Spring is here and so is custard season, at least for the few stands that still operate on a seasonal basis, which is much less common now than it used to be.
Northpoint Custard and Burgers, on the lakefront just south of Bradford Beach, opens this weekend, though, as always, it seems, Oconomowoc’s The Kiltie beat everyone to the punch, opening on April 2 this year.
(PHOTO: Front Room Photography/The Kiltie Facebook)
Of course, these days, most stands operate year-round. But some, including the ones mentioned here, are like traditional stands, which had no heating systems installed and have no indoor seating.
Milwaukee's only remaining seasonal stand, Bartolotta’s Northpoint Custard and Burgers, 2272 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr., opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, with its usual season-launching free burgers for the first 200 patrons.
This is the stand’s 10th year at the lake. For a while it appeared the stand wouldn't return after the County, which owns the property, hiked the rent. But a deal was reached for Northpoint's return.
The Northpoint location in the main concourse at Mitchell International Airport is, of course, open year-round.
Last year, just after the stand closed for the season, it was featured on the Cooking Channel.
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.
