Edwardo`s Ristorante di Pizza

Edwardo’s
Ristorante di
Pizza
Tod Edwards, at far left, works with pizzaiolos Ian Dougherty-Harris,
middle, and Josh Nagel at the wood-fired oven.
You might drive past the oldest woodfired pizza restaurant in Wisconsin without
noticing it, but that would be a mistake.
By Reggie McLeod
C
ozy and unobtrusive, Edwardo’s Ristorante di Pizza occupies a low-slung green building
on Rose St., across from the Black
River, in north La Crosse. Many tall
signs and bright lights vie for the attention of drivers, so slow down and
watch for it.
On your way in, check out the specials written on the board outside the
door. The interior feels like a welcome
retreat from the noisy, too-bright world
outside. Lots of dark green wallpaper,
brass lamps, framed prints and dark
wood adorn the entryway and the
three dining rooms, which seat 200
people. The first is the Trattoria Room,
our favorite because of the wood-fired
pizza oven blazing at the far end. Deep
booths line the room, while in the center, tables can be pushed together for
large gatherings. The ambience is warm
and soft rock plays in the background.
The Library Room, a smaller dining
room with quirky bookshelf wallpaper
that seats 44, is around the side of the
oven.
The Taverna Room is the bar. It,
too, has booths around the sides and
tall stools and tables in the center.
There’s a single television set mounted
over the bar — maybe it’s a concession
to regular bar customers, because most
people dining here seem to be more
interested in talking. Deep booths
encourage it.
The restaurant has not changed
much over the years, and that’s good,
especially if you like great pizza. We
go for the wood-fired pizzas and have
enjoyed all 14 of them — including the
Roasted Duck and Wild Mushroom;
and the Chevre, Roasted Sweet Red
Bell Peppers and Spinach.
Our favorites are the Grilled and
Roasted Vegetable pizza (grilled roma
tomatoes, red onions, zucchini, with
fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms,
roasted red bell peppers, asiago and
smoked mozzarella cheeses, and fresh
garlic, basil, oregano and bruschetta
When I eat the veggie, I know
it’s the best, but then a slice of
the New Yorker convinces me
otherwise, and so on...
oil), and the New Yorker pizza (homemade Italian sausage, pepperoni, sauteed mushrooms, red onions, green
peppers, sauce, fresh garlic, mozzarella
and provolone cheeses). The homemade Italian sausage is a standout,
with a fresh, anise flavor. The crusts are
thin, blistery and crisp, and the pizzas
deliver a pleasant smokey flavor. The
crust’s outside edge is rolled under to
form a hollow inside.
Our game is to eat a slice of one
pizza, then the other. When I eat the
veggie, I know it’s the best, but then a
slice of the New Yorker convinces me
otherwise, and so on … You might play
a similar game with a 4 Season Pizza,
which is divided into quarters with
each of the four different topping combinations representing the harvest of
28 Big River Magazine / M arch -A pril 2014
one season in Italy.
The menu also includes a ­selection
of oven-baked pizzas with either thin
or Sicilian thick crusts, as well as
design-your-own pizzas from 27 toppings; pasta dishes; grilled chicken
entrees and burgers.
Gluten-free crusts are available for
an additional $2.95.
If you want to enjoy antipasti and a
drink while you discuss the possibilities, the stuffed mushrooms — seafood
stuffing and served in a garlic alfredo
sauce — will keep you entertained
($6.99/$11.99). Or, you might want
to try the calamari, fried in a light,
crispy batter ($7.99/$11.99). The bar
serves an impressive variety of wines
and beers, including tap, craft and
imported beers.
One celebratory evening we ended
the meal with tiramisu and coffee. A
new tradition was born! The tiramisu
was both creamy and light. It made
already good coffee taste better and
went down easily. And we brought
home two extra slices of leftover pizza!
The 11-inch, wood-fired pizzas
range from $13.99 to $16.99.
Edwardo’s owner Tod Edwards, 51,
grew up in the pizza business. His
father, Dick, learned to make pizza
from an Italian pizza maker in Chicago in 1955. He opened the Pizza
Wagon in La Crosse in 1961. In 1978
he and his wife, Rita, bought a small
building near the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse that seated 20 diners. Tod opened another Pizza Wagon
in Onalaska in 1980. In 1993 they
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merged the two restaurants at the current location and built the first woodfired pizza oven in Wisconsin.
“I flew to Italy a few times to learn
how to use the oven,” Tod recalled.
Tod’s father died a few years ago,
but his mother usually helps out on
Friday and Saturday nights and his sister Lisa also works there.
Many of the ingredients are organic
or imported from Italy. Menu items
are made from scratch. Pizza dough is
made fresh every day. The sausage is
hand made and even the appetizers are
made fresh and cooked to order. The
buffalo wings and batter-fried cheese
curds are the most popular appetizers,
Tod said.
“I’m working on a lot of new menu
items,” he confided.
Even after spending much of his life
in the pizza business, Tod maintains
his enthusiasm. He hopes to add some
new wood-fired pizzas and appetizers that are not deep fried to the menu
soon. The beer list may include as
Edwardo’s
608-783-7711
1930 Rose St., La Crosse, Wis.
Fri.-Sat. 4 to 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 4 to 9 p.m.
Tues.-Thurs. 4 to 10 p.m.
many as 50 or 60 beers by the spring.
“It’s a wonderful thing. It’s a good
way to make a living.” F
Left: Two wood-fired pizzas and beer-battered cheese curds keep company with
a bottle of chianti.
Above: Edwardo’s Ristorante is across the street from the Black River near its
confluence with the Mississippi in La Crosse, Wis.
M arch -A pril 2014 / Big River Magazine 29