Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co. [Meeting #38]

Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co.
2121 N Clark St. (Google Maps)
(773) 248-2570

CPC invaded Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co. on 12/21/06

Well, it took two tries and we still only had three people show up, but the 38th Meeting of the Chicago Pizza Club was an unqualified success as we tasted a pizza like no other – Pizza Pot Pie at Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Company.

On February 14, 1929, the Valentine’s Day Massacre took place directly across the street. Rumor has it, the current home of Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Company was a house used as a lookout by some 1920s gangbangers. No word on whether the owner of the restaurant invented the rumor.

Anyhow, the place takes no reservations but balances that out with a full bar. When we got there, there was no host hanging around, but there was a large crowd of people, some vocalizing their frustration about the wait. Every so often a host does stroll over. He had no pad of paper and does not want anyone’s name. He simply asks how many are in your party and no matter what you say, he tells you the wait is 40 minutes. He remembers the order in which people arrive, so there is no need to hover around the front of the line (though we did so anyhow). It seems the no name policy may be a throwback to the gangbanger days of Lincoln Park’s past – the place also accepts no credit cards. There is no record of anyone ever eating there.

The ambience was nice – fairly dark with wood paneled walls and large wooden booths. The Christmas decorations were a needless reminder that the majority of Americans believe in Creationism.

We arrived at 7:32, gave our number (3) at 7:40 and were told it would 40 minutes. 50 minutes later, we were seated and handed menus. Service was fast and friendly. We sat at 8:30, ordered at 8:35, and got our salad at 8:40.

That’s right, salad. In a break from Pizza Club tradition, we ordered the Great American Salad - lettuce, delicious smoked ham, provolone and Swiss cheese, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichoke hearts... tossed with freshly grated Romano cheese. Topped with creamy garlic dressing, sweet and sour poppy seed dressing, fresh ground pepper, and/or an interesting mix of largely unidentified seasonings, the salad was quite tasty.

If one goes to Chicago Pizza & Over Grinder for pizza, the choices are limited. There is only Pizza Pot Pie, no regular pizza. There was some debate as to whether a meatball oven grinder could fall into a broad definition of pizza, we opted not to open that door. Within the pizza pot pie genre, we were given the options of wheat or white, with or without mushrooms, meat sauce or tomato sauce, and ½ pound or full pound. We got three ½ pounders, 2 wheat and 1 white, all with meat sauce and all with mushrooms.

And none of the Pizza Clubbers were able to resist the Adam’s Apple, a delightful warm libation made of red wine, apple cider, whiskey, brandy, raisins and a cinnamon stick.

The pizza itself was good. Not great, but good. I enjoyed the meat sauce and both the wheat and white crust were good. I was expecting more of a pastry type crust as is commonly found in pot pie, but the crust was more of a chewy pizza crust. There was nothing extraordinary about the pizza – no wacky ingredients beyond the “doorknob size” mushrooms which were far smaller than any doorknob any pizza club member has ever laid eyes on. The meat sauce, while good, was also unlike any pizza sauce we’d ever tasted.

All in all, this was a pretty unique place which was good, but not great. The long line will forever remain a mystery. The pizza was good enough that I would not write it off as a gimmick, but not good enough to wait almost an hour for ever again.

Petey gives Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder a 6.6/10.


Waiting for our "number"


A salad at Pizza Club?!?? Yes, it happened


Salads gone, let's get down to real business!


Pizza Pot Pie, ready to serve


Being born


Where it went down

Pizza Metro II [Meeting #37]

Pizza Metro II
925 N. Ashland Ave. (Google Maps)
(773) 772-3267

CPC invaded Pizza Metro II on 12/7/06

Is there anything better on an arctic-cold evening than nice hot pizza with friends? I sure as hell don't think so, and I'm sure the members of the Chicago Pizza Club who braved the cold weather last night will agree with me.

Pizza Metro II is (as the name implies) the second location of the popular East Village pizzeria, Pizza Metro. Their 2nd location boasts an expanded seating area and a larger menu with more pasta items. But dammit, we were there for the pizza and we wasted no time in ordering up three hot pies to warm our chilled innards. After careful study of the menu—which boasts several unusual ingredients as corn, peas, and potatoes—we made our choices. Pizza Metro serves rectangular thin crusts pizza which are quite large and hover somewhere in the realm of 'not quite a thin crust' and 'not quite a pan pizza.' Our selections were as follows:

• Pepperoni & Garlic
  
  
• Italian Sausage & Basil
  
  
• Potato & Rosemary

Since Pizza Metro II offers you the option of ordering by the whole pizza, by the half pizza, or by the slice we ordered two whole pizzas and a half pizza of the Potato & Rosemary. Our pizzas came about 20 minutes after we ordered. And yes, they were all quite tasty. They all hide a nice crispy crust that wasn't too dry, and I remember enjoying the cheese quite a bit too. The Pepperoni & Garlic seemed to be the favorite of the group, with them using what we all agreed was just the perfect amount of garlic. The Sausage & Basil was also pretty satisfying as well. And I remember being initially impressed by the unusual flavor of the Potato & Rosemary pizza, but after a few more slices it soon lost it's lustre. We made the right decision in ordering that pizza as a half.

Take note Pizza Clubbers, these pizzas are BIG! The five of us who did manage to make it out last night found ourselves intimidated by the amount of pizza we ordered, but on the whole, too much pizza is never considered a problem. Overall, these pizzas didn't disappoint, but they didn't exactly blow minds either. I'd refer to this place as that "ole' dependable" kind of neighborhood joint that you'd support if you lived nearby, but not the kind of place you'd exactly go out of your way for. Rock-solid, but not outstanding.

Pizza Metro II is BYOB and also has a small cooler of sodas in bottles, cans and 2-liters. The seating area is fairly small (I'm curious to see the original Pizza Metro's seating area if this place is considered "expanded"), and last night it was a bit chilly in their restaurant, but we were soon warmed up with our pizzas. The prices were fairly average, with beverages and a LOT of leftover pizza to take home it came to about $14 a Pizza-Clubber. Since we probably had enough pizza left for another 4 members, it would have been less than $10 had more people shown up. The staff were all very helpful and friendly as well.

Petey gives Pizza Metro II a 6.75/10.


Italian Sausage & Basil to warm us up...


Potatoes on a pizza?! Yes, it's true


The crowd-pleasing Pepperoni & Garlic


Where it went down

Big Cheese [Meeting #36]

Big Cheese (Closed)
2554 W. Diversey Ave. (Google Maps)
(773) 227-1122

CPC invaded Big Cheese on 11/08/06.

Big Cheese is a family-run business that originated in Rhode Island in 1965. Returning to their Chicago roots, the family recently opened up a restaurant in Logan Square. The restaurant occupies a large space that formerly contained a night club. Those dining in the restaurant typically order from the counter, but it was pretty quiet when we were there on a Wednesday night and the friendly servers came to our table of ten. The delivery and take-out folks were bustling in and out.

Big Cheese focuses on crisp and crunchy thin crust pizza. Everything is made fresh daily from fresh ingredients. They offer white and wheat crusts, and their pies are 6", 10", and 14".

We only delighted in the pizza offerings, but Big Cheese also serves up various appetizers, pasta dishes, calzones, sandwiches, and salads - not to mention salad dressing that has earned awards from the Boston Globe. Petey may have to go back and try that some time when he's off the clock.

Big Cheese is BYOB as of this writing.

CPC ordered the following pizzas:

• Tomato Pie w/ Wheat Crust
• No cheese! What were we thinking?! Probably that the pie only cost $5.

• Three Cheese Specialty Pizza
• A blend of mozzarella, cheddar & feta topped w/ sliced tomato & garlic. This was a great blend of flavors and a crowd favorite.
  

• Chicken Artichoke Specialty Pizza
• Strips of chicken tenders, marinated artichoke hearts, black olives & sliced tomato, w/ mozzarella & parmesan. This was probably the least popular of the pizzas at our table. The chicken did not have much flavor and the ingredients did not really come together convincingly.
  

• Pizza Gardiniera Gourmet Pizza
• Fried breaded eggplant, marinated artichoke hearts, sweet roasted peppers, w/ mozzarella & feta. The fried eggplant was nice and crispy.
  

• Mediterranean Gourmet Pizza
• Greek style pizza w/ chopped tomato, spinach, feta, cheddar, and special sauce.
  

• Wheat Crust Pizza w/ Genoa Salami & Italian Pepperoni

• Regular Crust Pizza w/ Sliced Meatballs & Sweet Roasted Peppers
  

And as a bonus, we got a free and delicious dessert! The owner brought us four plates of a delicious chocolate calzone, a new menu item. It was filled with hazelnut and walnuts, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

As you can see, we ordered a number of pizzas and they all came out burn-your-tongue hot as they were ready. The first pizzas were brought to our table about 20 minutes after we placed our order, and the rest of the pizzas came out over the course of the following 20 minutes. The cost came out to $12 /person and we had a bit leftover to send home with the club photographer.

Petey gives Big Cheese 8/10.


The interior


Where's the cheese?


The "Med"


OMG... Meatball Pizza!


The chicken artichoke pizza


Here comes the pie...


The owner with desert!!


Chocolate Calzones!


Where it went down

Chicago's Pizza [Meeting #35]

Wednesday, October 18th
Chicago's Pizza
3006 N. Sheffield (GoogleMaps)
773.755.4030

CPC invaded Chicago's Pizza on 10/18/06

Come judge harshly indeed.

Chicago Pizza Club meeting #35 has come and gone, and those who attended are probably most happy about the "gone" part. The general consensus was that this was the most mediocre of mediocre Chicago pizza, and one can't help but wonder if they truly deserve to besmirch our good city's name.

The Chicago Pizza Club invaded Chicago's Pizza on North Sheffield last night and ordered up our pies just before 8pm. Our selections this week were:

• the Garlic Lovers Pizza: With fresh sliced tomatoes, roasted garlic, fresh basil and mozzerella cheese, brushed with olive oil. (This was from their 'Gourmet Pizza' menu).
  
  
• The Chicago Special Stuffed Pizza: Sausage, mushrooms, green peppers & onions.
  
  
• Thin crust pizza with pepperoni: This one is self explanatory.

Our pizzas took about 40 minutes to arrive, and worked out to $9 per person (paid in advance, including soft drinks) for the 8 Pizza Clubbers that we had in attendance (side note: we managed to order the perfect amount of pizza for 8 people). The Stuffed Pan Pizza was probably the best pizza of the three that we ordered, the sauce was pretty interesting but in the end I think it was mainly responsible for the massive heartburn I had when I woke up at 4 in the morning. The thin crust pepperoni pizza was pretty standard and nothing really to speak of, other than to say, yes, it faired better than a Domino's pizza. Their 'Gourmet' Garlic Pizza was probably the most maligned of our order, though I do know of at least one member who liked it.

As for this restaurant's atmosphere? Well, I think you'd find more atmosphere floating in space in an orbit around Pluto (I still can't get used to their only being 8 planets, but that's neither here nor there...). This was storefront seating, and the restaurant's modus operandi at this location seemed to revolve around carryout, delivery and pizza by the slice. Though I was presently suprised when they brought us out real plates and silverware. And, they did let us turn on the baseball playoffs, and that was nice.

In the end, this pizza wasn't worth the effort of our trek, parking in this neighborhood is extremely difficult, and even more so when the Vic Theatre across the street is attracting hippies like nobodies business for a concert. I'm guessing this place bases their business on locals who eat there out of convenience.

Petey gives Chicago's a 4.55.


Here comes our pizza


Maybe it's the Garlic Lover's, maybe it's not...


Thin-crust pepperoni


The pan pizza, looking a little worse for wear


Where it went down

O'famé Italian Restaurant [Meeting #34]

O'famé Italian Restaurant
750 W. Webster (GoogleMaps)
(773) 929-5111

CPC invaded O'famé on 10/05/06

O'famé is a family-run Italian restaurant boasting recipes that have been handed down through several generations, after originating within the neighborhood food businesses of Chicago's Taylor Street. Though inconveniently located in the center of a spiritless neighborhood calling itself "Lincoln Park," the restaurant itself is in a warm and simple two-room space. They accommodated us with a large table for twelve by the window, and the servers were friendly and attentive. A very nice touch for the squinting crowd: reading glasses at a table by the entry to help tired eyes peruse the menu in the dim lighting.

O'famé has a broad selection of pastas, salads, and sandwiches, but clearly the Chicago Pizza Club was there for the P to the I-Z-Z-A. They serve thin, pan, and stuffed pizzas, all topped with mozzarella and aged parmigiano cheese. We did not notice a big difference between the pan and stuffed varieties, though the pan pizza was certainly doughier, and at least the one we had was a bit soggy, but still pretty good. O'famé offers a variety of fresh ingredients, including their own homemade Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, roasted red peppers, and all the staples.

We enjoyed the following pizzas:

• Pan pizza: O'famé Specialty Pizza - Ricotta and Tomato with Basil
• We added basil to this specialty pizza and it went well with the ricotta and tomato. The dough of this pizza was a bit soggy, but it was also soft in a good way, going well with the delicate flavors of the ricotta and other ingredients.

• Stuffed pizza: homemade sausage, roasted red peppers, garlic
• The crumbled homemade sausage in the stuffed pizza was really good, and evenly sprinkled throughout each slice. The roasted red peppers were also nice. The stuffed pizza was soft like the pan pizza, but not quite as soggy.
  

• Thin crust pizza: bacon, artichoke hearts
• Both thin crust pizzas were nice and crispy. This pizza was topped with long, crispy slices of bacon, just like you make for breakfast.

• Thin crust pizza: O'famé Specialty Pizza - fresh garlic, oil, tomato
• This specialty pizza was the crowd favorite. The crust stayed thin and crispy and had a good amount of salt to complement the delicious fresh ingredients.

There was more than enough pizza to go around, and the cost without alcoholic beverages came out to $12/ person. Petey forgot his watch, but all of the pizzas came out hot at the same time (stuffed pizza lagged just a few minutes) after what seemed to him like about 45 minutes.

Petey gives O'famé a 6.8 / 10.

Tomato Head [Meeting #33]

Tomato Head
Webster & Sheffield (Google Maps)
(773) 404-801

CPC invaded Tomato Head on 6/21/06

We visited Tomato head in Lincoln Park and had a great time. This place had some great thin crust pizza. Not to mention the fact that this place is BYOB, a fact that we did not know during our meeting. Rest assured should we ever venture there again we will be certain to be armed with a few six packs. The pizza not only was good as will be described below but was affordable as hell!!! There were 9 of us at the meeting and without sodas we each paid only 6 or 7 bucks (can’t remember final tally) and we all had plenty to eat with one slice left to spare. All pizzas had the same thin crust that was not too crispy and not so soft that each slice fell apart once lifted.

The first pizza we tried was the ZorbaZah, This pizza had some of my personal favorites including feta, Kalamta olives and tomatoes. The toppings were fresh and tasty. The cheese was not too salty which was good since we had plenty of salt provided by the feta cheese. The sauce was good, and had plenty of flavor to it, but could have been spicier. The Greeks (muck like our Italian brethren to the east) like their oregano.

The next pizza was a Hawaiian Pizza which really hit the spot on hot summer day. The pineapple was fresh. This is a good pizza for fruit lovers as there was plenty of pineapple throughout. I think this was the first pizza to go.

Finally, the Belt Buster. This pizza was filled with toppings. Sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, onions and black olives, were all prominent on almost every slice. Much like the other two pizzas this pizza had plenty of cheese that was not so sticky that the slices congealed after 10 minutes, but still a good amount.

This was a great affordable pizza club that allows one to bring some booze and a bunch of people together for some pizza. (Cubs game on in the background to boot!!!) Petey gives Tomato Head a 7.5 out of 10 and recommends this to thin crust lovers of all ages.


Extreme close-up!


More extreme closeness... making me hungry...


Delicious thin-crust


Hawaiian anyone?


Where it went down

Special Report: Da Michele, Napoli, Italia

Petey scrimped and saved and got himself a train pass to Naples, Italy to sample some of the local pizza. Much fuss has been made in the club about Neopolitan pizza and we wanted to see how it really is in the motherland. We went to Da Michele, a place that has all of two menu choices and has been serving the Naples crowd since 1870. Faced with such staggering choices, we decided to try both of their pizzas. They feature a margherita and a marinara pizza.

• Margherita - mozzarella, basil, tomato
• Marinara - tomato, garlic, oregano

For those of you who haven't been to Naples before, allow me to offer a brief summary. It's a seedy Italian city and very rarely does anyone think it's not a good idea to graffiti tag their ancient fountains, buildings, monuments, plazas, and anything else made from marble. Also, I'm scared to cross the streets since no one ever follows any traffic signs and two lanes seem to accomodate 4 lanes worth of tiny, zippy vehicles. It has some positives: a great archeological mueum, it is on the Mediterranean Sea, the seafood is fresh, the architecture is impressive if mistreated, Capri is nearby, and they are currently in the middle of adding new subway lines and restoring many of their museums and buildings. I recommend it - in 2011.

The sauce on these pizzas was very good; it tasted homemade and fresh and there is probably no time in southern Italy when tomatoes don't taste great. The mozzarella was probably the best example of this cheese I have had on a pizza, except for maybe the bufalina at Spacca Napoli (Chicago). The basil and garlic were great, but they were present in such small amounts you could eaisly forget they were included. The crust was very similar to the one at Spacca Napoli in that it burned nicely on the underside, but became soggy in the center as it sat on my plate ready to meet my pearly whites. It didn't have the "chewiness" factor to keep it together - mine just turned soupy.

In the end, we enjoyed this pizza. It was completely fresh and basic, oftentimes all that is needed for a great meal. They do form long lines and they efficiently served our pizzas in less than 5 minutes. I think if I was born in Naples and had never travelled, I would feel confident in saying Neopolitan pizza is the best. That is not, to the detriment of Naples, the case at all for us. I still think it's a great change-of-pace pizza, but the truth is that its lack of topping diversity is frustrating. The toppings are not evenly spread throughout the pizza. For example, one large basil leaf was on the margherita and 2 chunks of garlic were on the marinara. When you managed to get all the ingredients in your mouth at the same time, a rare occurrence, the pizza was noticeably impressive. It exceeds in its simplicity, but this ain't the 19th century anymore. I need more toppings, better distribution, and a less soggy crust. Being the "original" anything can be overrated and I think that's the case with pizza. I guess the Italians figure that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Things have been done the same way here for a long time. I think this may be almost as good as Neopolitan pizza can be, so we do suggest you try it if you come to town. However, the style of pizza one finds in the USA has higher potential and has experienced more innovation and we easily prefer it. Take heart Vera Napolitano Pizza fans, I think Spacca Napoli in Chicago compares quite favorably to the few places we tried in Naples, a testament to the proprietor.

The menu


Kate has a beer


I want that one


"It's all mine!"


Real Italians!


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.

Barcello's [Meeting #31]

Barcello's
1647 N Milwaukee Avenue(Google Maps)
773 486 8444


CPC invaded Barcelo's on 4/13/06

This family-owned Bucktown pizzeria has been making their pizza from a top secret recipe developed in Calabria, Italy back in the early 1900's. Eat your heart out, Colonel Sanders. They have a prime location just a block of the intersection of North, Milwaukee, and Damen. Thankfully, Milwaukee Avenue seemed to offer enough parking to accomodate all 13 of the CPC members that attended.

We went on a Thursday night at 7:30 and were the only diners in the restaurant for a good portion of our meal. The decor was nicer than the picture on their webpage suggests and they added a nice touch of tall white flowers (Kelly tells me they are calililies) on every table. It’s nicer than your typical walk-in pizzeria and good for a group of friends but not a romantic place that will impress your first date. The wait staff was pleasant but looked at bit bored by the slow evening. They were helpful over the phone when I made reservations and made a special point of informing me that the restaurant was BYOB. We came armed with Sam Adams, Goose Island, Bass and Guinness.

The menu offered a wide range of pizza sizes (baby 10” – party 18”) and some gourmet ingredients including giardiniera, prosciutto, artichokes, shrimp, cappers, sundried tomatoes, red peppers eggplant, zucchini, and ricotta cheese. They also have a couple specialty options including a taco pizza and a double dough pizza. Barcello’s serves a full menu of Italian dishes and appetizers. Diners on a budget should look for coupons on their takeout menu.

We had the following:
Thin Crust (taco pizza)- tomatoes, lettuce, parmesan cheese, and ground beef
Thin Crust - (veggie pizza) - green peppers, broccoli, spinach
Pan Crust - italian sausage, prosciutto
Stuffed - sundried tomato, spinach
Thin Crust - giardiniera, blue cheese, artichoke (yes, you read that correctly)

The first round of thin crusts took about 45min to arrive, which was a little surprising since we were the only ones in the restaurant. Either there was a busy delivery service that runs in and out the back or they had to pre-heat the ovens when our group walked in. The stuffed crust that I was told would take 45min came at the 1 hour mark. However, when we added another thin crust they were very accomodating and the turn around was only 15min.

Petey gives Barcelo's a 7.35.


The veggie pizza, ready for action


Mmm... cheesey stuffed pizza


And here's the pan crust


Noam digs in


A thin crust


Where it went down

Lou Malnati's [Meeting #30]

Lou Malnati's
6649 N. Lincoln Ave.(Google Maps)
847-673-0800

CPC invaded Lou Malnati's on 4/12/06

Lou Malnati’s pizza is a long time Chicagoland treasure. The original pizzeria in Lincolnwood is a converted house into pizza joint. The place has been remodeled numerous times over the years but you can tell the bar area, where we dined and which is as smoke filled as it gets in Chicago lately, is somebody’s old family room. Upon arrival you notice the bartender paying off a NCAA debt to a regular customer as he tops of his Sam Adams. The bar area unlike the rest of the restaurant is old and poorly lit, but filled with character that says, “We come here to escape the wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend and have some good pizza.” In the 80’s the kids at the grammar school nearby could always come to Lou Mal’s for a quick game of Mrs. Pac Man and a smoke.

The place is filled with memories and some kick-ass pizza. We ordered these great selections:

• A thin crust pepperoni pizza
  
• A Lou’s, which is a Chicago style deep dish pizza and consists of fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese served on a butter crust.
  
• Finally we ordered the new crustless sausage “crust" pizza with garlic.

First off, the service was great. We had a great server, Ralu, who was very interested in CPC and seemed very genuine in her concern for our enjoyment of the pies. She was timely with our drinks and generally made sure we had a good time. The pizzas all arrived at the same time, 36minutes (I think) after we ordered them. They were all hot and each had something great to offer.

The sausage crust pizza, designed during the Atkins craze of two ears ago is a carb counter's dream come true. Instead of bread crust there is a layer of sausage which serves as a de facto crust. The sauce on the pizza was plentiful as was the layer of mozzarella cheese. The sauce was different from all the other pizzas as there seemed to be more of it (perhaps trying to make up for lack of crust). The garlic we added was strong and noticeable upon arrival to the table, so watch out on a first date.

The Lou’s was great as well. The veggies were fresh and the sliced tomatoes added something to the sauce. As said earlier, there was less sauce on this pizza and the sauce itself had chunks of tomatoes, which is always nice. The butter crust comes with the pizza so you don’t pay extra for it, but it was not as buttery as some other places CPC has been to. The cheeses all blended together and make you think you are in cheese heaven.

The thin crust pizza was also terrific. The pepperoni on it was nice and spicy. The crust was crispy, but not burned. The cheese was nice and gooey. The sauce also tasted different than the other two pizzas. (It makes one wonder if this place has different sauces for different types of pizzas.) This sauce was hidden beneath the cheese and only came squirting out after each bite. It was a quality thin crust.

Petey gives Lou Malnati's an 8.875.


Mood lighting!


What we came for


Our lovely server (Ralu)


Oh! The carnage!!


Where it went down