Post by Scott Crawford on Jul 27, 2013 14:37:54 GMT -6
One of Chicago's most well known dishes is the deep dish pizza. Most pizza connoisseurs date the deep dish back to the time of World War II at a local pizzeria called Uno's. The key feature of the dish is that it's thick and requires being baked in a pie pan. Its depth doesn't come from bread. The depth should come from thick layers of cheese and toppings. So the Chicagoans say. But the bread is still fairly thick and crunchy. I still believe that the best pizza is the New York style thin-crust, but Chicago style is a nice change of pace every now and then.
From best to worst:
1. Lou Malnati's: What makes Lou's so nice is its mildness. The crust is a bit crunchy, but not too thick. They say the add-on buttercrust is better and it's their specialty, but I think their normal deep dish crust is better. The sauce is mild and varies on the pie itself. Some spots are covered in a nice clump of red sauce with chunks of tomatoes. Other spots are a little drier. The cheese is of very high quality. Toppings? I've had the vegetarian, but the spinach was overpowering. The pepperoni is my favorite. They layer the pepperoni over the entire pizza and you won't want for more. It's a solid meat layer. The sausage is a local favorite, but I'm not a fan. Perhaps the best thing at Malnati's is the chopped salad. Chicago is also well known for its chopped salad, and no one does it better than Malnati's.
2. Giordano's: this is deep dish to excess. I can eat a lot of pizza. Downing a large from Papa John's isn't a problem. Downing two slices of Giordano's deep dish is. A large here probably gets you about three pounds of mozzarella. Maybe more. The crust is pretty crunchy, but not as bridle as Malnati's. It always takes forever for them to make the pizza, probably because it is so thick. But if you want death by cheese, Giordano's is the way to go.
3. Pizano's: It's almost identical to Malnati's. Locals love the thin crust here, but I don't see what all the fuss is. It wouldn't make it in New Orleans. The chopped salad is not worth your money.
4. Uno's: One big mess, but a pretty good tasting mess. I'm not sure how they make these, but once the pizza slice is on your plate, everything gushes everywhere, so you're left with an Italian casserole more than pizza.
5. Gino's East: When I see long lines at this place I can only think that these people must be tourists. Gino's is not very good. The deep dish is too hard and really unremarkable. The thin crust is plain bad. They do have a good lunch special: drink, cheap side salad, and personal pan for $6, but that pan pizza is little more than filling.
From best to worst:
1. Lou Malnati's: What makes Lou's so nice is its mildness. The crust is a bit crunchy, but not too thick. They say the add-on buttercrust is better and it's their specialty, but I think their normal deep dish crust is better. The sauce is mild and varies on the pie itself. Some spots are covered in a nice clump of red sauce with chunks of tomatoes. Other spots are a little drier. The cheese is of very high quality. Toppings? I've had the vegetarian, but the spinach was overpowering. The pepperoni is my favorite. They layer the pepperoni over the entire pizza and you won't want for more. It's a solid meat layer. The sausage is a local favorite, but I'm not a fan. Perhaps the best thing at Malnati's is the chopped salad. Chicago is also well known for its chopped salad, and no one does it better than Malnati's.
2. Giordano's: this is deep dish to excess. I can eat a lot of pizza. Downing a large from Papa John's isn't a problem. Downing two slices of Giordano's deep dish is. A large here probably gets you about three pounds of mozzarella. Maybe more. The crust is pretty crunchy, but not as bridle as Malnati's. It always takes forever for them to make the pizza, probably because it is so thick. But if you want death by cheese, Giordano's is the way to go.
3. Pizano's: It's almost identical to Malnati's. Locals love the thin crust here, but I don't see what all the fuss is. It wouldn't make it in New Orleans. The chopped salad is not worth your money.
4. Uno's: One big mess, but a pretty good tasting mess. I'm not sure how they make these, but once the pizza slice is on your plate, everything gushes everywhere, so you're left with an Italian casserole more than pizza.
5. Gino's East: When I see long lines at this place I can only think that these people must be tourists. Gino's is not very good. The deep dish is too hard and really unremarkable. The thin crust is plain bad. They do have a good lunch special: drink, cheap side salad, and personal pan for $6, but that pan pizza is little more than filling.