In the rush to write about what’s new and what’s next in the world of restaurants, what’s been around awhile often gets neglected — places like Filippo’s Italian Restaurant in West Allis, a kind of time capsule where classics rule. Somehow, I’d never been to Filippo’s until a few months ago, even though the restaurant has been around since 1972 (as you might be able to tell by the groovy font used to spell its name on the sign that says “Open” seven days a week). The restaurant started at 76th and Becher and moved to 69th and Lincoln in 1984.

Once I’d been to Filippo’s, I wanted to go back; the food, the place and the people felt as comfortable as an old friend. Previous critics at the newspaper had reviewed it and mentioned it over the years, but it was beyond time to talk about Filippo’s again, and more restaurants like it. So this is the first in an occasional series looking at Milwaukee-area and Wisconsin classics, restaurants that have both longevity (a rare commodity in a volatile business) and quality going for them.