If you visit the new Buckley's Kiskeam Inn, 801 N. Cass St. in search of an Irish style inn or food, you'll be gently surprised by what you find within the quaint location, which formerly housed Benjamin's, Lakeside Inn and, more recently, Dish Bistro.

The Buckley family gave the small inn's interior a teal facelift accentuated by black and white swirls and stripes on the banquettes, curtains, menus and awnings. The bar, which Michael Buckley purportedly found on the East Coast and brought home to Milwaukee, is a lovely focal point.

But, aside from the name Kiskeam Inn (which cites a village in County Cork, Ireland), Guinness on draft, one corned beef sandwich ($9.50) and an Irish stew ($19) on the menu, there is very little Irish about Buckley's. In fact, Buckley's concept seems to be confused across everything from the wine list to the lunch and dinner menus to the music.

The menu relies heavily on Italian dishes including panini ($9-$9.50), chicken saltimbocca ($18) and eggplant parmesan ($16) and on one visit, an additional special of pasta Bolognese. Appetizers scream "upscale restaurant" with Kobe burgers ($10), blue crab cakes ($12) and prosciutto-wrapped sea scallops ($13), and a lobster bisque ($4 cup, $5 bowl).

The wine list, too, offers some lovely bottles in the high $50 to $100-plus price ranges, but little on the menu would merit ordering such a nice bottle of wine with dinner, save a tenderloin filet ($27). The music here is quite modern; we heard everything from U2 to Coldplay during our visits.

Concept confusion aside, Buckley's food is average, if not a bit bland. The Kobe burger appetizer was enjoyable with the plump burgers nestled with pickled red onions and crumbled bleu cheese. Proscuitto-wrapped sea scallops fared well in a basic, creamy beurre blanc.

Soups seemed somewhat hit or miss. A mushroom barley ($4) was better than average, but vegetarian chili and lobster bisque both were weak.

The panini here seemed somewhat lifeless. The corned beef sandwich, served with gruyere cheese and Russian dressing, lacked the good, cured flavor of corned beef. Like the roast beef panino ($9.50), the sandwich sounded good on the menu but arrived surprisingly flavorless. The roast beef panino coupled bacon with thinly sliced roast beef, and a good horseradish sauce which could have been doubled in portion and likely have made the sandwich less dry. Fries or garlic mashed potatoes come with the sandwiches and both were solid and simple; diners who so choose could also opt for sides including cole slaw, vegetables, oven roasted potatoes or other house offerings.

Irish stew was a good rendition of the classic favorite, but didn't carry the almost gamey flavor of the more traditional Irish recipes. Chicken saltimbocca was generous with the fresh sage and uniquely garnished with a fried sage leaf. Mashed potatoes came garnished with a healthy sprig of fresh thyme, but the herbs did not add enough flavor to the dish to make it truly excellent.

Buckley's could be something quite exceptional with a streamlined concept and some menu tweaks. The ambience here is a huge draw, service is practiced and professional while still friendly, and all the dishes we sampled had excellent presentation.

I didn't sample the popular Friday fish fry, but noticed multiple diners enjoying it during a recent Friday lunch (even a greater percentage than I would have expected during Lent), and which causes long wait times and necessary reservations for Friday nights. Perhaps the addition of a nightly fish and chips, and perfection and focus on some of their other menu items will make Buckley's a place to look forward to for a great evening date or quick professional lunch.