Papa's Pizza: Classic Italian-American

My recent posting about Sauced, the new neighborhood bistro
in north Minneapolis brought some enthusiastic comments from neighbors, and a
slightly disgruntled note from Mick Brogan, owner of the nearby Papa’s Pizza
& Pasta.

"We have been on the corner of 42nd and Thomas for 3 years
and are still the best kept secret in Minneapolis. We offer East Coast Italian
American cuisine and have quite the following. However getting the word out
that we are here is a full time job. When you mention other restaurants in the
area and not us it sure doesn’t help. We offer food and service that is 2nd to
none …. Stop by sometime and see what we have to offer."

So, let me apologize for the oversight. I did visit Papa’s
Pizza and Pasta three years ago, and I liked it a lot. It’s your basic, no
frills mom and pop pizzeria. These kinds of places used to be staples in every
neighborhood a generation ago, but the relentless march of the Pizza Huts and
Dominos have driven them to the edge of extinction. Locally – I can only think
of Jakeeno’s, Dulono’s and the Pizza Shack, but I am sure that disgruntled
pizzeria owners will remind me of a few more.

At the time. Papa’s seemed to be facing an enormous uphill
struggle. The average lifespan of a north Minneapolis restaurant seems to be
under a year, and Pizza Papa’s had had a couple of incidents of vandalism – the
big glass windows had been smashed a couple of times.

I stopped back last night and ordered the spaghetti with
meatballs, a classic rendition, served in a generous portion with garlic bread
and four meatballs for $10.59. And I
took home a 16" pizza deluxe, topped with sausage, pepperoni, onions, green
peppers and mushrooms – big enough to serve four for $17.49. (Smaller pies are
available, but this is the best value.) Both were first-rate. This is authentic
East Coast Italian-American – just like in New Jersey – there is even a little
tribute to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack on the walls. A full lineup of
hoagies and sandwiches is also available, plus a decent low-end wine list.

Three years later, Papa’s Pizza seems to be thriving.
There’s a nice little sidewalk patio in front of the restaurant, and the
Brogans recently added a deli, offering everything from fresh Italian sausage,
imported cheeses, pasta and olive oil to bread, snacks and Italian gelato – the
only deli of its kind for miles around.

The nice thing about this neighborhood mom-and-pop pizzeria
is that this mom and pop really do try to be part of the neighborhood. Kris
Brogan – Mick’s wife, is on the Victory Neighborhood Livability Committee, and
the Brogans are big supporters of the nearby Workhouse Theater. There were two
signs in their window for neighborhood events this Saturday – a Victory
Neighborhood Spring Cleaning and Greening Day (meet at the Victory Neighborhood
Association offices, 2200 44^th Ave. N., 612-529-9558 at 9 a.m.), and
a neighborhood tour of houses for sale (call 612-581-9308.)