It might be January, but that's no reason not to venture out and enjoy some of the city's best cuisine. And an upcoming event in Wauwatosa will allow just that.
In celebration of the recently completed streetscaping project in downtown Wauwatosa, which mimics the look and feel of a walkable European thoroughfare, four restaurants will combine forces for a very special dining event.
"Tour de Tosa," a progressive dinner taking place Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m., will be a first for the Wauwatosa village, featuring dishes and drinks from four different restaurants including Ristorante Bartolotta, Le Reve Patisserie & Cafe, Cafe Hollander and Cafe Bavaria.
Participants will purchase "Tasting Passports" for the event, during which attendees will enjoy a progressive feast, roving from restaurant to restaurant enjoying unique dishes and wine or beer pairings from each of the venues' respective regions: Italy, France, the European Lowlands and Germany.
The menu includes:
Le Rêve Patisserie & Café (France)
Duck and pear tartine
Chocolate and orange chouquette
Paired with: Saint Esprit Côtes-du-Rhône
Ristorante Bartolotta (Italy)
Risotto ai funghi / wild mushroom risotto
Budino di caramello / sea salt caramel pudding
Paired with: Ca' Furlan Cuvee Beatrice Extra Dry
Café Bavaria (Germany)
Schweinshaxe / bone-in pork roast
Apple strudel
Paired with: Kloster Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel
Café Hollander (Lowlands Europe)
Bier-braised beef cheek with stoemp
Tasting cheese flight
Paired with: Westmalle Dubbel
Tickets are $80 per person, with a limit of 150 attendees, and can be purchased online.
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.
