By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jan 04, 2017 at 11:17 AM

It might be January, but that's no reason not to venture out and enjoy some of the city's best cuisine. And an upcoming event in Wauwatosa will allow just that.

In celebration of the recently completed streetscaping project in downtown Wauwatosa, which mimics the look and feel of a walkable European thoroughfare, four restaurants will combine forces for a very special dining event.

"Tour de Tosa," a progressive dinner taking place Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m., will be a first for the Wauwatosa village, featuring dishes and drinks from four different restaurants including Ristorante Bartolotta, Le Reve Patisserie & Cafe, Cafe Hollander and Cafe Bavaria.

Participants will purchase "Tasting Passports" for the event, during which attendees will enjoy a progressive feast, roving from restaurant to restaurant enjoying unique dishes and wine or beer pairings from each of the venues' respective regions: Italy, France, the European Lowlands and Germany.

The menu includes:

Le Rêve Patisserie & Café (France)

Duck and pear tartine
Chocolate and orange chouquette
Paired with: Saint Esprit Côtes-du-Rhône

Ristorante Bartolotta (Italy)

Risotto ai funghi / wild mushroom risotto
Budino di caramello / sea salt caramel pudding
Paired with: Ca' Furlan Cuvee Beatrice Extra Dry

Café Bavaria (Germany)

Schweinshaxe / bone-in pork roast
Apple strudel
Paired with: Kloster Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel

Café Hollander (Lowlands Europe)

Bier-braised beef cheek with stoemp
Tasting cheese flight
Paired with: Westmalle Dubbel

Tickets are $80 per person, with a limit of 150 attendees, and can be purchased online.

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. 

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.