By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Jan 09, 2012 at 1:29 PM

When you hear the name Zaffiro's, you naturally think of pizza, which many people think is the best in the city. I've certainly had my share of pizza and I'm not going to argue with anyone who picks this one.

But there is something else that Zaffiro's offers that makes one of the best takeout meals I've ever had.

It's called the Zaffiro's salad (go figure). And it's just incredible.

Ingredients are mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, tomatoes, pepperocini, pepperoni, chunks of mozzarella cheese and iceberg lettuce. It comes with slices of fresh Italian bread and little squares of butter.

It's not just the ingredients, though.

For some reason, this salad comes almost refrigerator chilled. And there is so much that it serves two and you can both have lunch the next day. The price is a reasonable $10.95 and you have to go a long way to match this for a dinner you can take home that is actually good for you.

I'd rather have a pizza than a salad every day, but sometimes that guilty angel on my shoulder screams "no more pizza." That's when this salad turns out to be one of the best tasting, highest-valued meals I've ever had.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.