Our time in Chicago was pretty short this time, and we were so busy during the days that I made the potentially controversial decision not to feed my parents deep-dish pizza while we were in town. Instead, I took them to a place where pizza is theatre, a place where the concept of ooey-gooey pizza is literally turned upside-down.
The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company is located in a converted townhouse in the leafy suburb of Lincoln Park, and the cash-only business is worth every good review it gets. They don't take reservations though so if you're hungry, I'd recommend you show up either just as they open, or right before they close.
Not heeding my own advice, we arrived around 6.30pm on a Saturday night, amidst the hustle-bustle of the dinner rush. I fought my way past the throngs of people to register ourselves with the maitre d'. He didn't write anything down - not my name, not my phone number, nothing. How he possibly remembered who was who is still beyond me. We purchased a couple of drinks from the bar and waited in the warm, cosy vestibule for the maitre d' to come and find us.
An hour or so later, we were finally seated and confronted with the food menu. I don't know why they bothered giving us a menu at all; I mean, we knew exactly what we were there to enjoy.
The half-pound pizza pot pie is the most inventive and delicious pizza I have had in a really long time. It's an individual serving, and includes "triple-raised Sicilian bread-type dough; a homemade sauce consisting of olive oil, fresh garlic, onions, green peppers, whole plum tomatoes and a special blend of cheeses; sausage made from prime Boston butts; and doorknob-size, whole, fresh mushrooms". I mean, come on. How could you go wrong?!
But the thing that makes this pizza so special - and so theatrical - is that it is baked in a bowl, with the crust-side up. So when your pizza pot pie is ready, the waiter brings it over and inverts it at your table. The ooey-gooey cheese settles into place on the surface of your bowl-shaped pizza, and it is an utter delight to behold, and to gobble up.
With apologies to the deep dish purists but when it comes to pizza, THIS is the taste of Chicago for me. I definitely recommend you visit The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company. Sure, the name is a mouthful, but so are the amazing pizzas!
