Today's slice is a plain cheese, what you might call a classic slice, from, well, Classic Slice, 1609 E. North Ave.
This is a gargantuan slice of pizza, far outsizing the competition at 14 inches by 10 inches. It is also the thinnest crust so far. The crust is not too chewy, and neither too brittle nor too soggy. It's got some great cornmeal on the bottom, too.
Of the three I've tried so far, I'd say that, size aside, this is the most "authentically New York" slice; the sauce has the right sweetness and seasoning and ratio of cheese to sauce to crust.
It was also the most expensive at $4.50, plus tax.
Two things I didn't love about the Classic Slice experience:
- You can't see the pizza or the pizza-making station, which is obscured by a high counter. I like looking at the pizza when I order, so I can choose what catches my eye and what appears freshest. I also like to see the pizza being made. There's no reason to hide, is there?
- Not that I was in a major hurry, but Classic Slice wasn't busy and yet it seemed to take an unusually long time to get a single slice heated up.
But the slice is worth the wait, in the end, so these are perhaps small quibbles.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
