Pepperoncini’s

Come for the pizza. Stay for the pepperoncini. Along a busy strip of East Main Street in Milford, Massachusetts, there's a bright green sign leading you to place called Pepperonici's Pizzeria and Grill. And inside, they're serving up hot New York style pizza, cold craft beers, and everything sports fans like to snack on, as owner Vincent Loscerbo explains.

Vincent Loscerbo: "I describe it as a very unpretentious place where anybody from anywhere can come and have a great time. We offer great food. Lot of micro brews. And it's just a great time. The base is Italian food, but we've also incorporated a lot of American food in there as well. Burgers, wings, Chicken parm. But the pizza's definitely the best seller."

Vincent grew up working in pizza places in his hometown of Newburgh, New York, about an hour north of the city. And he's always had dough, sauce, and cheese running through his veins.

Vincent Loscerbo: "It was part of growing up. My father, when he came over to this country from Calabria, Italy, he was a baker at 15 years old. Him and my mother met at the bakery. So, it's been in the family forever, and it's fun, and it's exciting. But it's a lot of love, and a lot of time. It's not rushed. A lot of stuff today is just rushed."

So, the dough is made fresh every day, swirled with a sweet homemade tomato sauce, and blanketed with premium Grande mozzarella cheese.

Vincent Loscerbo: "It's a larger, thin, crispy crust pizza, with a little doughier on the inside. It's hand tossed, we got great people back there hand tossing them every day. It's a skill. And they do a great job with it."

So, a plain cheese pizza here is anything but plain. It's crispy, but soft. Sturdy but gooey. And the signature Mac & Cheese Pizza with alfredo sauce is a queso and carb-lover's dream.

Vincent Loscerbo: "It's three different types of cheeses we put on, along with ziti, and we bake it in the oven. People initially are reluctant to try it, but once they do, they're hooked and they get it, again."

If you want to go for the dough, Pepperonici's offers thicker, heartier Sicilian style pizza. And they also use their dough to make their crusty, fresh-baked dinner rolls. Addictive breadsticks smothered in olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. And even "Sweet Sticks", featuring fresh fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar, served with vanilla icing for dipping, or over some ice cream and chocolate sauce for a dessert called "A Little Bit Heaven".

But to start your meal with something heavenly, the chicken wings are a must-order.

Vincent Loscerbo: "The Buffalo wings are the number one seller. We do have dry rub, we have mango habanero, we have garlic Parmesan. The wings are awesome. We use extra large jumbo party wings. We don't skimp on the size. And they're large enough that when we do fry them and toss them in the sauce or the dry rub, that they are not overly cooked because they are so big, they're still juicy in the middle."

For a deep fried alternative, check out an appetizer called Keggers, which are essentially jumbo-sized Buffalo chicken tater tots drizzled with blue cheese. Or the crispy, hand-rolled Sirloin and Cheese Spring Rolls served with horseradish cream. You might to consider the Meatloaf Melt sandwich stacked on Texas Toast with melted cheddar and mushroom gravy. There's a great plate of panko-crusted Chicken Parmesan loaded with plenty of cheese and a mound of pasta. The Big Daddy Burger, designed for big eaters, topped with pepperoni, bacon, cheddar, American, and a pile of onion strings. And you definitely don't want to miss their massively satisfying plate of Steak Tips and Eggs.

Vincent Loscerbo: "Steak tips. It's a secret recipe we have here. Once again, it's sweet. We marinate them for two to three days. We needle them, so the marinade really soaks throughout. They're very tender, they're juicy, and it just, it's hard to explain, but it's just such a great experience. And we sell it on salads, pizza, in calzones. We have it on everything, wraps. It's a popular item on everything."

And Pepperoncini's is a popular place for everybody in town, from couples and kids, to comfort food fanatics and hungry sports fans.

Vincent Loscerbo: "So everywhere you are you can see a TV. I know you're not supposed to watch TV at the dinner table, but we put them up high enough, this way you could actually have a conversation and eat and, if you wanted to, you could pretend you're still looking across the table at whoever you're talking to and look up and catch the score or whatever, you know. Just want to make it feel like your living room, like you can come someplace, and it doesn't matter how you dress. You can come, feel comfortable, you can have a martini or you can have a pitcher of beer. It's like an extension of my living room, and making people feel comfortable when they come in here."