Chicago pizza connaisseur here?

[sabasgr68]

I attended a training course in Chicago in the winter of '87. One if the instructors took us out for Chicago style pizza. I have to admit it was damn good. I gave up pizza when I had the stent installed. My favorite though is NY style. The best pizza I have ever eaten came from a good friend's restaurant. He has retired and closed the joint now but man it was the best Italian food ever. He made his own sauce, grated his cheese fresh too. When you pick up a pizza to go from his restaurant, it would feel like there was nothing n the box. The crust was thin, light and slightly chewy. I do not like a heavy greasy pizza.

Funny Italian restaurant story. Papa Joe's is an iconic joint and it 2 miles from me. I do not eat there much but I do go there for a cocktail in the afternoon sometimes. The girl behind the bar was taking a to go order. I can only assume the caller asked, "what is a Stromboli", because I heard her say, "It's like a giant hotpocket." That cracked me up.

Tasty and funny anecdotes, Jeff!

[andrewsrea]

The girl behind the bar was taking a to go order. I can only assume the caller asked, "what is a Stromboli", because I heard her say, "It's like a giant hotpocket." That cracked me up.

In PA we had a joint which served 'Inside-out' style pizza: an 8" pizza, crimped like a dumpling, deep fried, then baked in a stone oven to remove the grease. It was delectable. When I was a teen, they went for $0.80 each, with no toppings. Needless to say, we consumed quite a few.

[glasshand]

The girl behind the bar was taking a to go order. I can only assume the caller asked, "what is a Stromboli", because I heard her say, "It's like a giant hotpocket." That cracked me up.

I admit I did have to look up the difference between a stromboli and a calzone the other day. (And now I don't really remember it, either.)

[sabasgr68]

The girl behind the bar was taking a to go order. I can only assume the caller asked, "what is a Stromboli", because I heard her say, "It's like a giant hotpocket." That cracked me up.

I admit I did have to look up the difference between a stromboli and a calzone the other day. (And now I don't really remember it, either.)

Well, when I searched for 'Stromboli' and looked at it, I inmediately thought 'Oh, a calzone'. So, they're not the same? Will have to look out again...

[tobijohn]

I would expect @tobijohn & @Lamf77 to be our experts her at AGF, on Chicago style pizza.

Lou Malnati's is great, and they've done a really good job of marketed themselves nationally.

However, I think Pizzeria Uno is credited with "inventing" the Chicago style of pizza, and my favorite. IIRC, Uno is where Lou Malnati worked before opening his own restaurant. Giordano's is another one with great deep-dish pizza, their claim to fame is a stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza.

Pizzeria Uno does not ship nationally, but Malnati's and Giardino's do. Lou Malnati's is also available frozen in prebaked form at Costco.

[tonebender]

Since I no longer eat regular pizza, I have attempted on several occasions to make pizza without dough. I have done the cauliflower crust thing a few times and it ain't bad. Eventually though, I have come to just get the pasta that is made from one ingredient, Chickpeas. I top with pizza sauce, cheese and either chicken breast, shrimp or scallops for a protein. The flavors are all there and it serves to satisfy my pizza craving.

[sabasgr68]

I would expect @tobijohn & @Lamf77 to be our experts her at AGF, on Chicago style pizza.

Lou Malnati's is great, and they've done a really good job of marketed themselves nationally.

However, I think Pizzeria Uno is credited with "inventing" the Chicago style of pizza, and my favorite. IIRC, Uno is where Lou Malnati worked before opening his own restaurant. Giordano's is another one with great deep-dish pizza, their claim to fame is a stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza.

Pizzeria Uno does not ship nationally, but Malnati's and Giardino's do. Lou Malnati's is also available frozen and prebaked at Costco.

I'll definitely try the Chicago style someday.

[sabasgr68]

The girl behind the bar was taking a to go order. I can only assume the caller asked, "what is a Stromboli", because I heard her say, "It's like a giant hotpocket." That cracked me up.

I admit I did have to look up the difference between a stromboli and a calzone the other day. (And now I don't really remember it, either.)

Searched about it. Found this:

The major difference between a calzone and a stromboli is how they are folded and sealed before they are baked. Here's the best explanation I can find, courtesy of Bon Appétit: A calzone is a taco, while a stromboli is a burrito. Calzones and tacos are folded into a half moon shape. Stromboli and burritos are rolled.

It's been really like +30 years ago that I had a calzone, but yes, folded half moon shape is how they look, like a venezuelan empanada.

But there you have it, that's the difference. I don't think I'll forget about it.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I used to eat pizza about once a week back in "Joisey", being so close to NYC we had some great pizza joints. Here in Thailand, I've had 2 slices of pizza in my 10 years here. A couple of Western chains are represented here and from what I hear, the pizza is pretty bad. There is a chain called Scoozi here that is supposed to have a decent pizza offering. In addition, right here in our crappy little local town, there is a small pizzeria that supposedely has great pizza but I'm usually driving past it at 9 or 10 AM and never stopped. Of Course in Bangkok itself, being a large metropolis, down in the commercial center there are of course many authentic Italian places with real Pizza ovens imported straight from Naples. But alas, I live in the boring suburb in a gated community where Grab (our Uber eats) delivery of some fried pork and papaya salad is considered fine dining.

But you DO plan to have some pizza in your next trip to the US, right?

Oh YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mozz]

Few miles from Old Forge PA. "Pizza capital of the world", or so they say. It's just square pizza to me, good though. Sicilian pizza.
https://www.visitnepa.org/food-and-drin ... the-world/


Wife likes thin crust and I'll eat thin or thick but do like white pizza but don't have it too often.
There's also a bar here called Julia's, in Old Forge. The drink is called the Jonestown punch. Basically a right of passage when you turn 21. We had lots of experience before even turning of age though. The bartender laughs at you while mixing it, lots of various liquors in a very large glass. You usually can't walk after drinking one.

[sabasgr68]

Few miles from Old Forge PA. "Pizza capital of the world", or so they say. It's just square pizza to me, good though. Sicilian pizza.
https://www.visitnepa.org/food-and-drin ... the-world/


Wife likes thin crust and I'll eat thin or thick but do like white pizza but don't have it too often.
There's also a bar here called Julia's, in Old Forge. The drink is called the Jonestown punch. Basically a right of passage when you turn 21. We had lots of experience before even turning of age though. The bartender laughs at you while mixing it, lots of various liquors in a very large glass. You usually can't walk after drinking one.

I don't really care if it's round or square pizza, as long as it looks as tasty as their pic, I'm all in! About that Jonestown passage, well, I'll pass, even though I'm more than the legal age LOL

pizza cuadrada.png

[tonebender]

Momo's in Tallahassee. The pizza is so big they serve one slice on a pizza pan. One was all I could eat back in the day when we went there for lunch.

Momos.jpg

[tonebender]

Average Joe's in Tampa had a pizza so large, if you ordered it they would ask what you were driving. It would not fit through the door of some compact cars.

[sabasgr68]

Momo's in Tallahassee. The pizza is so big they serve one slice on a pizza pan. One was all I could eat back in the day when we went there for lunch.

Momos.jpg

Taking that fork as a size reference, I'm fairly positive I could eat two of them. I'm rather short and thin at 5'7.5" and 140 pounds of weight, but I can eat when it comes to it

[glasshand]

I saw this ad in the subway today and it cracked me up. (It's for an NYC real estate listing company.)

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[Rollin Hand]

I used to love an odd duck in northwestern Ontario called the Trapper's Shack -- a unique, tangy sauce on a sourdough crust.

I also loved Zachary's in the Bay Area. Very dense stuff. Two slices and I was done.

There is a place here in Ottawa that's basically an institution called Collonnade Pizza. EVERYTHING goes under the cheese. And that cheese isn't mozzarella -- it's a custom-made brick cheese, which is made specifically to not be greasy. It forms the hint of a crust on the outer layer of cheese that's really tasty. We prefer another local place that does essentially the same thing but uses mozzarella. Both are awesome.

[jhull54]

This was a good pie. New York style and really good.

Pizza Delicious in New Orleans.

https://pizzadelicious.com/

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