Nothing’s Ordinary at Bavette La Boucherie

Bavette La Boucherie, 217 N. Broadway. Photo taken June 18, 2024 by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

The first thing we noticed at Bavette La Boucherie was a display of pottery. If you are like my companions and me, frugal consumers, you may not come to shop, but those gorgeous plates and bowls are hard to resist. There is also a nice wine selection and a limited number of packaged foods in this small market that might persuade you to open your wallet.

Bavette relocated from their original butcher shop/restaurant location on Erie Street in 2022 and as a fan of the former, I was delighted with the new digs. Except for the small market, it is all restaurant now in a long narrow space with a Milwaukee Cream City brick wall, a high ceiling, and distressed wood rafters. An open kitchen dominates one side of the restaurant and in front of the kitchen are shelves stacked with plates and bowls just like the ones in their marketplace.

A concise menu lists a few choices in several categories: Starters; Breads and Spreads; Cheese and Charcuterie; Salads; Soup; and Sandwiches.

You will not find anything ordinary or dull on the sandwich menu. The burger, for example, had a smear of pea pesto and was loaded with feta cheese. To add a contrasting sweet/sour component to the thick beefy burger and the salty feta, the chef added pickled mushrooms and sliced red onion. Unlike most restaurants that serve medium to well burgers, Bavette gives you a choice as to how you want it done, which pleased my companion.

The three-quarter-inch thick rare burger was more than a mouthful and a triumph of contrasting flavors. The accompanying fries, cooked in beef fat, were served in a little paper bag, a cute presentation with a purpose, a layer of insulation that kept the fries warm and crisp. You can add extra flavor with a sauce, garlic aioli or remoulade, or both, and because like everything at Bavette, each sauce was delish, I took the leftover sauce home.

The BBQ Pork was a large mound of pulled pork, at least half a pound, and served on a grilled pretzel bun. The chef draped jalapeno aioli over the meat and put a bed of cabbage-apple slaw underneath. The salad, more generous than the usual “side” salad, was a bowl of crisp greens topped with radish slices and tomato, and dressed with a light vinaigrette.

Also, on the menu under Breads and Spreads, you will note Pimento Cheese with Toast. This modest description was an understatement. It was a shareable ball of pimento cheese that according to my companion who hails from Texas where pimento cheese is often on the table, “This is the ideal pimento cheese. I can taste the cheddar.” Toast points added little platforms for the dip that was, like everything friends and I shared, addictive.

You might not think to order chili for lunch on a steamy summer day but that was what my companion did. Bavette’s Beef and Tomatillo was a perfect summer chili, light with a hint of lemon that brightened all the flavors including the hominy and the slaw.

The Pork Belly Banh Mi was classic with crisp, fatty, meaty pork belly that overflowed the bun along with tart pickled sliced carrots and cucumber. Sriracha aioli bonded the salty, spicy, sweet, and sour condiments to the belly and so the next time a craving strikes you for a tasty banh mi, check out Bavette because it has good one.

Other sandwiches include Corned Beef Tongue Reuben, Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken, Muffuletta, and a Pate Sandwich on rye with mustard and pickled red onions.

There is a lot more on the menu, a compilation of unique flavor combinations waiting to be discovered. For example, Fried Brussels Sprouts with ‘nduja, a spreadable sausage, dried mango, peanuts, parmesan, and a fried egg is a salad not often, if ever, found on local menus.

A Starter, Potato Crusted Octopus with shishito, chorizo aioli, and romesco, is another choice if you want something else from the sea or you could order Tinned Sardines with savory jams, pickles, and crackers from Cheese and Charcuterie.

You will find excellent service at Bavette. Everyone knows exactly what they need to do and the restaurant operates like a well-oiled machine. It was a joy to watch cooks, servers, and dishwashers working together to give their customers the best possible experience. That, along with the amazing variety of dishes on the menu, creates a restaurant filled with surprises and ready for your adventurous palate.

On The Menu

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The Rundown

• Trade Name: 217 N. Broadway
• Location: 217 N. Broadway
• Phone: 414-273-3375
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tue-Thu, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat
• Neighborhood: Historic Third Ward
• Website: http://bavettemilwaukee.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BavetteButcher
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bavettemilwaukee/
• UM Rating: 4.1 stars (average of Yelp, Trip Advisor and Zomato)
• Cuisine Style: Butcher, sandwiches

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