Pizza keeps 'em coming back at Townline Pub
By Chris Drosner
Green Bay Press Gazette
Thursday, November 21, 2002

 ▪  Bar:  Townline Pub &Grill
.▪  Address/phone:  1773 Cardinal Lane, Howard; (920) 434-7943
.▪  Open:  11:00 a.m. daily
.▪   The scoop:  Between Howard and Suamico, there's the town line.  Between a bar
and a restaurant, there's the Townline Pub & Grill.  There's been a bar at the site since 1885, but the current pub and grill is about 6 years old. "It's a great happy medium,"
said Jeff Luedke, the bar manager and one of four owners.  Basically what we turned into was a bar with great food."  And by "great  food," he's probably talking about the Townline's pizzas.  You can pay more for a pizza at place that offers only pizza, and the pizza won't, be as good as you can find here.  It's the root of the bar's motto:
"Where the people come for the food and stay for the fun."
 ▪  Atmosphere:  The sign says sports pub, but you won't find the memorabilia overload favored elsewhere.  The decor is mostly beer signs and the like.  There are, however, plenty of TVs to catch the game, so it's not a stretch to call it a sports pub.
The building breaks down into three segments: restaurant-style seating, which gives way to barstool-height tables and the bar, and finally the game area, with a lower ceiling for a cozier feeling.  "As far as Howard goes, we're not as quaint as most of the bars.  We're a little bit bigger facility;" Luedke said. Yet, "it's very down-to-earth, very homey."
.▪  Crowd:  The Townline sponsors several softball, football, and basketball teams, which often gather at the bar after the game. That skews the crowd toward young and male, especially during the week.
.▪  Munchies:  The Townline's pizza is made to order, from scratch and from fresh ingredients.  If you can bring yourself to not order one - good luck - check out the Lonely Guy Burger: a black Angus patty seasoned with black pepper and fresh garlic smothered in cheese and fried onions.  If you don't want to spoil your dinner but need something salty with your beer, free popcorn is popped fresh a couple of times a day.
 ▪  Tunes:  Classic-rock radio was on at a conversational volume on a recent weeknight.  The bar also features one of those cool digital jukeboxes with a wide variety of up-to-date rock.  The Townline hosts entertainment most Saturdays, including karaoke and bands.
.▪  Diversions:  The two pool tables and two foosball tables are situated just so that you'll interact with the group at the next table but won't get in their way.  Golden Tee and darts also can gulp your quarters.
.▪  Specials:  The Townline has a few worth mentioning.  For "Monday Night Football," you can grab a 14-inch one-topping pizza for $5. Wednesdays bring
a one-topping pizza and a pitcher of any beer for $12, with several Leinie's brews available.  Tuesday is Mexican night, with 32-ounce margaritas complementing Mexican and fajita pizzas and 50-cent tacos. 
.▪  It's a party:  The owners are throwing a customer-appreciation bash today to mark their fourth year in business. You'll appreciate it: Beer and pizza are free for two hours beginning at 6 p.m.
.▪  Fun fact:  The Townline is just a stone's throw from one of the village's roundabouts, those crazy intersections that have folks in De Pere, Howard and
most foreign countries going in circles.  Don't count Luedke, who grew up "a country block" from the Townline, among Howard's vocal roundabout detractors. "I think it's great," he said.  "All the local politicians call it 'the R-word.'  They don't even want to talk about it."