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!
Tochi
705 Village Green Way #102, West Bend, (262) 429-1515
https://www.tochiramen.com/
Why travel 40 minutes for ramen? Why not? When the options are as good as they are at Tochi, you can’t lose. Choose from multiple ramen styles including unctuous traditional tonkotsu, shrimp kimchi shio and playful specials like bacon apple mazeman. You’ll also find udon and rice dishes, plus creativel nibbles like spam buns and brat stickers. Best of all, Tochi’s ramen is (almost) as good when carried out as it is eaten at the uniquely decorated punk rock-inspired ramen shop.
Five dishes to try:
- Shishito peppers: Blistered peppers, pork fat, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame seeds ($7.95)
- Pork steam buns: Pork belly, ancho chili hoisin, pickled cucumbers ($5.95)
- Tonkotsu ramen: Pork bone broth, pork belly, crispy pork, surimi, green onion, kimchi bamboo shoots and tamago ($13.95)
- Grass-fed beef mazeman: Shoyu yuzu broth, seared flank steak, pickled shiitakes, green onion, smoked bone marrow butter and a fried egg ($12.95)... the bone marrow butter alone will make you swoon!
- Chicken chorizo udon: Chicken, spicy chorizo, cilantro lime paste, green onion, goat cheese and spicy miso broth ($10.95)
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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