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A visit with Dan Martino from Good Life Destinations

Martino's Restaurante, Stanley, WI

Nine years ago, Ron Haas was printing labels on McDonalds Happy Meal containers for a living, which gave him time to wonder if this was really what he should be doing with his life. Around that time, he attended a wedding in Chicago and found that his brother-in-law had just closed down his pizza restaurant and was looking to sell the equipment. Call it fate if you will, that conversation changed the trajectory of Ron's life and greatly improved the gastronomical lives of the folks living in and around Stanley, Wisconsin.

Growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, Ron felt at home in the kitchen from his earliest memories. So when the opportunity to get into the restaurant business presented itself, he was not remotely intimidated and confidently took steps to move the newly found pizza equipment to Stanley and open Martino's. The Italian name is derived from a very important person in Ron's life...his late father-in-law Martin, a man for whom Ron had a high regard. Nine years later, Martino's is a fixture in the Chippewa County/Clark County area, drawing patrons from Eau Claire and other surrounding towns..

But Ron and wife Karen have brought much more than great food to Stanley. Foster parents for years, they are raising two adopted children, foregoing the empty nest to start a second family. And the generosity doesn't end at home. Each year, Martino's hosts a benefit for local volunteer fire departments, donating 100% of the proceeds to the organizations. Firemen from the units prepare the pizzas and families enjoy games, special events and of course some very tasty food.

When we visited Martino's in September 2013, Ron was able to spend some time with us after we enjoyed the lunch buffet. We learned that chef Deb Winger has developed the recipes for most of the dishes served at this Italian eatery but Ron has also contributed a few of their most popular offerings. His "Ron's Original", which is typically a part of the buffet, is a tasty twist on a supreme pizza with the very welcome addition of a layer of bacon. Another of Ron's seasonal specialties was on the buffet the day we visited...an Octoberfest pizza. Layered with sauerkraut, bratwurst slices and Wisconsin cheeses, this white sauce pizza is very unique and I found it to be absolutely delicious. In fact, all the pizza varieties we were able to sample at Martino's were wonderful and it's easy to see why the lunch buffet is a popular option for locals. Carol is already looking forward to a return visit for Ron's Chicken Dumpling Soup. We will need to exercise good planning, though, because this soup is rotated with several others as the Martino's "soup of the day". You can be sure we'll be making a phone call to assure ourselves that it will be available upon our return..

While this quest began as a fairly narcissistic adventure, we did hold out hope that we might meet some long lost relatives in the process. What we didn't expect, was that we would meet these incredible folks operating these diverse establishments. In addition to the name "Martino", we've found one other binding tie among the thirteen we've visited to date...a passion for the food and a devotion to their customers. Though I have absolutely no right to feel this way, I'm proud that I share my name with these restaurants. This adventure just keeps getting more and more wonderful. Thanks to T.J., Ron and all the folks at these two great Wisconsin eateries for sharing their stories with us...and for the great food, too!

View this article on the Good Life Destinations website.

Eau Claire Leader Telegram: Diners' Notebook
By Audrey Fessler and Jeff Vahlbusch

Without reader Frank Reith, who called to question our pizza sense, we might never have found Martino's. That would have been a shame. Martino's makes some of the best Wisconsin-style pizza we've tasted. The night we visited, the restaurant and restrooms were spotless. Service was welcoming, attentive, and witty.

Our first pizza was classically simple: pepperoni and cheese on Martino's "original" pizza crust— half inch of breadstick-crisp, house-made dough with a sturdy rim. Martino's cheese is a tasty all-Wisconsin mix of mozzarella, young provolone, and cheddar and come properly baked into lovely reddish-brown peaks and deep-golden valleys. The house blended sauce is a study in fresh and mild: bright tomato flavor and color with pleasant acidity and understated Italian herbs. The pepperoni is spicy and a little unctuous, just as it should be. This was a well-crafted, satisfying pie with each good ingredient prominent and none dominant.

Our second pizza was more complex: Martino's House Special on thin crust. Like many "specialty" pizzas, this one comes overloaded with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, Canadian bacon, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, black olives, and mushrooms. But Martino's manages to keep this pizza astonishingly light by using less meat and cheese than most other makers. The happy result is a fine fresh-vegetable casserole sparked by the spice and salt of the meats and sauce. The bland Italian sausage bits were our only disappointment.

And Martino's thin crust? A quarter-inch masterpiece. The bottom surface is crisp-tender. Under the sauce, the top stays soft and moist, breadlike enough to balance the pie's generous inch of rich ingredients. This is a crust the even thin-crust foes can love.

Thanks, Frank!