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'''Pizza Brutta''' is a Neapolitan-style pizzeria at 1805 Monroe St., owned by Derek and Darcy Lee<ref name="mc-2020-03-19-takeout">Christians, L. (2020, March 19). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_e2348f35-2489-582b-b4c6-4565731e0747.html "Madison restaurants shift to takeout and delivery, bringing burgers, coffee to your doorstep."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="mc-2021-03-02-annas">Kalk Derby, S. (2021, March 2). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_9b051837-f5b3-545d-9443-149945d9603b.html "'Community over competition': One pizzeria helps another after Sun Prairie crash."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. Its wood-fired pizzas follow the strict Neapolitan rules<ref name="mc-2020-01-09-novanta">Kalk Derby, S. (2020, January 9). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/article_8b30c289-8457-531d-a219-5e5db0e1a9cc.html "New Novanta restaurant is quick, dependable and spirited."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

==History==
Derek and Darcy Lee applied for a license for Pizza Brutta at 1805 Monroe St. in May 2007<ref name="ct-2007-05-09-p4">(2007, May 9). License applications: Sendero, LLC, agent Darcy Lee, dba Pizza Brutta, 1805 Monroe Street, Class B beer, Class C wine. ''The Capital Times''. p. 4. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/522529594/ 522529594].</ref> and opened it late that year in the former Sepp Sports ski shop, a stone cottage across from Trader Joe's that resembled "a Hansel and Gretel cottage"; they had not returned the Capital Times' calls before opening, for which its reviewer held "a tiny grudge" for a few months. The name means "ugly pizza", chosen because "bella" is overused by Italian restaurants. Customers ordered at a white marble counter in front of the wood-burning brick oven and paid before sitting; the State Journal found the first crusts floppy and the takeout box advising a 500-degree reheat, while the Capital Times' three-star review two months later judged the crust tastier and the cheese more respectable than at [[Cafe Porta Alba]]. The prosciutto came from La Quercia in Iowa and the mozzarella from an Oshkosh dairy; Lee promised organic gelato<ref name="mc-2007-12-30-pizza-brutta-review-wsj">Martell, C. (2007, December 30). [https://madison.com/entertainment/article_7537f021-8cf7-5625-81e6-5aa90fbcf252.html "Pizza Brutta has potential thanks to location, but it needs work."] ''madison.com''.</ref><ref name="mc-2008-02-14-pizza-brutta-review-ct">Kalk Derby, S. (2008, February 14). [https://madison.com/entertainment/article_54277939-8aba-5945-b8b1-6fb28c8d3c8c.html "Pizza Brutta brings fire and crust to Monroe St."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. At the end of 2009 a margherita for $7.70 was still "deliciously simple"<ref name="mc-2009-12-29-lets-eat-thick-thin">Dean, K. (2009, December 29). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/reviews/article_c4e7219c-0acc-5fcd-aec2-2b09db811377.html "Let's Eat for $7.70: Through thick or thin, pizza's a pleaser."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.

In March 2020, when the dining rooms closed, Pizza Brutta had two stores, on Monroe Street and at 6712 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave. in Middleton, and offered curbside pickup at both<ref name="mc-2020-03-19-takeout" />. When the Lees signed the lease in Middleton, the floor was still dirt<ref name="mc-2021-03-02-annas" />. In 2020 they decided to close the Middleton store and concentrate on Monroe Street<ref name="mc-2020-10-22-long-haul">Christians, L. (2020, October 22). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_632221d0-b98b-5d80-8f70-50d0a8efe209.html "'This is going to be a long haul': Local taverns close for the winter."] ''madison.com''.</ref>, and Pasqual's Cantina moved into the Middleton space in 2021<ref name="mc-2021-06-17-pasquals">Kalk Derby, S. (2021, June 17). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_42729294-308c-5ac6-a887-14fa558b0d5f.html "Pasqual's Cantina at Hilldale moving after 14 years."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. The Monroe Street store was still open in 2022<ref name="ct-2022-01-05-pO14">(2022, January 5). Interview with an artist naming his favorite places, among them Pizza Brutta. ''The Capital Times''. p. O14. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/799606472/ 799606472].</ref>.

==Pizza==
* Ten specialty pizzas in 2007–2008, at $9 to $12.50: the Siciliana (tomato, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, kalamata olives, basil and eggplant), the Salsiccia with a Wisconsin fennel sausage and rosemary, the Salami e Funghi, the Margherita with mozzarella made in-house, and a white "market" pizza with wood-roasted almond pesto on fontina<ref name="mc-2007-12-30-pizza-brutta-review-wsj" /><ref name="mc-2008-02-14-pizza-brutta-review-ct" />.

==Locations==
* 1805 Monroe St. (late 2007 to present)<ref name="mc-2007-12-30-pizza-brutta-review-wsj" />.
* 6712 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave., Middleton (to 2020).

==See also==
* [[COVID-19 pandemic]]
* [[Item:Q1335|Pizza Brutta in the Madison Pizza Wiki database]]

==Notes==
<references />