There are just two more days to get your fix at the current location for Bavette La Boucherie at 330 E. Menomonee St.
The restaurant will be closing its doors after service on Saturday, April 2 to make preparations for its move to a new, larger location at 217 N. Broadway.
Chef Karen Bell opened the restaurant in 2013 with the intention of providing the neighborhood with a local spot to purchase fresh meats and sundries. In fact, at the time, there was little intention for the restaurant to grow into the dining destination that it has becoome.
Nearly a decade later, the butcher shop has evolved into a full-blown destination restaurant with a menu that runs the gamut from casual sandwiches and snacks to finer dining style entrees. And Bell's work has earned her numerous accolades and honors as a five-time semi-finalist and two-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Midwest award.
A re-opening date for the restaurant has not yet been announced.
However, once it opens again, Bell says guests can expect a larger retail area at the front of the restaurant featuring fresh meat cuts, cheeses, charcuterie and grab and go items, along with a larger selection of wines and pantry items.
Thanks to the new location's larger kitchen and additional equipment, guests can also look forward to an expanded list of menu offerings, including some dishes that were impractical to serve in the former location.
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.
