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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 dishes to enjoy!
Harbor House
550 N. Harbor Dr., (414) 395-4900
bartolottas.com/harbor-house
Long known for having one of the best lake views in the city, Harbor House is also a beautiful spot to enjoy a bit of pampering. If you love seafood, you'll enjoy their menu of fresh, well sourced offerings including staples like salmon, scallops and lobster tails. Reservations required for both patio and dine-in service.
Five dishes to try:
- Oysters!! Harbor House is a great spot to enjoy these bivalve mollusks any day. But right now, it's Oyster Fest (through Nov. 1), so you can try your fill of up to 15 types of oysters on the half shell, with special pricing at lunch and dinner.
- Prefer your oysters cooked? Try the “Grand Central” oyster pan roast with cream, white wine, sweet chili sauce and paprika served with crusty bread ($16)
- Keep things casual with options like the Lobster roll, which features large pieces of lobster, lightly dressed with Old Bay seasoned mayonnaise and nestled into bibb lettuce with fresh celery on s buttered, toasted split brioche roll ($27)
- Pan seared scallops served with red potatoes, one side and a choice of sauces (preserved lemon, oregano and parsley; dill-caper tartar sauce; cherry tomato, green olive and red onion; tarragon and shallot bernaise), $42
- Neptune’s skate wing with sautéed, lemon, capers, brown butter ($38)
Bonus: Get an audio lesson in eating oysters from Corporate Executive Chef Adam Siegel on this episode of the FoodCrush podcast.
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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