Snuggle up with some holiday cheer as OnMilwaukee shares stories of everything merry and bright in the spirit of the season.
The OnMilwaukee Ho Ho Holiday Guide is brought to you by Harley-Davidson Museum and MolsonCoors.
The holiday season is the perfect time to gather with friends and family, reflect on the events of the past year and partake in traditions that bring us joy. It’s also a wonderful time of the year for great eating. Here are two dinners that are guaranteed to get you in the spirit.
German Christmas Dinner
EsterEv
360 E. Erie St., (414) 488-8036
esterev.com
Dec. 9 and 10
Seatings at 6 p.m.. 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.
Cost: $125 per person; optional beverage pairings +$65
Purchase tickets online
Chefs Daniel Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of DanDan and EsterEv are collaborating with Chef Cole Ersel – known for his affinity for heritage German cooking – to host a very special eight-course German Christmas Dinner.
Ersel, whose culinary background includes work at Hinterland, the Pabst and Riverside Theaters, Three Floyds Brewing, Wolf Peach and Roots, is currently the face of Milkweed Collective, an upscale catering business, which hosts pop-ups, collaborations and chef residencies in Milwaukee and Southern Wisconsin.
The very special menu, which will be offered on both Dec. 9-10 with three seatings per evening, will begin with snacks including chicken liver Bavarian, venison jerky and mixed salad. Featured courses will include pork en croute, beet borscht, Bavarian fried fish sausage and various preparations of duck including duck breast sauerbraten and rolled duck leg. Desserts will include sacher torte and cottage cheese pancake with stewed Door County cherries, praline and candied orange zest.
Bartolotta’s Dickens Dinner
The Grain Exchange
225 E. Michigan St., (414) 727-6980
bartolottas.com/grain-exchange
December 15, 16, and 17
Begins at 6:15 p.m., dinner served at 7 p.m
Cost: $125 per person
Purchase tickets online
The Bartolotta Restaurants will transport Milwaukeeans back to the Victorian era with this year’s Dickens Dinner, an event which will feature traditional carolers and a reading of the classic story, “A Christmas Carol.”
The Dickens Dinner will feature butler passed hors d’oeuvres, a traditional three-course meal with dessert, and unlimited beer, wine, and soda, plus a cash cocktail bar.
The menu includes:
Appetizers: British-style potted shrimp, tiny lamb mincemeat tartelettes, rumaki
Salad: Kale and shaved brussels sprouts
Entrée: English roast prime rib, pan-seared salmon, or winter root vegetable “Wellington”
Dessert: Mulled cider bread pudding
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.
