For the eighth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Locavore, the newest restaurant at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2014."
While I enjoy barbecue, I’m not such a huge fan that I have to immediately dive into any new place that opens. Hence, it took me until this weekend -- while in Greendale for other reasons -- to finally stop in and try Bartolotta’s Miss Beverly’s Deluxe Barbeque, attached to the southern outpost of Joey Gerard’s.
Here are six things I learned this weekend about the restaurant...
- It’s much more casual than I expected. If I knew that customers order at the counter, seat themselves and the food is delivered to the table, I'd forgotten. I like it. The service was quick and efficient.
- There’s no fried okra. I was disappointed.
- It was less expensive than I expected. Four of us lunched for under $25. That’s basically what we’d spend for lunch for the family at Culver’s.
- The baby back ribs are fabulous. One of my kids ordered the 1/4-rack for lunch and shared with daddy. While the sharing part isn’t that amazing -- they’re generous that way -- the fact that one of my kids ordered baby back ribs is pretty remarkable. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and the ribs were smoky and delicious. I’ll order a bigger portion for myself next time, especially because...
- The wings were disappointing. I assume they were sauceless so that I could apply my own from the four options on the table, but the fairly scrawny, plain wings were tossed into serving tray in such a haphazard-looking way that the message seemed to be, "the wings here are an afterthought."
- Tater tots. You must try the tater tots.
Because my kids were open minded about the food -- they were rewarded with delicious mac and cheese and cornbread that they quite enjoyed -- and because I loved those ribs and the atmosphere, we’ll be back.
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.
