Enjoy all-inclusive food from over 15 of the city's best restaurants, live music from Evan Christian and spectacular views of the Big Bang fireworks from Pier Wisconsin's lakefront terrace. Tickets are $50 each when purchased online.
- Mekong Cafe: Crying Tiger: Thinly sliced Thai seasoned grilled steak wrapped in lettuce with basil, cilantro and chile dipping sauce
- Jimmy's Island Grill: Caribbean jerk marinated shrimp on kale with black bean slaw and topped with a fresh mango salsa.
- Allgauer's in the Park: Crab cakes with orange jicama slaw and citrus aioli and their special version of bananas foster featuring rum banana sauce served atop housemade banana bread.
- Scardina Specialties: Hungarian, Polish, bratwurst, and Italian sausages
- Chef Thomas Schultz of Superior Equipment and Supply: Sugar water poached shrimp with mango coulis and avocado; roasted portabella with herb whipped goat cheese and 4 hour tomato; or orange blossom honey whipped camembert with 80 proof cherries
- Happy Dough Lucky Mini Donuts Serving freshly-made donuts at Big Taste.
- Sol D'Licious Wholistic Cafe: BBQ seitan sliders or Not Chik'N salad on a baguette
- Double B's BBQ: Smoked pork sliders with creamy cole slaw and BBQ sauce or sliced smoked brisket on pumpernickel.
- National Pizza and Grille: housemade pizzas
Other participating restaurants include: Antigua, Bacchus, Centro Cafe, Harbor House, Izumi's Japanese Restaurant, Rodizio Grill, Sassy Cow Creamery and the Tripoli Shrine Center.
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.
