6070 S. 12th StreetContinuing our tradition of being lazy on Monday nights, neither of us could come up with anything for dinner. I went with my go-to and asked J if she wanted a pizza. As soon as I said it, L started saying “pizze,” so J gave in and let me call in an order instead of actually cooking something for dinner.
Instead of going with one of our typical haunts, I pulled up the website for a new but not so new pizza place in Portage.
The name Maestro’s should sound familiar. For the last few years, they’ve been operating out of the Sunny Mart in a very tiny space that was built for them in a corner. Recently, they moved out of that space an upgraded to a space of their own…right across the street.
Well, not quite right across, but kitty-corner. They’ve taken up space in a small shop in the strip mall a the corner of 12th Street and Milham Avenue in Portage.
The restaurant itself is pretty small. There are only a handful of tables and a pretty good size bar serving up delicious Michigan beer. I had called my order in and when I walked in, the pizza maker was waiting for me with three boxes.
That was a little odd because I only ordered two. I placed an order for 16″ pizza with pepperoni on half and plain cheese on the other plus an order of Maestro Bread.
When making the Maestro Bread, the cook screwed up and started to put sauce on it. After ruining the dough, he decided to make a 12″ cheese pizza out of it. He offered it to me at half price and I figured what the hell. Pizza doesn’t (and didn’t) go to waste in our house.
The bill for the three pizzas was right at $26. I almost wish I had gotten there a little bit early just to sit and enjoy a beer at the bar, but I grabbed my three boxes and headed home like a good boy.
J and I both went for the Maestro Bread as soon as I got home. The 12″ pizza like treat is topped with a home made garlic and Parmesan spread. The box comes with a small cup of marinara sauce, but both of us really liked it on it’s own. It’s got a fantastic garlicy, cheesy taste. Very delicious. We both both filled up on the Maestro Bread while it was warm before going for the pizza.
The last time I had Maestro’s, I said it was one of the better pizzas in the Kalamazoo area. The pizza at the new place holds up to the old place. The crust, although it’s a pretty typical hand tossed crust, had a little bit of a bite to it on the bottom and the sauce comes off on the sweeter side. We only had a few slices each while it was warm, but as predicted, all three of us ate on the leftovers for several meals. Enjoying every bite.
As a food blogger, I’m really happy to see Maestro’s moving up and I hope the gamble pays off for them. They have a pretty nice space with a solid beer selection and a very good pizza.
12″ Maestro Bread
16″ Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza
16″ Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza
