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!
Tavo’s Signature Cuisine
5814 W. Bluemound Rd., (414) 239-8888
tavosignaturecuisine.com
This tiny (tiny!) spot on the West Side is serving up some exceptional food that maintains a solid nod to tradition, but presents itself in a beautiful way. From fragrant housemade mole and ultra fresh guacamoleu to comforting burritos and well executed tacos, the food is consistently fresh and well presented and delivered with top notch service. Tavo's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for carry-out.
Five dishes to try:
- Azteca guacamole: fresh guacamole topped with poblano peppers, corn, onion, and plantain chips ($12.99)
- Shrimp tacos: Sautéed shrimp topped with tequila-chipotle aioli, roasted corn, micro-greens, purple cabbage, and sour cream. Served with rice and beans ($19.99)
- Chicken enmolades: Corn tortilla stuffed with chicken and cloaked in housemmade red mole sauce, queso fresco and sour cream ($16.99)
- Camarones a la diabla: Shrimp marinated with housemade spicy devil or fire sauce; served with choice of corn or flour tortillas ($19.99)
- Pineapple pastor express: Half of a pineapple stuffed with al pastor and served with corn tortillas ($22.99)
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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