By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jul 16, 2022 at 10:16 AM

Join us on Saturday, July 22 for some lakeside munchies at the second annual OnMilwaukee Food Truck Fest. Choose from a menu of 20 trucks and enjoy the live music, games and entertainment. It's the biggest gathering of the best food on four wheels.

Standing on the moon with nothing left to do? 

If you pick up what we’re laying down, we’ve got a suggestion for you: Take the opportunity to gather with fellow Deadheads for this this one-of-a-kind dinner inside Saint Kate Arts Hotel speak-easy style restaurant, The Dark Room (TDR).

Dinner In The Dark, a celebratory feast commemorating the 50-year anniversary of The Grateful Dead’s legendary Europe 1972 tour, will take place on Friday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a curated five-course food and drink “setlist” paired with a custom playlist from the tour. 

During the event, fellow Deadhead and Saint Kate executive chef Paul Funk will present a five course concert of modern European dishes inspired by stops on the 1972  tour (think Paris, Luxembourg, London and Copenhagen). Each course will be accompanied by a beverage pairing by Director of Outlets and beverage guru Hannah Brown.

Funk will also be preparing a custom soundtrack for the dinner featuring some of his favorite songs from the tour.

“The tour was probably the height of their career,” notes Funk, a fan who can identify the approximate date of any Dead recording in 30 seconds or less, “And so many of my favorite Dead songs never came out on an actual studio album.”

Funk also points out that, not only does the dinner fall during the 50th anniversary of the tour, but it straddles two other important anniversaries: Jerry Garcia’s birthday (Aug. 1) and the anniversary of his death (Aug. 9). That's a whole lot to commemorate.

Tickets for the one-of-a-kind dinner are $250 per person and can be purchased online. Each reservation includes five courses, plus beverage pairings. The full menu will be revealed to guests upon arrival.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

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 each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “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 recording the FoodCrush podcast, 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.