ahead of time. When we were seated, we were offered the options of a 7 course tasting menu at chef's choice or a 4 course set menu. I'd say the 4 course set menu took about 2.5 hours and they said that the chef's choice would be about 3.I was able to share most of the dishes with my cousin who shared this experience. I ordered the grilled pear and roquefort tarte, foie gras, duck, and Banana Butterscotch Toffee Tart as dessert. Doing the course set menu left us full! I had opted out of the wine pairing as I had to drive 1.5 hours home.Honestly, all of the food was great. The duck was possibly the best I've ever had. The desserts are on the sweeter side but if you kind of sample everything on the dessert, the flavors meld well and cut the entire sweetness.Service was excellent and since we went when the place opened at 5, there was ample street parking. I would definitely come back to try the 7 course tasting menu next time!

Cost dining room. Great service. The food was wonderful. Every thing on the plate was artistically arranged and had a purpose. So many flavors!

As usual, our experience at Sanfords was amazing. It's our way of celebrating our wedding anniversary. This was our 49th on 9/27. This has become our tradition for the last ten years. We even did there "meal-to-go" during the height of Covid. We absolutely love this place and have never been disappointed both in the staff and the food.

Our group agreed that our Sanford food experience was amazing! Each course that was brought to the table was pleasing to the eyes and a party for the taste buds, wow! I must also include that our waitress and servers were top notch! We will definitely come back again for a special occasion dinner. We had a great evening at Sanford!