That may sound crazy until I give you one more fact. I have that dinner, sometimes with a salad, at one of Milwaukee's best Italian restaurants - Bartolotta Ristorante in the charming section of Wauwatosa that locals call the Village.

To start, this is not just any pizza. When restaurateur Joe Bartolotta, who also owns Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro on the East Side and Mr. B's in Brookfield, first opened his Ristorante in Tosa, he installed an Italian-style, oak-burning, brick oven that makes pizzas with marvelously crisp crusts. Over the years, I've had simple versions with little more than tomatoes, cheese and herbs as well as fancier renditions topped with fresh shrimp ($10.95), which is what I shared with friends a few weeks ago as an appetizer.

Next, there's the duck.

Mention this entree to most Milwaukeeans and they'll envision a whole bird, roasted to a deep brown, crispy-skinned and served with wild rice or bread stuffing.

Under the careful hands of chefs Theodore Gilbert and Vincenzo Betulia, duck at Bartolotta's became the main ingredient in a pasta dish ($16.95) that was absolutely delicious. It started with wide homemade noodles, called pappardelle in Italian, cooked to the point where they're still slightly springy in the middle.

Once done, those delicate noodles were covered with a rich sauce made of duck braised in robust red wine with a touch of tomato. The result is one of the most unusual and luscious pastas I've eaten anywhere.

And for dessert each night, one of Bartolotta Ristorante's specials is fresh gelato ($4.95) - rich, homemade, Italian-style ice cream that's usually available in different flavors. Hazelnut, pistachio and mocha are my favorites.

Those are just a few of the high points of two lovely meals I shared with friends in recent weeks at Ristorante Bartolotta, a restaurant that's one of the most charming you'll find in Milwaukee.

Some of what makes the restaurant so delightful is its atmosphere. Dark wood trim, walls of black and white photos, stuffed pheasants, Italian sausages and cheeses hanging over the bar, and white-shirted servers in brocade vests always make me think that I'm in New York, not Wisconsin. Add to that the lovely scents of burning oak, garlic and olive oil and I'm usually hungry before a server lays a thick slab of Italian bread on my plate.

My real problem comes as I look at the menu. There's so much I want to try. At one recent visit, it was bruschetta ($5.95) - simple slices of heavy peasant bread grilled and served with a fresh tomato salad that we could fork on top. This was so much better than the soggy versions I've eaten at less competent Italian places. And it set a tone of culinary accomplishment that continued in all but a few details of both dinners.

Sometimes I order an unusual appetizer, like traditional Italian salt cod. The cod is painstakingly soaked in several changes of water to remove the salt, then whipped into an impressive mousse and served with a side of grilled polenta ($10.50).

Other times, it's more traditional, like fresh Italian mozzarella cheese ($6.95) served with slices of plum tomato, fresh basil leaves, olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

Then come the entrees, the real stars of any dinner at Bartolotta Ristorante.

Even more delicate than the duck pasta were a dozen small handmade ravioli ($18.95) filled with spinach and ricotta cheese, with Italian white truffle oil added for an extra dimension of flavor. To preserve that flavor, the ravioli were rolled in browned butter and sprinkled with grated Italian cheese.

It's hard to beat the flavor of fresh fish brushed with olive oil and grilled Italian style ($23.95). The platter that Ristorante Bartolotta delivered held shrimp, scallops, calamari, salmon and fresh halibut, each with its own flavor enhanced by the wood grill. A bouquet of wood-roasted vegetables rounded out the plate.

I don't remember ever eating a Cornish hen ($17.95) with more flavor. This was wood-roasted to a dark bronze, its glistening skin seasoned with fresh rosemary and lemon. Roasted potatoes and cauliflower florets accompanied it.

Similar treatment had transformed a pork loin ($18.95) into a luscious entree suffused with the flavor of wood smoke and accompanied by a lovely puree of potato and cauliflower. Unlike the Cornish hen, this plate wasn't perfect. A sauce made of porcini mushrooms with tomato and a hint of mint lacked the lively flavor it should have had.

While it looked beautiful and tasted great on the outside, a grilled Porterhouse steak ($26.95) arrived a degree underdone and needed to be sent back to the kitchen.

Salads at Bartolotta Ristorante, whether they were mostly arugula ($9.95) with prosciutto and Italian cheese, Caesar ($6.95) with a creamy garlic dressing ($6.95), or a plain mix of field greens ($5.95), were all perfectly fresh and tossed with perfectly made vinaigrette dressings.

Desserts were just as exemplary. From a rich chocolate truffle cake ($5.95) to a feathery, light tiramisu ($5.95) to an exquisite creme brulee ($5.95), these were sweets that weren't to be missed.

All in all, both meals were of the same caliber I'd expect to find in Italy, but there were a couple of bothers.

One of the most frequent complaints readers make about Bartolotta Ristorante is its noise level. The restaurant's interior has so many hard surfaces that the din on a busy night can make it hard to carry on a conversation at some tables.

What bothered me even more was the small pesky flies that circled my wineglass during dinner. My dining companion told me the flies were a bigger bother in the ladies' room.

Bartolotta's is the fourth restaurant in which I've seen them this year. I'm hoping it's going to be the last.