Hanna and John Koro celebrated the one-year anniversary of Loucci's NY Pizza, 4720 W. Lisbon Ave., on Monday. I noticed Loucci's on my daily route home from work several months ago.
Entering the lobby, the decor was different than one might expect. The walls were painted sky blue with various pictures on the walls, including floral prints and others of olives and jalapenos.
The wall around the counter featured a large menu and various specials printed in marker on construction paper and cardboard, giving it that "divey" feel that I sometimes find appealing in restaurants.
On top of the counter was a stack of Loucci's flyers with coupons on one side and a menu on the other. I decided on one of the flyer deals, a medium two-topping pizza and 10 buffalo wings for $15.99, which ended up being a $5 discount.
I chose my usual toppings, sausage and pepperoni. I also went with the hot wings over the BBQ or plain wings. The wings come with ranch sauce (sorry to you bleu cheese fans out there).
If you like the flavor of buffalo wings, but prefer them on the milder side, these would be a good fit. I didn't feel any heat in my mouth nor was there the tickle in the throat common with hot sauces or peppers, but my lips started to burn a bit from the sauce after the fifth wing. However, I did like the flavor of the sauce. The wings were slightly breaded, and I'm guessing they were fried briefly and then finished in the oven because the skin on the drummies was a bit crisp, while the wings were not crisp at all.
While the pizza wasn't true "New York" style, it wasn't a bad pie. Typically your New York-style crust will be crispy on the outside and chewy inside. The crust and layers of cheese and toppings are usually flat enough that you can fold the slice in half lengthwise, and eat it like a pizza taco.
This crust was hand-tossed and crispy along the outer edge, but the rest of the crust was chewy with a light, lingering coat of flour on it. The pepperoni and chunks of sausage had subtle flavoring, which was fine because the flavorful combination of spices in the sauce carried them. While the crust was somewhat thin in the center, it was still a little too thick to fold for the desired "New York pizza" slice effect.
Loucci's pizzas come in 10", 12", 14" and 16" sizes. It is also currently running a special with an 18" pizza. A 12" cheese pizza starts at $10.99, with $1.50 toppings. Specialty pizzas include Very Meaty, vegetable, deluxe, Greek (featuring feta cheese and gyro meat) and Philly Steak.
Besides pizza and wings, Loucci's menu includes shrimp, catfish, ribs, spaghetti, lasagna, salads and sandwiches, including meatball, Italian beef and an Italian corned beef.
If you prefer a chewy crust (and I know you folks are out there) with a tasty sauce, then Loucci's is worth a visit!
Loucci's NY Pizza is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight. Dine-in, carry-out and delivery orders are available. Call the restaurant at (414) 447-8455 for delivery area information.
I graduated from Rufus King High School and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a business degree.
My true passion for Milwaukee probably started after I joined the Young Professionals of Milwaukee (now called FUEL Milwaukee) which just celebrated its one year anniversary at the time. The events that I attended, and sometimes organized, really opened my eyes to what Milwaukee had to offer, as well as its potential for the future. So for the past, present, and future FUEL Milwaukee corporate sponsors out there, that organization does produce results (editorial)!
I love all of the Milwaukee Sports teams, professional and amateur. I love the Milwaukee arts scene and all of the festivals. I love that you can find a free concert in the summer just about every day of the week. I love the various neighborhoods around the Milwaukee area and the unique characteristics that they offer. I love the people who take the time to tell us about those unique characteristics. I have to hold my breath and count to ten when someone tells me that there is nothing to do in Milwaukee. Then I prove them wrong.
Most of all, I love the Milwaukee dining scene. I love how it continues to evolve with modern dishes and new trends while the classic restaurants continue to remind us that great food doesn't have to be "fancy schmancy." However, I also love the chefs that create the "fancy schmancy" dishes and continue to challenge themselves and Milwaukee diners with dishes we've never seen before.
Our media provides attention to the new restaurants, which is great, but I don't like seeing the older great restaurants close their doors (Don Quijote, African Hut) because they've been forgotten, so I try to do my part to let Milwaukeeans know that they're still out there, too. I do that through social media, online reviews, and a dinner club I run for my friends, where we visit restaurants they haven't heard of before or try ethnic cuisine they haven't had before.
My dream is that one day I can mention a great experience in Milwaukee and not have someone respond with "have you been to Chicago?" I don't like those people very much.
