My annual article, 52 Restaurants for your Bucket List, was originally created to provide readers with an easy way to explore the wealth of restaurants in the Milwaukee scene over the course of one year (52 weeks). Today, as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides a fun and equally compelling guide for folks who’d like to bring variety to their weekly meals while providing vital support to some of our finest local restaurants.
Here's the featured restaurant of the day, plus five recommended dishes to try!
Buckley’s Restaurant & Bar
801 N. Cass St., (414) 277-1111
buckleysmilwaukee.com
It’s been over a decade since the Buckley family established their restaurant on MIlwaukee’s lower East Side; but you’d barely know it thanks to a menu that’s kept up with the times in terms of both a great cocktail program and food menu doppled with both solid American classics and globally inspired dishes. On top of it all, the newly expanded restaurant is beautiful. Both dine-in and carry-out available; reservations recommennded for dine-in.
Five dishes to try:
- This classic starter never gets old: Truffled fried artichokes with parmesan, chives and truffle oil ($12)
- Warm up with pork bolognese with hand-made pasta, parmesan, chives ($18)
- One off the best lobster rolls in the city: Maine lobster, tarragon aioli and fries or salad ($22)
- Hot Nashville chicken sandwich: fried chicken thigh topped with hot sauce, slaw and pickles on a toasted bun (with fries or salad, $14)
- Save room for their legendary carrot cake: chock full of walnuts, pineapple and cream cheese buttercream ($9
Bonus: Don’t miss the chef’s features: Try something new! Specials announced daily on Instagram
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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