Maybe Milwaukee can't hold on to a retro downtown diner like Ed Debevic's but Brew City itself is fodder for a diner and musical venue that recalls a lost age in American culture. Milwaukee 50's Diner is located in the town of Varedo, in the province of Milan, in northern Italy.
The diner is something of a hotspot out in provincial Milan, hosting gigs of all stripes, car shows, rockabilly nights and more. On Wednesday night, there's even line dancing!
In its seven-year existence, the diner -- which is dominated by a 36-foot-long counter -- has hosted the likes of Bill Haley's Comets, Rocky Burnette, Robert Gordon, Rosie Flores and other American retro rock and roll and country performers.
Milwaukee 50s Diner opened on Oct. 1, 1998 according to one of the owners, Matteo Grandi, and the theme derives from a love for 1950s music, cars, film and culture. Many of the period furnishings came directly from the U.S.
"The name was chosen at the time for a number of reasons," says Grandi, who opened the diner with Romina Rustioni. "Because I love Harleys - Ive had one since 1989 - because Milwaukee is the city where Happy Days was set, because it is an Indian word, because of Miller High Life and because basically, I like Milwaukee even if I had never visited. I did visit Milwaukee and Wisconsin in 2003 for the mega rock and roll (rockabilly) event at Green Bay and I liked it a lot."
Lovers of American cuisine might rue what others consider the great food available in Italy. But they'll find a slice of heaven in Varedo, thanks to the diner, which proudly serves up baked potatoes, chicken wings, brownies and milk shakes, according to its Web site.
Given the fact that everyone in Italy associates Milwaukee with "Happy Days" (in the U.K. it's "Laverne & Shirley"), it's no surprise to see Milwaukee represented in this way. But, Milwaukee was just part of the inspiration for the diner, says Grandi.
The idea really got legs in 1996-97 after some vacations in Florida - more precisely Fort Lauderdale - where I rented a car and we drove around in search of American foods, design books and recipes, and eating lunch and dinner in the most inspirational places.
After returning I worked hard to find the right location and a good interior designer. We found a reconstruction of a 50s-style counter in a place in the Province of Novara. Finally, the location arrived, too, in an old commercial building along the freeway connecting Milan and Como. (It was) empty for years and was perfect for a diner, seeing as how it was built in the 60s and had octagonal windows and pink walls outside.
You can visit the Milwaukee 50's Diner by either flying to Milan and heading north on the SS35 or simply by visiting the diner's Web site milwaukeediner.it.
Someday, we'll tell you all about the Harley Café, offering some of the best espresso near the station in tiny Castell'Alfero, just north of Asti. Germans may love David Hasselhoff, but Italian adore Harleys.
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.
