Wow...my first review since moving to Oakland, TN! I'm just kinda sad that it couldn't have been better. Since I am certain many of you are probably not familiar with my reviews. They are quite comprehensive and lengthy -- in an awesome way of course! I detail the entire dining experience from start to finish, and will give you some concluding remarks.
Food: Milano's Pizza is not bad. Unfortunately, that is the most positive thing I can say about it. The one impressive aspect of the pizza is the sauce. It has a really balanced taste and really helped 'freshen-up' the flavor of the pizza. Unfortunately, it all kinda goes downhill from there. I believe they term themselves a 'NY Style' pizza. Tisk-tisk...you Memphians will soon learn about my pet peeves, and this is one of them. They are in no way serving a NY Style pizza. Hmmm...how do I know? I lived in NY for 24 years!
The only thing NY about their pizza is the sauce. The toppings, the cheese, and especially the dough does not even come close. Even the way they cook it is far from 'NY Style'. On a traditional NY style pizza, the cheese is undoubtedly supposed to have those tiny little, bubbly dark spots all over it signifying the carmelization of the cheese. This cheese was just a sheet of pasty-white goo. It didn't taste bad, but it was not good by any stretch of the imagination. The sausage tasted like the stuff that is on top of the frozen Tony's pizzas--just pathetic. Finally, the dough didn't even remotely resemble a NY style. It was more 'cracker-y' than dough-y, and it didn't have that crispy exterior and tender, doughy interior that is a MUST in all NY style pizza. It was crunchy--but not crispy. Confusing? Probably a little, but go to NY and you'll see what I mean.
We also ordered wings. Wow were they awful. First of all, I don't know if they were chicken wings, or chicklet wings! They were tiny with very little meat on them. They at least got the crispiness right, but the sauce was generic as if it was out of the bottle (both BBQ and buffalo) and the wings were too small and puny to enjoy.
Food: 2 / 5
Service: I come to expect a certain level of disinterest and less-than-stellar customer service when I go to a type of establishment that typically hires high school students, drop-outs, and college kids just trying to get some extra cash; but unfortunately, Milano's customer service didn't even really hit that expectedly low mark. The four of us stood at the counter for 7 minutes while two dudes ignored us. FInally another guy came over who was obviously flustered and took his frustrations out on us.
We had never been there before, so I was unaware that they only have BBQ and Hot wings. I figured that, as a self-proclaimed NY style pizzeria, they would have your traditional Mild, Medium, and Hot wing selection. When I requested medium, he quite rudely, and quite pointedly told me that they didn't 'do medium'. Instead of following that up with 'but we do BBQ and Hot', I got silence... I looked at him and said 'Mild?' He responded, "nope". At this point I broke-in and asked what kind of sauces they had. I didn't see it on their menu, otherwise I wouldn't have asked...
Anyway, following that display of above-and-beyond customer service, they brought us our food, which, as I detailed above, was not so good.
Service: 2 / 5
Atmosphere: Besides the disinterested employees who obviously did not want to be there, and the general feeling of depression in the restaurant, it was sorta pleasant. If they spruced it up a bit, and got employees who at least kind of seemed like they wanted to be there, it would do wonders. Also, dust a little...
Finally, the seating was uncomfortable and tight. We are not small people, but we're not huge either and the booths were uncomfortable.
Atmosphere: 3 / 5
Price: For what we got, it was not worth what we paid. I would rather go to Pizza Hut, or Olympic Steak and Pizza than come back here. I do not feel as if I got a good value. Plus, I can cook much better NY STYLE Pizza from my own kitchen--which, of course, is what it seems like I am going to have to do unless I traverse into the city to find better pies.
Price: 1 / 5 (Not necessarily expensive, but the quality of food did not justify the price)
Concluding Thoughts: I was thoroughly disappointed in the food and the service. In a small area such as Somerville and Oakland, I suppose they can probably get away with food and service that is below average since there is limited competition. That is extremely fortunate for them, because if they were open anywhere in NY, they would be closed. That probably goes the same for Memphis too. If they were closer to the city where there are many more dining options, I guarantee they would be closed. Olympic Steak and Pizza is so far the best option in the Oakland area...though Shakers is on my to-do list next. read more
