3246 South 27th St.
Milwaukee WI 53215
(414) 645-2400
website

Sometimes you run out of fun things to do and end up in your girlfriend’s bed while she’s at work trying to figure out something to do besides look at porn. Man of The Year was doing the same sans girlfriend’s bed (or girlfriend for that matter) so we decided to tap an area of Milwaukee seldom visited by any of the DoZ. Growing up on the south side of Milwaukee, 27th street holds many a fond memory for me. My first bike was from the Toys R Us on 27th, my first car was purchased at Braeger Chevrolet, my mom ran a catering business that was located on 27th, and my first Target experiences were at the Target on 27th. A memorable street to say the least. Now, for some reason my parents never got me hip to Ned’s Pizza, but I really wish they would have.

Upon walking in the door of Ned’s you’re greeted with a photoshopped picture of Brett Favre that says “Drama Queen” and a clock that looks like a pizza. I already knew I was going to love it here. The inside of Ned’s feels like 27th street. It has some serious south side character. MoTY stated that he “would never bring a date here.” I couldn’t disagree more and this is most likely why he is single. We seated ourselves and were brought menus quickly. Directly in the middle at the top of the inside of the menu “MILWAUKEE’S BEST THIN CRUST PIZZA” is boldly displayed. Big talk. I’ll be the judge of that.

Ned’s offers a fairly basic pizza menu. No pesto, goat cheese, or spinach here. The one thing that sets them apart from almost every other pizza joint in the city/state is that they have pickles as topping. It is even a main ingredient on one of their specialty pizzas, the Triple “P” (Cheese, Pepperoni, Pepperoncini, and Pickles). Our waitress also highly recommends the Triple P. I’ve only tasted pickles done correctly once on a pizza (Pizza Shuttle) so I had to try. MoTY is afraid of pickles so we got them only on half. Ned’s also has a sandwich, appetizer, and dessert menu. On top of all that they also offer “Ned’s Pizza Parbakes.” From the website: “A Ned’s Pizza Parbake is a pizza prepared by us for you to take home and bake yourself.”

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2856 N. Oakland Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414-964-2850
http://www.oaklandtrattoria.com/

My first visit to Oakland Trattoria was in the year 2000 for Tami Hooyman’s 19th birthday party. Our group sat in a private room with a large table that is opposite the restaurant’s wood burning oven. It was that night that I realized that all my then current girlfriend’s friends were douchebags. Oakland Trattoria seems to attract a lot of douchebags. Mostly, UWM students who want to go somewhere nicer than The Gasthaus when their parents are in town. My lunch was no different. We were seated near a douchebag with his parents who didn’t utter a single word throughout their lunch. I thought it was weird.

I allowed Man of The Year (my friend and possibly yours, Chris Stingl) with me since he had finally found a little bit of money after being unemployed for a little over 14 months (and counting). We were greeted by our waitress promptly and his 1:00 PM Jack & Coke order caught me off guard so I decided on a Budweiser and we were on our way to fun. Man of The Year, as well as myself, hadn’t been to “The Tratt” in a few years but he definitely remembered the focaccia bread and oil that they start you off with. He was overjoyed to find out that they still maintain this practice. Read more »

Based on a friend’s recommendation, T. Mario and I checked out Tenuta’s Italian Restuarant recently. This Bay View establishment stood out from your standard pizza joint in a lot of ways. For one, they had a full menu of Italian dishes; I would go so far as to say that the pizza isn’t their focus. Another huge difference is the atmosphere. When you first walk in you’ll immediately notice that the lighting is much dimmer than your average restaurant. There are candles lighting every table and the lights were turned down to the point that someone with shitty night vision would be in total hell, crashing into tables and whatnot. While this would be hilarious for me to watch, I can’t imagine the poor bastard who couldn’t see would be enjoying it very much.

Not that there’s anything wrong with dim lighting. There are plenty of times when a more intimate setting would be appropriate. Like if I was having dinner with a nice lady instead of a dude friend. Anyway, T. Mar and I got a table and commenced with the romancing.
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One of the last places you would look for a good pizza place is in the strip mall attached to a gas station. But that’s exactly where Times Square Bistro & Pizzeria is located. Snuggled between a Mobil and a liquor store (a few blocks from the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower), Time Square’s main goal is the quick by-the-slice type service. But don’t write them off as a strictly slice place; there are a few other surprises in this strip mall pizzeria.
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I’ve been fortunate enough to basically live down the street from Zaffiro’s Pizza my entire time in Milwaukee. The East Side is full of pizza places, and they all stand out in their own way. And for the most part, the pizza is what is going to be bringing you back to Zaffiro’s.

Right when you walk in, you’ll notice that the place is pretty small. The bar along the left is usually full, as is the dining room in the back. The red and white checkerboard tables are extremely close together, so don’t be expecting a quiet, romantic dinner with your sweetie. If you come in on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, expect to wait almost a half hour for a table. It’s worth the wait, trust me.
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1800 E. North Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
http://www.pizzaman.org/

Sometimes it takes a tragedy to realize that you’ve neglected one of the best pizza restaurants in Wisconsin. Pizza Man burned down Monday night/Tuesday morning (01/19/10). I was drinking at the bar next door, Cush, mere hours before the fire started and thinking about how I haven’t been to Pizza Man in nearly 5 years. When I woke up to the news that it had burned I was devastated.
Pizza Man’s thin crust was so delicious that it brought a clientele to the east side that would normally hide their children in Brookfield until they were 18. It was typical to see a family strolling out of Pizza Man late on a Friday night (a neighborhood dedicated to binge drinking in it’s highest form). Not only was the pizza fantastic but the interior was amazing. Set like an old brick cellar with a huge wooden bar when you walk in, Pizza Man was a sight to be seen. It also had a outdoor seating area covered by trees and an ambiance that brought back memories of New York City.
I haven’t eaten there in a while and therefore cannot offer a fresh review but I will give you tales of it’s greatness through fond memories some of my friends have as well as my own.
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There’s something about a hidden treasure that totally gets my rocks off. 

In the same way that I immediately recognize that I want to do the sex to the uptight girl in glasses in most ’80s movies — even before she lets her hair down, smokes a spliff, fast dances and totally blows off finals to go to the beach! — I feel I’m able to look beyond the implied swank of a restaurant hot spot in favor of an understated and time-tested dining venue. In doing that, I find value in a place like Lisa’s Pizza, a valentine of local pizza that’s given me one of my best Milwaukee dining experiences to date.
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Around noon on New Year’s Eve, T. Mario and I decided to try out one of the pizza joints in town that we had been meaning to go to. Unfortunately, the three we had in mind were all closed until later in the afternoon. Seeing as we’d lost about an hour on this quest, we decided to just stop at the next pizzeria we found. Luckily for us we didn’t have to wait long. We came across Angelo’s Pizza on the corner of 16th and Wells on the Marquette campus.

Now I had heard of Angelo’s before, and good things about it too. But I was under the impression it wasn’t open any longer. When I first moved to Milwaukee, my dad had recommended going there for pizza, but he couldn’t remember exactly where it was and the Internet didn’t provide any results. Which is weird, because now a Google search for “Angelo’s Pizza Milwaukee” will show you exactly where the place is. So anyway, the place still exists, and I was finally able to see what my dad was talking about.
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Like abortion, religion and Brett Favre, I’ve found Pizza Shuttle to be a rather polarizing topic. 

Since it was berthed on Milwaukee’s East Side in 1985, Shuttle has cultivated a loyal following — one cheap and overtly cheesy thick crust pizza at a time. Equally, it has garnered its fair share of hatred through over the years with its spotty service, Chuck E. Cheese for adults-type atmosphere, and hit-and-miss quality that makes the Son of Sam murders seem consistent by comparison.

Love it or hate it, if you live in or near Milwaukee, you almost certainly have an opinion of Pizza Shuttle. Here is mine.
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I had been anxious to try Maria’s for a long time, so when the opportunity finally presented itself, I jumped at it. Unfortunately Maria’s is closed on Mondays, so T. Mario and I had to settle for Steny’s instead. But less than a week later we made a second attempt that was moderately more successful.

First off, Maria’s is kind of a pain in the ass to get to. It’s about a 25 minute drive from the downtown Milwaukee area any way you drive there, so you’re probably going to have to go out of your way for it. But I think there is enough reason for you to take that trek down Forest Home Ave to soak in everything that is Maria’s Pizza.
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