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 try!
Strange Town
2101 N. Prospect Ave., (414) 885-0404
strangetownmke.com
Vegan or not, it’s worth your while to spend some time with the menu at Strange Town where an eclectic collection of vinyl sets the stage for an evening of nibbling. Offerings change frequently, but you can count on seasonal, fresh takes on globally inspired fare, plus a great list of natural wines and low ABV cocktails. Good to note: Strange Town offers half-off bottles of wine every Wednesday. Walk-ins accepted for limited dine-in. Carry-out is also available with hours Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m.
Five dishes to try:
- Hummus: with crisp roasted mushrooms, house pickled veggies and attari pita or buckwheat socca ($14)
- Sea vegetable salad: ocean ribbons, kelp noodles, spirulina ginger crema, herbs & watercress, house sea palm furikake ($14)
- Mega kale Caesar salad ($12)
- Bombay potatoes: yukon gold potatoes, tomato chutney, cilantro ($12)
- Thursday night housemade vegan pasta specials! Offerings have included cacio e pepe and pasta with roasted artichoke hearts, fermented tomato sauce and fennel fronds (pictured above, $12-$15)
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.
