Townline Offers Gourmet Pizza Taste
By Larry Desch
Green Bay Press Gazette
February 12, 2002

   After buying the Townline Pizza Pub & Grill about four years ago, Mark Kulju and Dave Luedke began looking for a good pizza maker.  "We just couldn't find the right guy" Kulju said.  Finally last May they found R.L. Johnson.  "It was kind of by luck,"
Kulju said.  "We actually hired someone, but he didn't show up the next day and a day later, R.L. walked in looking for a job." 
   Having worked for years at pizza places in Chicago, Johnson moved to the Green Bay area about a year ago.  He's now running the kitchen as a partner with Kulju and Luedke. Luedke's brother, Jeff, runs the bar end of the business.  I love making pizzas, it's a fun, fast-moving job," Johnson said. And the pizzas are moving fast, too: "Our pizza business has really taken off, " he said.  Kulju says the people really like what's coming out of Johnson's pizza oven.  "You can't get a made-to-order, gourmet pizza like this anywhere else in the Howard-Suamico area," he said.  "Plus, we have free delivery."  "Everything's fresh," Johnson said. "Fresh vegetables, fresh meat, and we make our own crust."  "But the secret " he said "is in the sauce.  It's a recipe I've put together over the years." 
   While you can get a traditional pizzas, Johnson says his specialty and gourmet creations are the most popular.  A big seller is a chicken fajita pizza topped with seasoned chicken, onions, green peppers, mozzarella and Cheddar cheese and a spicy sauce.  For those who don't mind being a social outcast, there's a Lonely Guy pizza that includes garlic, onions and sauerkraut.  "You'll probably end up standing in a corner by yourself," Luedke said. "You definitely need breath mints after eating this one." 
   The menu, however, offers more than pizza.  There's a variety of sandwiches including a Black & Bleu Burger that's grilled with blackening seasoning and topped with sauteed onions and bleu cheese dressing.  There's also a Black & Bleu chicken sandwich.  Perch, blue gill, baked or breaded haddock and shrimp plates are served on Friday.  There's also a long list of appetizers, but be careful if you order the chili cheese fries - a meal in themselves.  For $4.25, you get a mountain of thick-cut French fries piled on a bed of nachos and buried under a gooey sea of cheese and chili.  Homemade tortilla chips are a house specialty and if you like nachos, the Nacho Grande is a super serving of chips layered with taco meat, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, sour cream, salsa and jalapeno peppers.  If you order the nachos, "you better be hungry;" Johnson said.