Fat Chris's [Meeting #121]

Fat Chris's
1706 W Foster Ave. (Map)
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 944-5444

CPC invaded Winnemac Park to eat pizza from Fat Chris's Pizza while socially distanced on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

It filled up a bit later, but everyone seemed committed to social distancing

With a very promising weather report on the horizon, the Chicago Pizza Club decided enough of the videoconferencing; it was time to meet in person. The key was to find a pizzeria that 1) the CPC hadn't visited as a group, 2) was near a public space where we could properly socially distance ourselves, and 3) was open for lunch. With those criteria in mind, we got carry-out from Fat Chris's and met under a bright sun in beautiful Winnemac Park. 

Several of us had actually eaten Fat Chris's together before. At the 2018 baseball summit, we (baseball fans not the CPC, but there's a lot of overlap) gathered at Empirical Brewing and engaged in a Detroit style taste tests featuring both Jet's and Fat Chris's. El Presidente declared Fat Chris's the winner but I think he might've been alone on that one.


The turnout at this CPC meeting was smaller than usual, which is probably to be expected in these virus-ridden times. It was a treat to see the return of Neil, last seen at a CPC meeting almost six years ago to the day - Bartoli's on May 10, 2014. Joining Neil were Kate, her two children who are almost deserving of their own member pages by now, Andrew, Jen, and yours truly. El Presidente bailed because apparently someone needed a gall bladder removed and even though I'm sure they could've waited a few more hours, the patient wanted it out right away. 

In a CPC first, a couple of members, Andrew and Jen, refused to share pizza with the rest of us. Ordinarily that would be unacceptable but these are different times and I'm told you can't insult people for being extra cautious. 

Social Distancing guide to sharing pizza: Put the boxes in the middle and form a large circle around them

And then you take turns going to get your pizza

Fat Chris's is known for Detroit style pizza and that's where we focused our ordering with the 3 members and two next generation members splitting two Detroit style pizzas and one regular pie, and Andrew and Jen sharing a Detroit style pie. We at the CPC strive for completeness, which is why we added the regular thin crust pizza. Under normal circumstances, we'd have tried a stromboli as well, but sharing that under quarantine seemed like a bad idea.

Garlic, onion and jalapeno on the whole thing and pepperoni on half

Sausage

Sausage and onion

The Detroit style pizzas at Fat Chris's are beautiful specimens. The crisp, greasy crust and rich sauce are drool-inducing. 








The toppings at Fat Chris's are fine; not bad by any stretch but not noteworthy in any way. The crust sure is beautiful. If you've never had Detroit style pizza before, I think you'd love Fat Chris's. If you've had it at any number of places in Detroit or even at Jet's, I think you'll like Fat Chris's but realize there are better options out there.






This is an incredibly tough time for restaurants so I feel bad about what I'm about to write, but the Chicago Pizza Club has an obligation to speak the truth. The thin crust pizza at Fat Chris's is garbage. This pizza basically tasted like undercooked dough. That said, one CPC member absolutely loved it: