You might be slightly skeptical of an Italian restaurant that serves zesty Buffalo wings as an appetizer and misspells "bruschetta" on its menu.

But those things only add to the quirky, casual atmosphere at Milan Pizza, which has been in business in the Cuesta Park neighborhood — in a shopping complex at Miramonte and Cuesta — for 12 years and counting.

Spend an evening there and you'll see the secret to its success: The owner, Masoud Shahidi, has established a homey neighborhood restaurant which brings in many regulars. His wait staff is attentive and easygoing, and the menu, depending on what you order, can be relatively easy on the wallet.

Speaking of the menu, it offers Italian staples like pizza, minestrone, calzone and pasta — with prices ranging from $16.95 for the chicken parmigiana to $8.50 for the buffalo wings. But we recommend you stick with the pizza.

On the night we visited, the manager in charge was chatting with patrons sitting at the bar, and checking in on a private party seated in the back room. There was only one waitress serving, but she whisked around the place, handling several parties with ease.

The atmosphere at Milan is family-friendly and practical, with booth seating and tables within view of two TVs (tuned to two separate sports games during our visit). The long wooden bar, which runs along the main dining room, is a good place for an aprËs work drink with friends, or a casual business lunch.

Diners at my table found Milan's pizza bread starter ($10.95) to be finger-licking good. Touted as a "house specialty treat," the bread was essentially a thin-crust pizza, with a perfect balance of sauce and cheese — and a deliciously overwhelming amount of garlic.

The minestrone ($2.95 cup, $4.95 bowl) was well flavored, but thin and a bit salty. Since there was a baseball game on, we also tried the mixed appetizer platter ($9.95) which includes wings, chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks. All were as you'd expect: Fine for snacking on while watching a game.

Milan Pizza really shines where it counts: the pizza. Of the four types we sampled, all were popular, and no one could agree on which was their favorite. Shahidi's pizzas are deep-dish style, perfectly chewy with a slightly crisp exterior, and give an excellent crunch to balance out the soft toppings. Prices range from $10.95 for a small cheese to $25.95 for an extra-large combo.

The margherita pizza, though unlike the classic version, was simple and tasty, garnished with basil, slices of tomato and, as ever, plenty of garlic. A vegetarian diner at our table enjoyed both it and the pizza Florentine, made with red and white sauce, sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and sundried tomatoes.

Meat eaters at our table unanimously liked "Milan's Favorite," a combo with pepperoni, sliced meatballs, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and garlic sauce. All those sharp ingredients mixed surprisingly well, providing a very complete bite of salty, sweet, crunchy and creamy.

For a more varied pizza, the gourmet pesto was a satisfying option. Made with staple ingredients like pesto, pine nuts, artichoke hearts and chicken, it was creamy but not overly rich.

Pizza aside, we found a winning dish in the eggplant parmagiana ($15.95). The meat of the eggplant was cooked perfectly — not too soft and not too chewy. Served in a generous helping, my vegetarian friend finished the entire plate, down to the last fork-full of sauce, despite complaining that the veggies on the side were served a little cold.

For garlic lovers, another dish to try is the seafood linguini ($16.95). Though the shrimps atop the pasta weren't the plumpest I've eaten, the garlic butter sauce was light, with a hint of lemon, and the pasta was al dente.

Though its food may not be "authentic" to an Italian foodie, Milan Pizza's commitment to its patrons definitely is. This is a neighborhood that will surely be making pies for years to come.