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Aw, Marco's is really what I grew up ordering - the sauce is really sweet, for sure. Actually, their quality was better when I was a kid. Then again, I don't really like "Milwaukee-style pizza" as much as other people (I've mentioned before how I actually almost had to spit out Balistreri's. Anyway, maybe I just like Marco's because it reminds me of childhood.

This is all very interesting to me - as a lifelong Milwaukeean, I haven't gone to many of the places you've mentioned. I think the south-side schism is strong, what can I say. Maybe next time I travel home I'll check it out.

Correction: glad you made it to Kopp's for the shake (the burger is not impressive)

Nice job of stuffing the gut. Sorry you missed Solly's, but it'll be around for a while. And, beer goes with everything in MKE, don't forget the beer.

For next time:
- Breakfast at Comet Cafe on Farwell Ave. Great granola, the bacon cakes are plate-sized and the bloody marys come with an 8 oz beer chaser, which will help you block out all of the hipster couples feeding each other bites.
- Mexican on the south side. Everyone has their favorite but Conejito's is mine for impossibly cheap enchiladas and mole served on paper plates.
- German fare at Karl Ratzsch's on Mason St. The schnitzel is an institution, the service is unbeatable (to be friendly in a dirndl is asking a lot.)
- Three Brothers on St. Clair St. Can't say enough good things about it. Perfect location (a historic Schlitz tavern in the very cool Bayview neighborhood), cosily decorated (formica tables and mismatched chairs) plus just really delicious, traditional Serbian food. One of the best antidotes to Milwaukee winters I know.

I would recommend you avoid pizza while in Milwaukee… especially coming from NYC, do not expect to be impressed. Skip the pizza (and the fast food places that dominated your last visit) and you'll find some surprisingly awesome food. Now, to briefly contradict my last statement – hit up Solly's for the history/butter burger but save room for their banana milkshake. Thick like cement and made with real bananas instead of gross flavoring, this subtly flavored milkshake is well worth the calories. You may die after combining this with the butter burger but you gotta live once, right?

If you MUST do Miller, ok fine, but consider the nearby Lakefront Brewery right on the river. For 5$ you get 5 almost full sample pints of their small batch beers as well as a souvenir glass (bring a DD or sober up eating the free pretzels) and a fun tour of the actual facility instead of watching a lame video and gulping a teacup sample at Miller. I'm with you on Usingers (bring back some brats for me!)

To add to your list for next time I would heartily recommend:

1) Simma's Bakery (68th and Wells) – two words: morning bun. I dream about these 5 lbs croissant meets cinnamon bun meets sugar cinnamon buttery deliciousness.

2) Soup Bros (W Florida St and S 2nd) – basically the soup nazi living in a hoarders closet. Richard the owner/chef is actually classically trained and used to work with the big boys in Manhattan during the 90s. His short list of soups are hearty, stewy seasonal concoctions that change every few days or so. Comes with a huge chunk of fresh baked bread. Cash only, usually lunch only, a definite 'experience.'

3) Milwaukee Public Market – (Water st and St Paul ave) – there is a fish market on the end closest to the lake that cooks up simple short seafood menu to order. Their best is a mean blackened salmon sandwich with remoulade. Their salmon jerky is pretty amazing as well.

4) Cubanitas (N Milwaukee st and Mason) – Super strong mojitos but what I really go for is their Cuban sandwich.

Really you must go to Simmas and Soup Bros for your next visit – they are so uniquely Milwaukee and I sincerely miss them with all my heart (stomach?) now that I'm in a different state.

If you're going to go to Racine next time (which you definitely should), then you must stop at O&H Bakery for some kringle. There are a lot of places that make kringle, but O&H is one of the best.
http://www.ohdanishbakery.com/

DeRango's in Racine also has very good pizza. I've only ever had their thin crust-- my parents buy stacks of half-baked, take them home and freeze them for later.
http://www.derangothepizzaking.com/menu

I can't believe you didn't go to pizza shuttle, comet cafe, woodmans, public market or whole foods for their meat. :]

I second the kringle and sorry about your granny. I lost all my grannys before 1990. I am grannyless.

1.Simma's, not just for morning buns (get there early) but also the BEST CHEESECAKE ON THE PLANET. I'm very serious about it. You have to get a whole cake, bc if you just do a square slice, it doesn't have the chocolate cake layer on the bottom.
2. Balestreri's is right across the street from Simma's. It's the westside fave.
3.Kegel's Inn on National for a real German friday fish fry. Their potato pancakes are tops. Also kick-ass selection of beer on tap- get an Optimator and go home happy. Besides, isn't the name alone enough to make you want to check it out???
4. Everyone has already said this, but Solly's for a butterburger.
5. Skip IHOP next time and go to Ted's on North Ave, in Wauwatosa for really great waffles and good other breakfast stuff too.
6. You can get Usinger's at any grocery store (but I understand the allure of the factory)

Aww, Racine Kringles. I forgot about those. An institution.

Adam, if you ever want to shuffle the extra 75 miles west, The Old Fashioned restaurant in Madison specializes in Wisco fare and could get you a really good fried cheese curd fix. They also sell Schlitz in cans and have pickled eggs and landjaeger up at the bar.

I grew up in Milwaukee, have lived in Brooklyn for 8 years, and am planning a visit to M'waukee and my brother there in a few weeks. Where will I go:

Cempazuchi: Truly terrific slightly upscale Mexican food. Where I first learned to love fish tacos and where the salsas are strangely addictive.

Kopp's: I'm sorry--you're just wrong about Shake Shack--Kopp's frozen custard is supreme. Well, at least in my humble opinion.

Cafe Hollander: A relatively new place my bro introduced me to with a dish I sometimes long for: a Guinness Stout-laced waffle covered with corned beef, Yukon gold potato hash, poached eggs and horseradish cream sauce. O mah gawd.

Sprecher Brewing Company: And have you been to the Sprecher Brewery for its tour and end-of-tour beer tasting madness? Its microbrews? And its absolutely perfect Root Beer?

And then there's Kringle. And thanks for the Maria's Pizza recommendation--I'm there!

Oh, where to start. Nice to see Milwaukee get some love, there are a ton of great places to eat, though I wish you would have visited under better circumstances.

Beer first. Forget the Miller tour, Lakefront is the way to go. Try any beer by them or New Glarus (of Spotted Cow fame). Milwaukee Ale House does good work. I'm meh on most Sprecher beers, but their Black Bavarian and root beer are both excellent. If you see a Bell's beer on tap, particularly Two Hearted Ale, try it (a Michigan brewery, but who's counting).

Mexican: South side is indeed the way to go. Conejitos has a nice cheap paper plate vibe, Cempuzachi is a good one too. I like Riviera Maya for more traditional Mexican, Botanas for well done Tex-Mex, and any El Rey location for my cheap and good fix. Avoid La Perla at all costs.

Someone mentioned Comet for breakfast, but their open faced meat loaf "sandwich" seems like it might be right up your alley. Cafe Lulu is always worth a soup and sandwich stop - the Mediterranean steak pita with chips or the roasted veg salad with a tuna steak on top are both money.

Pizza, as has been said, may well be avoided, but either DeMarini's location would be my suggestion. I prefer Mama's for the sit at the bar and eat vibe.

For upscale but surprisingly cheap, Coquette Cafe (coq au vin) and Meritage (any braised meat on the menu) are great.

As for curds, like you guessed, most good bars in the city, my place of employment included. The corner bar culture is alive and kicking here, it's really one of my favorite parts about this city. Conversations with interesting functional alcoholic strangers FTW.

Simma's cheesecake. Singha Thai's pad thai. Not much good Indian, but Anmol does excellent Pakistani. Coffee: Anodyne > Stone Creek >>>>>>> Alterra. Bloody Mary at any Diablo Rojo place (Cafe Hollander, Cafe Centraal, Trocadero), though I find their food mostly overpriced and underwhelming. Sobelman's for a burger (still) - though I haven't been to Solly's, I hear good things. Jake's for Jewish deli goodness. Good call on the National.

I'm out of gas, but that should get you started.

I would like to reassure you that the pepperoni cannoli guy is still alive and well, and prowling the bars late at night. The last time I saw him he climbed through the window at Rascall's on Murray the night the Brewers clinched the wild card.....(late September 2008)

@Adam:

Yes, I noticed and appreciated your review and your lack of pizza provincialism.

California, Roman, NY, Chicago, or Milwaukee--I love all the beautiful pizza.

Peace,
Garvey

Isn't Milwaukee style pizza similar to Chicago thin crust? It's basically the same, right? I'm just curious.

Okay, I rescind my previous comments about Marco's. There are apparently a few Marco's in Milwaukee. The one we call isn't on South 27th, it's a non-chain Marco's on 84th and Lisbon. That's what my dad tells me, anyway. I had no idea they were different, actually.

Oh, and as an addendum to my comment above: BBQ Slow Roasted Pork Pizza there is great: BBQ Sauce, pulled pork, jalepeno peppers, and cream cheese, on a thin crust. Yumsville.

@Nezrite: I thought so, too. But the link Adam included was this: http://marcos.com/ and according to the website: "Marco’s Pizza (Marco’s Franchising, LLC), headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is one of the 25 largest pizza chains in the U.S., as ranked by PMQ's Pizza Magazine."

This is not the Marco's we order from, is what I was saying. I think we order from the same place, but it ain't the place on that website...

love the MKE shout-outs, but also have to respectfully object to Adam's custard comment. I don't even consider Shake Shack's 'tard in the same food group as the MKE version. shake shack chocolate tastes like vanilla that a hershey bar once said hello to. and in terms of shakes, a true custard aficionado would expect a refund on the soupy mess the shack is trying to pass off on unwitting new yorkers--$3.50 in the Brew gets you twice the custard to liquid ratio that $6 buys at Madison Square Park.

Out of the way Mexican - Fernando's (West Oklahoma & 16th? or 17th?) - looks like every other south side corner bar, but has great homemade chips with 3 fresh salsas, yummy poppers (get there early before they run out at dinner time) and they do a pretty good take on the Friday fish fry.

As long as you're on the ss, try to catch the traveling corn guy for the corn on the cob slathered in butter & mayo with queso cheese and chili powder. I know it's an artery-hardner, but I have to chase him down the block every time I hear the horn.

My fav new pizza - Transfer. Hands down. Any of the garlic pizzas are beyond great. They also support local growers.