A few years ago if I wanted a good, thin slice of pizza in this city, I headed to one of three places: Pizza Man, 1800 E. North Ave.; Lisa's, 2961 N. Oakland Ave.; or Zaffiro's, 1724 N. Farwell Ave. I lived on the East Side at the time and, conveniently, so did three of my favorites (of course, they still do.)
But lately, as I've moved further down the Water Street / First Street corridor, I've noticed the pizza trend explode south of Downtown. Within the last year and a half I have witnessed four new pizza places open up within a five-minute bike ride (less than a mile) of my Walker's Point home.
It began in March '07 with the much needed and versatile Classic Slice, 2797 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. The delectable Marchese's Olive Pit, at 1100 S. 1st St., quickly followed. Almost simultaneously, Times Square Bistro & Pizzeria opened at 605 S. 1st St. to offer counter-service pizza by the slice as well as calzones, pasta and salads. The spring of 2008 welcomed the birth of the tasty Transfer Pizzeria Café, 101 W. Mitchell St.
Each of these restaurants brings a refreshing and beautifully-presented culinary experience to the table and I feel lucky having what I consider to be some of the city's best new restaurants in such close proximity.
But when Rustico opened this summer at 223 N. Water St., I realized that yet another pizza place opened on literally the same street as the previously mentioned ones, even if it is in the Third Ward. I've eaten at Rustico and enjoyed it, as I have all the new pizza varieties, but I'm wondering if it's now time to introduce a new dining concept to the Fifth Ward / Walker's Point / north end of Bay View area?
The success of places like Olive Pit and Transfer means more quality restaurants are sure to follow them to the neighborhood. And while it was very, very "slice" to meet the new pizza places, as Classic Slice likes to quip, what about something less graciously represented, like Mediterranean or Indian or Thai?
What do you guys want to see?
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
