It’s as important as ever to support the amazing collection of local restaurants that we have in our beautiful city. And there’s no better way to do so than making a commitment to patronize them throughout the year. To guide you on your journey, I’ve composed a list of 52 amazing restaurants. Try just one of these every week and you’ll have visited them all by the end of 2023. View the full list here OR download an abbreviated printable PDF file.
Bavette La Boucherie
217 N. Broadway, (414) 273-3375
bavettelaboucherie.com
New American
$$-$$$
[Read more]
Last year brought much change for this once-cozy butcher shop and cafe. Thanks to a move just down the street, Bavette has metamorphosed into a bright modern space with an expanded menu that is just as delightful (if not more) than before.
Guests who’ve been fans of the restaurant’s casual sandwiches and salads can still get their fix over the lunch hour. Even better, Bavette’s delicious substantial burger – formerly reserved for burger nights in the summer – is now a permanent fixture on the menu (and, now that the restaurant has a deep fryer, there are fries too).
But, what’s most exciting of all is the dinner menu, which still allows for casual noshing on cheese, house charcuterie and their stupendous smoke trout deviled eggs, but has been expanded to include a larger selection of seasonally evolving entrees, from Ora King salmon served with cockles, cranberry beans, corn, poblano cream and bacon jam; to butcher’s cut steak, currently served with king trumpet mushrooms, cippolini onions, foie gras creamed spinach and huckleberry bordelaise.
You’ll also easily find a match for every dish on Bavette’s wine list, which errs beautifully on the old world side.
Recommended: Charcuterie; steak tartare; seasonal dishes
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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