Milwaukee Thin Crust- An Example and Question

[fireman117]

Hi All,
I'd like to try my hand at a thin crust.  So I've read some of the threads in "American Style" and " Cracker Style" and I have a general question.

Here in Milwaukee a lot of the independent places have a crust that is very thin, about 1/16"-3/32", has a somewhat yeasty flavor, and tastes like the fermented lehmann NY version, a very crisp bottom but a little chewey despite the thinness, a crispy edge that is not tough, not docked, rolled out in a machine, baked either right on the oven surface (if round) or on a cookie sheet if rectangular.

Hmm... Sauce and toppings aside, does anyone have any ideas on what makes this tick?

Everyone, Thank you for taking a look.
Eric

Here's a couple of links that might give some clues, and mystic surrounding upper midwest pizza styles. Notice the unique way we cut it up.

1. Zafirros Pizza
http://www.zaffirospizza.com/index.html  (mouse around for some more views)
Here's another look at Ziffiros
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/02/zaffiros-pizza-milwaukee-wisconsin-farwell-avenue-review.html

2. DiMarinis- If you google the name, you will see a few different ones. There was a BIG family feud over the rights to the recipe and they broke up into different factions, but that's another story!

EDIT
3. Here's another similar example. Very popular with the locals!
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/03/marias-pizza-forest-home-ave-best-pizza-in-milwaukee-wi-review.html

[GotRocks]

Hi All,


1. Zafirros Pizza
http://www.zaffirospizza.com/index.html  (mouse around for some more views)
Here's another look at Ziffiros
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/02/zaffiros-pizza-milwaukee-wisconsin-farwell-avenue-review.html

2. DiMarinis- If you google the name, you will see a few different ones. There was a BIG family feud over the rights to the recipe and they broke up into different factions, but that's another story!
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS271US271&safe=images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=demarinis+milwaukee&fb=1&gl=us&hq=demarinis&hnear=milwaukee&cid=12198006640526703922

EDIT
3. Here's another similar example. Very popular with the locals!
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/03/marias-pizza-forest-home-ave-best-pizza-in-milwaukee-wi-review.html

DUDE!!! you just mentioned the three best pizza places in the entire known universe!!! They are all wildly different pizza's, but they are all excellent (DeMarinis seriously sucked during my last 3 visits though)
I have been eating at DeMarini's for 44 years, my brother has been eating there for 55 years, and my parents more years then that. I Would be willing to bet that my brother and I were both conceived shortly after my parents ate pizza at Demarini's!!

Zaffiro's! some great stuff, but nothing beats the sausage at DeMarinis (I have been able to duplicate their sausage recipe)

Marias, I started eating their pizza in 1983, at the 7th & greenfield location, and on 51st & forest home AVE.
A large marias special was only $6.25 when I first started going there!!

I bet you may also like "Anne's Pizza" in Hales corners too, have you ever tried them? How about Villa Roma in Oklahoma Ave at about 35th? That is on the top ten list in the universe too.

Zaffiros is still good, But I have been less than pleased with I had from DeMarini's the last 3 visits. I am afraid I will no longer eat there until the get a kitchen crew that create a pizza the way it has been for 50+ years.  Because it currently sucks!

All three of the places you mentioned all use a dough sheeter, so without that piece of equipment, So I feel that you will not be able to duplicate their crust without it.

Maria's sauce is a very unseasoned tomato puree, same as Zaffiro's, But DeMarini's has some basil in there and some pepper.

Maria's uses a diced or ground cheese, Zaffiro's use a shredded, and DeMarinis uses a sliced cheese right on the sauce with the other ingredients placed on top while the others place their meats first, and then top with cheese.

I have stated it before, and I will say it again. Milwaukee has the best pizza of anywhere in this entire country. I eat pizza where ever I go, and nothing compares to Milwaukee. You would be hard pressed to find a bad pizza in milwaukee (besides the chain places) while other cities I found it more difficult just to find a good pizza.

You need to expand your list a little because almost everyplace is great, but yes you nailed the top three.

Their is a place in Cedarburg named Tomasso's (SP) that also deserve a high ranking. and balistreri's in wauwatosa for a killer pastry crust pie!!
Damn I am getting hungry now!!

[fireman117]

Got Rocks,
About DiMarinis.
Did you go to Mama's on Wentworth, or Phil and Dom's on Conway St.? Had a pie from Phil and Dom's last night after our trip home from the Northwoods and it was excellent. I've had bad luck with Mama's in the past. It all has to do with the huge feud within the family.

I went to Villa Roma many years ago, and I remember it as excellent.

Anne's is on the "go to" list

Tomasso's in Cedarburg, real good they make their pizza kind of upside down with the sauce on top if I remember correctly.
Also care to share that recipe for the sausage?

Thank you,
Eric

[GotRocks]

Got Rocks,
About DiMarinis.
Did you go to Mama's on Wentworth, or Phil and Dom's on Conway St.? Had a pie from Phil and Dom's last night after our trip home from the Northwoods and it was excellent. I've had bad luck with Mama's in the past. It all has to do with the huge feud within the family.

I went to Villa Roma many years ago, and I remember it as excellent.

Anne's is on the "go to" list

Tomasso's in Cedarburg, real good they make their pizza kind of upside down with the sauce on top if I remember correctly.
Also care to share that recipe for the sausage?

Thank you,
Eric

Right after the split, phil & doms was better!
But that changed and the original location was better around 2004 until about a year ago.

Neither place is what DeMarini's used to be.

When I got a pizza from DeMarini's, you could not see the cheese through the sausage, mushrooms or onions, now you can barely find any sausage on the thing.
So I started ordering double and triple sausage only to find less than what a regular pizza used to be,
Then Mama's changed it around and started doing them the way they always were, but a year ago it went to crap again.

it is a 4.5 hour drive for me to get down there, it is not worth it only to be disappointed, or to wonder if our pizza will be crap again.
Yes, we would drive down just for pizza, and to stop at Glorioso's deli and sciortinos bakery.

One time before Dom died, my brother and I went to his place on Lake Denoon, Dom remembered us from the original location, and we asked for a pizza the way they used to be made, Dominic made the pizza himself, and the waitress brought it out to us and said "What the heck is that?" and she had a hard time believing that is what a true Demarini's pizza used to be until Dom, My brother, and myself explained it to her better.
My DeMarinis Sausage clone;
I don't know about sharing, but I can tell you what gives it that special tang, use a little bit of chianti for flavor, on top of a typical fennel sausage recipe

I tried to attach a picture of a pizza from the original location the first and last time I ordered double sausage! it is not showing in the preview, so I do not know if it will be in this post or not>
If you were to order double sausage now, at either place, I bet there would be peices of sausage no closer than 3 inches from each other.