A neighborhood hub: Roux Conlon Loar helps bring a taste of France, Italy to Dubuque’s South Grandview neighborhood

It’s a sun filled Sunday morning when the first patrons begin filtering in, settling into chairs at cafe tables and enjoying the natural light gently beaming through the large atrium windows, while sipping coffee.

By afternoon, the corner bistro has become a hopping hub. Conversations abound, while busy servers deliver an assortment of fare.

And by day’s end, the warm glow from the interior lights spill onto the nearby sidewalk. Light chatter can still be heard, interrupted only by the bites taken of a decadent dish and the clinking of wine glasses.

Passersby are getting in their end-of-day jogs and dog walks, a few stopping by the outdoor patio to exchange pleasantries with familiar faces.

It’s the kind of neighborhood gathering place Roux Conlon Loar often had envisioned when looking upon the South Grandview Avenue staple once famously known as the Milk House.

“The last time is was empty, I would look at it and think, ‘That really could be made into a unique addition for the neighborhood,’” said the 47-year-old, who now owns the location. “And I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that — being an addition to the neighborhood, but at the same time, fitting in.”

Roux & Lucia opened its cafe and bakery in December 2024, after Conlon Loar’s father — Tim Conlon, chief executive officer of Conlon Construction in Dubuque — purchased the property, with plans to restore and renovate it.

“I think it’s a place a lot of people in Dubuque have a memory of, especially if you grew up in this neighborhood,” Conlon Loar said. “My father grew up down the road from the Milk House in the 1950s and used to come here as a kid, walking home from St. Columbkille, eating candy and hanging out. For awhile, East Mill Bakery was here, but when the building became available to purchase again in 2020, my dad bought it.”

Conlon Loar — who attended Clarke University in Dubuque, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in art history, and later, a Master of Business Administration in business administration and management — relocated from the area for a time, raising her family in Colorado. She — along with her husband and two children, ages 8 and 12 — returned to Dubuque just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

“It was a chance to be closer to family,” she said. “I also had a lot of friends who had moved back to the community and had kids that were about the same age.”

As her father began work on the building, he approached Conlon Loar for ideas about what it could house as a business, soon turning that effort over to her.

“I really wanted to see a casual neighborhood dining spot, where you could come for brunch with your family, lunch with your girlfriends or a date night, and enjoy a good cup of coffee, a nice glass of wine and really great food,” Conlon Loar said. “And my dad and I both wanted to do that preserving as much of the local history here as possible.”

A nod to past and present

Conlon Loar and her father worked closely with Mike Gibson, former director of the Center for Dubuque History and archivist at Loras College, to research the history of the site.

It opened in 1890 as T.J.’s Donahue Grocery Store. Later, it was operated by George Helbing, then by the Sullivan family in the late 1930s. Upon the building’s sale to Clem Welsh, it was christened the Grandview Milk House.

Refurbishing the site began behind the former Milk House — the site of a previous salon. That structure was torn down and rebuilt to house the Bakery, complete with coffee and ice cream counters, as well as shelving for retail items.

“It’s much easier to tear down and build to what you need than it is to restore, in some cases,” Conlon Loar said. “Everything we serve here is made fresh, and our bakery supplies the restaurant with made-from-scratch breads, pastries and desserts. There are a lot of moving parts that need to work together, and it was necessary for us to get that part of the business up-and-running first. It also gave people a little taste of what was to come while we worked on the other half of the site.”

The Bistro and Market, located in the building of the former Milk House, opened in June and maintains the integrity of the historic structure.

In addition to restoring and renovating the space — recreating slatted ceilings, and uncovering and tuckpointing old brick — new enhancements incorporate a bar, a deli counter and an additional retail area in the main building, with an atrium dining area and outdoor patio (soon to also include a fire pit) added on.

One wall located within the atrium stands out — green brick, with the rubbings of names when you look at it closely. It’s a creation courtesy of local artist and former instructor of Conlon Loar’s, Louise Kames, a professor of art at Clarke.

“For years, people used to carve their names into the brick on the side of the building,” Conlon Loar said. “We had a rubbing made of it and turned it into wallpaper, so people who remember doing that might still be able to come and find their name.”

A fusion of French and Italian fare

The name of the restaurant — derived from Conlon Loar and her niece, Lucia — encapsulates the European-style dining experience restaurant organizers have worked to cultivate: Roux, a nod to French fare, and Lucia, to Italian. From the appetizers to salads and soups, main courses and desserts, both countries are well-represented. Menu items featured include cheese and charcuterie boards, frites (fries), Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame during brunch hours, a Waldorf chicken salad and a curry chicken salad for lunch, a pesto and burrata sandwich, summer linguine, and steaks, chicken and seafood. Herbs used in the dishes, as well as in cocktails, are grown on site.

“We will begin turning over our summer menu to our fall menu around mid-September,” Conlon Loar said. “Menu items like our Waldorf chicken salad, and our watermelon and feta salad have been very popular throughout the summer. People also have enjoyed our salmon piccata. But we also have an excellent Au Dubuque burger, and chicken and waffles. And our fries are incredible.”

The restaurant also offers an extensive beer and wine list. Assisting in that curation was EJ Droessler, owner of EJ’s Wine Shop & Tasting Room in Dubuque’s Historic Millwork District.

“We have a lot of really great wines that you can’t find anywhere else,” Conlon Loar said. “And what’s really great is that if you have a glass of wine you really enjoy, you also can buy a bottle of it in our retail area to take home with you.”

In addition to wine and other food items, kitchen tools, accessories and decor also are available. The deli counter also offers imported meats, cheeses and other to-go assortments.

For lighter fare, patrons visiting the nearby Bakery can grab a cup coffee to-go, as well as baked goods, such as muffins, croissants, scones and mini quiches, as well as ice cream.

“It’s one location that offers a little something for everyone,” Conlon Loar said.

A blossoming success

While opening the location has proven a bit of a whirlwind, Conlon Loar said reception to Roux & Lucia in its first months has been strong.

“We really wanted to make sure we were a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and that people saw this as an enhancement,” she said. “And so far, we have received a lot of positive feedback. Like anything, we’re still a new business, so we’re always looking for ways we can improve as we continue settling in.”

It also has been a welcome homecoming for Conlon Loar, whose family has a history in contributions to Dubuque’s cityscape.

“It has been nice to feel as though we’ve been able to preserve a piece of Dubuque history that people have a lot of fond memories tied to,” Conlon Loar said. “This has been a great part of returning to the community.”

Megan Gloss writes for the Telegraph Herald.