My annual article, 52 Restaurants for your Bucket List, was originally created to provide readers with an easy way to explore the wealth of restaurants in the Milwaukee scene over the course of one year (52 weeks). Today, as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides a fun and equally compelling guide for folks who’d like to bring variety to their weekly meals while providing vital support to some of our finest local restaurants.
Here's the featured restaurant of the day, plus five dishes to try!
Third Coast Provisions
724 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 323-7434
thirdcoastprovisions.com
When I think of places where entrusting my meal to the whims of the chef is effortless, Third Coast Provisions always pops to mind. Chefs Andrew Miller and Mike Meinzer are wizards in the kitchen, doling out imaginative flavor combinations and preparations that seldom fail to impress.
If you are a fan of seafood, Third Coast is among the best places to enjoy it. One could make a meal of raw oysters or crudo (including tuna with chiles, avocado and coconut or perfectly sweet halibut with refreshing lemon, dill and creme fraiche). You'll also find well-executed seasonal presentations of fish including salmon, halibut and walleye as well as dishes like the prerequisite surf 'n turf featuring filet mignon and your choice of crab oscar, shrimp, scallops or lobster. Be sure to ask about beverage pairings; they are well worth it. Reservations required for dine-in. Pick-up and delivery are also available.
Five dishes to try:
- Steak tartare with bone marrow, cured egg yolk and fried capers; served with grilled bread ($15)
- Pumpkin gnocchi with vanilla, cardamom, hazelnuts and parmesan cheese ($10)
- Ora King salmon with sweet corn, mushrooms, guanciale, pumpkin gnocchi, patty pan squash and brown butter thyme vinaigrette ($38)
- Alaskan halibut with Thai coconut curry, crispy sticky rice, fairytale eggplant, bok choi, heirloom wax beans and fried tropea onions ($42)
- Smoked beef short rib with Ttuscan kale, stone-ground grits, 10 year cheddar, pickled jalapeno, onion strings and cherry cola marmalade ($36)
Bonus: Don't skip dessert. Pastry Chef Jonna Zaczek's work is delicious.
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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