For the sixth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia University. 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 2012."
For each of the 50 categories in the annual OnMilwaukee.com Best of Milwaukee Dining poll, we, as a team select our "editors' choice." Many of them I agree with, and some I don't. But in the spirit of democracy, I don't refute any of them.
However, in some categories, I have very real favorites and so in those, I humbly offer up my picks ...
Best Restaurant: Western Suburbs
Ristorante Bartolotta. The best Italian restaurant in town.
Best Breakfast
Ted's. Mostly for the counter seating and the vibe. Though the food's good, too.
Best Brunch
Blue's Egg. A good mix of hearty and haute.
Best Burger
Oscar's on Pierce. The burger's great and Oscar's a nice guy, to boot.
Best Patio
Cafe Hollander Tosa. Great people watching and, for the kids, trainspotting.
Best Fish Fry
Kegel's Inn. A traditional fish fry in a traditional setting. Sadly, these are becoming harder to find.
Best Pizza
Calderone Club. It's a thinner crust than I tend to love, but I find myself craving C-Club pizza pretty often.
Best Desserts
Le Reve. The most sumptuous desserts, often for about $5. That can't even cover the labor, much less the ingredients. The best and most delicious dessert bargain in town.
Best Hot Dogs/Sausages
Write-in: Usinger's. Visit the shop and you can enjoy a wiener on-site.
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
Organ Piper Music Palace. Like Ted's, this one is all about the ambience.
Best Milwaukee Food Product
Usinger's sausage. A long, distinguished old Milwaukee tradition that is as tasty as ever.
Best Wings
Club Garibaldi. The wings are delicious, plus there's sometimes live music and always a neighborhood corner tavern feel.
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.
