[Chicago Pizza Interview] Burt Katz

Burt Katz is an icon in the Chicago pizza world. He has owned four different pizzerias: Inferno (RIP), Gulliver's, Pequod's, and the eponymous Burt's Place. When the CPC invaded Burt's Place on July 23, 2008, I had a chance to briefly talk to the man himself.

Burt was not much on pontificating on the meaning of pizza or his place in the pizza world, and he was unwilling to give up any secrets at all.

His most famous contribution to pizzaology was the invention of the caramelized crust. I asked him what gave him the idea, and he shrugged and said something about kids not eating their crust and that their parents would eat the crust with the cheese. If that seems confusing, it is, since the parents ate the crusts without cheese as well. He did confirm that the cheese for caramelization goes on before the pizza is put in the oven, so I got that nugget.

He was even less forthcoming about the ingredients in his pies, answering my question about his sausage supplier with, "Why should I tell you that?" He did say that he goes to a market every morning to buy the vegetables he will cut himself and use on the day's pizzas. He also said he gets his sausage from a small butcher and that the sausage is expensive. When he found the butcher (which he had to do after his previous sausage supplier retired), he told him to make his best sausage and not worry about the price. Katz repeatedly emphasized that his goal was not to make as much money as possible.

That was actually a theme he repeated when discussing what he pays for ingredients, how much he charges for pizza, and why there is only one Burt's place. Both Burt and his wife Sharon told me separately that they have had numerous offers from investors who wanted to franchise Burt's, but he stressed that he makes enough money and that he didn't want to have to worry about monitoring the quality of other peoples' work.

Burt offers fewer toppings than most people and responded to my question about it by rhetorically asking how many toppings people need. He also said that he's told regular customers who ask for different toppings that if they bring the toppings in, he'll put them on a pizza. He even stores jars of artichoke hearts for one customer and puts them on his pizzas.

As for eating pizzas, Burt says he almost never does; not his own and not anybody else's. Sharon eats Burt's pies a couple of times a week, and that's the only pizza she eats.

Burt's Place [Meeting #62; Meeting #32 Revisited]

Burt's Place
8541 N. Ferris Ave. Maps
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 965-7997

CPC invaded Burt's Place on 7/23/2008.

This week's meeting took us to the near north suburb of Morton Grove, a bit farther than we usually travel for pizza, but well worth the drive to eat at Burt's Place.

Burt's Place is owned and operated by the legendary Burt Katz, who previously owned Gulliver's and Pequod's. As mentioned in the Pizza Club review of Pequod's [meeting #57], there's a lot of similarity between the signature pan pizzas at Pequod's and Burt's. Both have a buttery crust on the bottom and caramelized cheese on the sides. However, a welcome surprise was that the thin crust pizza at Burt’s is like a shallow pan pizza with the same buttery, crispy crust. The toppings on each pizza were all fresh and plentiful. The cheese pizza featured a mixture of cheeses, while the pan pizzas used cheese sparingly, which left the emphasis on the thick, sweet and slightly tangy sauce.

While it sounds cliché, Burt’s fits the definition of a “little neighborhood place” extremely well. The dining room seats around forty people, and the staff consisted tonight of Burt, his wife Sharon and their granddaughter. They were all friendly, and members of the club were able to talk at length to both Burt and Sharon during and after our meal.

During our chat with Sharon she mentioned to us that Burt quit Pequod's simply because he got burnt out. While the restaurant was successful, working seven days a week became too much of a grind. Thus, Burt's Place is currently open only from Wednesday to Sunday, and while they've gotten offers to franchise the restaurant, all have been turned down.

As it is now, Burt makes each pizza from scratch, including the crust and sauce. This attention to detail was easy to taste and was appreciated by the pizza club (who ate all five pizzas) as well as previous satisfied customers whose illustrations and thank you notes hang on the walls.

Finally, it should be mentioned that if you're going to eat at Burt's, especially in a large group, its best to call in your order ahead of time.

The pizzas we ordered were:

• Pan; Pepperoni, Garlic and Onions
  
• Pan; Sausage
  
• Pan; Tomatoes, Onion and Spinach (half)
  
• Pan; Mushroom
  
• Thin crust; Cheese

Erik (aka White Chocolate)

Petey gives Burt's Place 8.9/ 10.


CPC tries the thin crust...


The famous deep dish...


Veggies galore...


Dan chats up Burt...


You're headed the right way...


Where it went down...

Burt's Place [Meeting #32]

Burt's Place
8541 N. Ferris Ave. GoogleMaps
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 965-7997

CPC invaded Burt's place 5/3/06

Our initial foray into Burt's Place was fraught with peril. Actually, it just went largely undocumented. Luckily, we ended up going again and this time - we have proof! Check it out here.