For the seventh straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2013."
After nearly four years of success with their Bay View Location, Carina (Cat) Tran and Mark Nielsen have announced their plans to open a second Hue Vietnamese Restaurant on the east corridor of North Avenue in Wauwatosa in spring 2014.
The restaurant partners are working with developer, Joshua Jeffers, Principal of J. Jeffers and Co. A complete interior and exterior renovation is planned for the building located at 6519 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa. Plans include a large patio behind the building.
The space will be yet another feather in the bonnet of East Tosa, which has been encouraging the development of new independent restaurants (read more on their plans in this article from last spring).
Tran and Nielsen, known for creating accessible food in a friendly, modern environment, say that they are eager to continue sharing the herbs, spices, and fragrant aromas of Vietnamese, but will offer a more extensive and refined menu to Wauwatosa patrons. Plans include lunch and dinner service, along with a craft cocktail program and a diverse selection of Asian beers.
Nielsen has worked in the service industry for 15 years. Tran, who takes inspiration from traditional family dishes she grew up eating, is a 12-year veteran of the meeting and events industry and is self-taught in the restaurant industry.
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.