For the ninth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, dining guides, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as voting for your "Best of Dining 2015."
You may recall a restaurant called The Nantucket Shores, which was located within the Historic Astor Hotel, 924 E. Juneau Ave., during the 1970s.
Well, beginning Nov. 1, the space will reopen as the Astor Cafe & Pub, sporting a beautiful new look, new menus and expanded hours.
Breakfast service will include items including corned beef hash ($10), bourbon and almond French toast ($7), steak and eggs ($14) and a lox and bagel benedict ($9). Meanwhile, lunch will include a variety of salad and sandwich options, including a build-your-own burger for $8.
The Astor Café & Pub’s vintage bar will offer craft beers, specialty wine and signature drinks daily from 7 a.m. to midnight.
As a special welcome offer, guests will receive two free mimosas with each meal through 2015. In addition, on Nov. 11, in honor of Veteran’s Day, veterans and members of the armed services can eat in The Café for free, and their table guests will receive a free dessert.
A Rotunda Room banquet facility, which accommodates up to 50 guests, will also be available for evening and weekend special events outside of the restaurant’s dining hours.
The Astor Cafe & Pub will serve breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Astor Hotel, which was designed as a combination hotel-apartment building during the "Roaring 20s," was fully completed in 1925. At the time, and for many years thereafter, it was considered one of the finest hotels in the Midwest. Today, the hotel and its restaurants remain a prestigious "go-to" destination for famous visitors to the city and local Milwaukeeans alike.
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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