Salerno's
1201 W. Grand Ave. (Google Maps)
Chicago, IL
312-666-3444
CPC invaded Salerno's on 2/23/06
Located in the trendy River West area, Salerno's gives you the impression it's not too happy about all the new people moving in despite the higher disposable income they bring to the neighborhood and their own coffers. Just to the south are warehouses (abandoned and functional) and to the north old apartments and new condos. Inside, it's like a lounge from the 70's except that the smoke isn't so thick.
This place is surprisingly large on the inside and had a few families dining when we arrived. We kept hearing random words coming form the bar and we discovered that on Thursday they play a Chicago trivia contest. No word on what the winner receives, but it's probably secondary to knowing you are a Chicago expert and the jealous and hard looks from your defeated competitors are likelyto be sufficient. Of note, they have a nice take out window adjacent to main dining area where jokes are cracked.
Ok, the food:
- Regular Crust, artichoke and mushrooms
- Regular Crust, pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions
- Thin crust, roast beef and zucchini
Petey gives Salerno's a score of 4.2
The Roast Beef and House Special pizzas
The Mushroom & Artichoke pizza
Noam has trouble digesting his cheese...
Kate enjoys a slice
"Pizza goes in here..."
Stelio contemplates Roast Beef...
Where it all went down
Posts
3 comments:
I was not a fan of this place at all.
The crust was somewhat enjoyable, but in the end was a touch too dry, powdery and flaky.
The cheese was just an oily blob of dairy sitting on top of my pizza offering very little taste and threatening to cut off my air supply as I tried to swallow its gelatinous mass.
I mildly enjoyed the mushroom and artichoke pizza, but mainly because those are just two good ingredients that did their best to save the pizza. The roast beef pizza paled in comparison to the roast beef version served last week at the Candlelite. And the house special pie that we had tasted like every other mediocre green pepper/sausage pizza I've ever eaten in this city.
So in the end I give this place a 4.5
I concur with the previous judgments entered against the cheese. Also, the crust was too thick and bready. I thought the standard special of the mushrooms, peppers, onions, pepperoni, sausage, etc. was okay, but I think I would have preferred all of the pizzas with thin crust and less cheese. However, I have no way of knowing if the thin crust can truly be enjoyed, because the chewy roast beef defiled the one thin crust pie we did have. Considering that Domino's is the standard 4.0, I'll give Salerno's a 4.5.
Well, much has been said and it's all been bad. I have to agree with the reviews thus far in saying how disappointed I am. What really hurts, where the pain truly starts, is that I have previously ordered from Salerno's for takeout and usually enjoyed my pizza a lot. But they will not be judged by a lone pizza eater; their sentence will be handed down by the discriminating palate of Pizza Club.
The verdict: the cheese was a bit much, but tolerable. Their sauce, usually abundant and salty, was sparse and bland. The toppings were ok, but just so you know how disappointed I was, i think the veggie pizza was easily the best. I actually did enjoy the crust - I thought it was not too doughy and crisp enough. The thin crust was a bit weighed down with roast beef, however.
It hurts Salerno's, but you hurt me first. 5.0
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