Oh, yeah, latter days Paisan's was quite bad - no trace of the care / love / warmth of the original. Just a barely commercially viable beast on life support. I went at least once at the new (Monona Terrace) location and did NOT dig it in the slightest. Paisan's of my childhood (say, 1982…1990?) was a different place in terms of the food it served. Nothing fancy, for sure, but home-spun and lovely nevertheless. Classic Italian-American fare, plus that killer Garibaldi. I don't know exactly when it went bad, and it's entirely possible it went through good / bad / good / bad phases as owners and/or operators rotated through.
I didn't discover Paisan's until I had moved from the Madison area and was back in town for work at World Dairy Expo. I was taken to Paisan's by a friend where I had my one and only Paisan's Garibaldi. This was several years ago, but I recall it being pretty good. From 1987 thru 2001, I probably consumed around 60 or more Garibaldis, but they were from DelItalia on the west side of town. I'm not getting into which sandwich was better, I just want to thank you for giving me the Garibaldi once again. I've modified it a little to suit my tastes, but it's now a family favorite. Thanks to you the Garibaldi lives on!
I was having a pretty good morning already, but reading this comment really made my day. Super glad to hear the Garibaldi is working out for you (and living onward into the glorious future.) Cheers!
I love that you love this, and I hatehatehated Paisan's. Just awful. The last time I was there the food was literally inedible, and that's rare enough in a restaurant that it's notable. Porta Bella is so pretty, and we gave a half dozen chances (it was so close to campus, we were grad students in need of a place to hang out). But every time I'd get my hopes up, the food would come and bring them right back down.
I wonder how different the Paisan's you knew was from the one I encountered, years later? I have a feeling it was an entirely different restaurant, and I just arrived too late.
Perfect timing with this post, as I'm currently on my way back to Utah after a trip home to Madison. Made it to Michael's Frozen Custard and had brats on the Union terrace. Sadly no Pizza Pit.
Oh man Michael's + Union Terrace brats = a fantastic trip back home. I will be following your lead in the next week or two. I might even sneak over to Porta Bella to see how far off my Garibaldi actually was, otherwise it's been years since I've eaten one...
The very definition of "comfort food"! I still haven't found anything quite like it here in Minneapolis-St. Paul, although both Jakeeno's and DeGidio's have elements...
Oh, yeah, latter days Paisan's was quite bad - no trace of the care / love / warmth of the original. Just a barely commercially viable beast on life support. I went at least once at the new (Monona Terrace) location and did NOT dig it in the slightest. Paisan's of my childhood (say, 1982…1990?) was a different place in terms of the food it served. Nothing fancy, for sure, but home-spun and lovely nevertheless. Classic Italian-American fare, plus that killer Garibaldi. I don't know exactly when it went bad, and it's entirely possible it went through good / bad / good / bad phases as owners and/or operators rotated through.
I didn't discover Paisan's until I had moved from the Madison area and was back in town for work at World Dairy Expo. I was taken to Paisan's by a friend where I had my one and only Paisan's Garibaldi. This was several years ago, but I recall it being pretty good. From 1987 thru 2001, I probably consumed around 60 or more Garibaldis, but they were from DelItalia on the west side of town. I'm not getting into which sandwich was better, I just want to thank you for giving me the Garibaldi once again. I've modified it a little to suit my tastes, but it's now a family favorite. Thanks to you the Garibaldi lives on!
I was having a pretty good morning already, but reading this comment really made my day. Super glad to hear the Garibaldi is working out for you (and living onward into the glorious future.) Cheers!
I love that you love this, and I hatehatehated Paisan's. Just awful. The last time I was there the food was literally inedible, and that's rare enough in a restaurant that it's notable. Porta Bella is so pretty, and we gave a half dozen chances (it was so close to campus, we were grad students in need of a place to hang out). But every time I'd get my hopes up, the food would come and bring them right back down.
I wonder how different the Paisan's you knew was from the one I encountered, years later? I have a feeling it was an entirely different restaurant, and I just arrived too late.
Perfect timing with this post, as I'm currently on my way back to Utah after a trip home to Madison. Made it to Michael's Frozen Custard and had brats on the Union terrace. Sadly no Pizza Pit.
Oh man Michael's + Union Terrace brats = a fantastic trip back home. I will be following your lead in the next week or two. I might even sneak over to Porta Bella to see how far off my Garibaldi actually was, otherwise it's been years since I've eaten one...
Paisan's was a favorite in my family too. Love this :)
The very definition of "comfort food"! I still haven't found anything quite like it here in Minneapolis-St. Paul, although both Jakeeno's and DeGidio's have elements...