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 can’t miss dishes to try
La Dama
4839 S. 2nd St., (414) 645-2606
ladamamke.com
In many ways, La Dama represents the evolution of Crazy Water, a restaurant which helped to pave the way for Walker's Point's Second Street dining scene. The menu, executed by longtime Crazy Water chef, Emanuel Corona, showcases an ever-changing menu of beautifully presented modern Mexican cuisine that weave the stories of Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca in every bite. Reservations recommended for dine-in. Carry-out also available.
Five dishes to try:
- Ayocotes charros: ayocotes bean stew with chorizo, jalapenos, pork belly lardons, crema agria ($6)
- Tatelas: corn masa stuffed with black bean paste, oaxacan string cheese, wild mushroom, and squash blossom, jocoque ($8) [Watch Chef Corona make these for our Quarantine Kitchen series]
- Chile en nogada: roasted poblano pepper stuffed with pork loin and asada steak, dried mission figs, pears, raisins, Pomegranate seeds, sweet walnut cream sauce ($18)
- Lamb shank birria with pasilla consome, chickpeas, onions and cilantro, chile de arbol, tortillas ($24)
- Salmon encrustado: citrus crusted salmon, golden beet puree, chapulin, toasted corn and hibiscus reduction ($20)
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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