It’s as important as ever to support the amazing collection of local restaurants that we have in our beautiful city. And there’s no better way to do so than committing to patronize them throughout the year. To guide you on your journey, I’ve composed a list of 52 amazing restaurants. Try just one of these every week and you’ll have visited them all by the end of 2024. View the full list OR download an abbreviated printable PDF file for your fridge or wallet.
Bavette La Boucherie
217 N. Broadway, (414) 273-3375
bavettelaboucherie.com
New American
$$-$$$
[Read more]
Last year brought much change for this once-cozy butcher shop and cafe. Thanks to a move just down the street, Bavette has metamorphosed into a bright modern space with an open kitchen and an expanded menu that is just as delightful (if not more) than before.
Guests (like me) who’ve been fans of the restaurant’s casual sandwiches and salads can still get their fix at both lunch and dinner. But there's even more to love. For example, Bavette’s delicious half-pound burger – formerly reserved for burger nights in the summer – is now a permanent fixture on the menu (and, now that the restaurant has a deep fryer, there are fries too).
I love an evening with friends, drinking wine and noshing on delicious paté, carpaccio, salads and platters of cheese and charcuterie. And Bavette is the perfect spot to do this.
But don't miss the opportunity to sit down for a full-on dinner of appetizers and seasonal entrees. Currently, there are selections like Seared Snapper with housemade shrimp and lobster sausage, spring vegetable ragout, saffron, chorizo and ramp pistou; a Grilled Boneless Pork Chop with morel mushroom cream, asparagus and ramp gnocchi; and Butcher’s Cut Steak with king trumpet mushrooms, cippolini onions, celery root duchess and huckleberry bordelaise.
You’ll easily find a match for any dish on Bavette’s wine list, which errs beautifully on the old world side.
Bavette has also expanded its event offerings. On May 28 at 6 p.m. they will host a De La Boue wine event featuring seven wines and four small plates with winemaker Travis Todd. The tasting is $115 per person and includes dishes like shrimp sausage with ramps and trout roe; a crispy duck leg bao bun with rhubarb hoisin; pork cheek with peas, mushrooms and jámon; and lamb ragu with rigatoni, Calabrian peppers and ricotta. Call the restaurant; if you're lucky there are still a few seats left!
Recommended: Steak tartare or carpaccio; seasonal salads; sandwiches (order the beef tallow fries!!), seasonal preparations for butcher’s cut steak
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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