Now that March Madness is wrapping up and my bracket is almost entirely busted (Go Ramblers!), I decided to put on a competition I could NOT lose at: pizza playoffs.
Growing up, my family ate pizza at least three times a week. No, I'm not Italian in any capacity — it was just a very simple and tasty go-to for our very busy schedules.
Whether it was frozen pizza (almost always Tombstone) or carry out from one of the most popular restaurants in my hometown (Maria's Pizza), pizza was almost always on the weekly roster. And I never complained about it.
Growing up, my favorite pizza topping was pepperoni. Of course, I loved supreme pizza, but only my dad and I like olives and peppers, so more often than not, we would stick to classic pepperoni, sausage, or cheese pizzas.
If you read this it's too late.
I have always preferred thin crust to pan style or deep dish, which is very controversial in Chicago. My first deep-dish experience was at Gino's East. I was shocked at how heavy a take-out order of deep-dish pizza weighed! If you can't finish an entire pizza in one sitting, what's the point, right?!
Below, I have outlined a few of my favorite pizza places in Chicago:
Pequod's Pizza: Located in Lincoln Park, Pequod's is known for their award-winning caramelized cheese crust. The thing I loved most about Pequod's is the variety of pies — they offer thin crust, pan style, and deep dish. This place is small and a bit dark, but it's always a great place to watch a Blackhawks game.
Roots Handmade Pizza: On the last Thursday of the month, this is where you can find me. Roots hosts our monthly book club, in partnership with the West Town Public Library. In the summer they open their garage door-style windows, which makes it the perfect place to relax and watch baseball on a hot day. They're unique because of the way they cut their pies with scissors into strips.
We tend to build our own pizza when we visit (or order out) from here. Our go-to combination is: gyro, garlic, green peppers, and jalapeno. But don't dwell on the pressure of building your own pizza — they've partnered with several local restaurants to give their personal spin on the toppings.
One of these partners includes one of my favorite bars, Bangers & Lace. The Bangers & Lace pizza comes topped with duck and pork sausage, crispy bacon, diced tomatoes, arugula, Gouda cheese, and garlic aioli. It's delicious.
Parlor Pizza Bar: What used to be home of Moonshine — a bar/lounge that played amazing 90's hip hop, has recently been renovated into the new Parlor Pizza Bar location in Wicker Park. In the summer, you can expect to see the patio PACKED. And if you're lucky, you'll get to pet some nice doggos while you dine.
Fitness? More like fitness whole pizza in my mouth.
They're classic Margherita pizza is fantastic, and their 'Burrata Be Kidding Me' option with fresh mozzerella, burrata, lemon viniagrette, and white truffle oil is just...come on, truffle oil just wins every time.
Lou Malnati's Pizzeria: When I'm craving deep dish, Lou's is wonderful, although I can only eat one slice and then I'm full. The Malnati Salad is a fresh alternative. Made with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms, salami bits, and gorgonzola cheese, this salad is packed with flavor.
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder: This is a Chicago staple. If you visit during the weekend, be prepared to wait several hours for a seat. World-famous for their Pizza Pot Pie and St. Valentine's Day Massacre ties, the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder has been in business since 1972. If you have lactose intolerance, be sure to stay at least 500 feet from this place.
Piece Brewery and Pizzeria: I saved the best for last — a brewery and pizzeria! This is ALWAYS on the itinerary when my friend, Lizzy is in town. She's actually the one who introduced this place to me five years ago, and after several servings of the goat cheese marinara appetizer and even more pints of Camel Toe (American Double / Imperial IPA) beer, it's no surprise why this is my favorite pizza place in Chicago.
Piece growler as wedding flower arrangements!
Rick Nielsen of the band Cheap Trick is a co-owner, which means you could enjoy a slice while seated next to some pretty cool people, like Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters.
We typically like to build our own white pizza — which is plain crust, brushed with olive oil, diced garlic and mozzarella cheese. As for the toppings, we keep it traditional with sausage, green peppers, and garlic.
Here are some of my other favorite beers brewed at Piece:
What I drank:
Heavy Bag - robust porter
Swingin' Single - light Franco-Belgian ale
In the event you don't live in Chicago and still want to experience some funky pizza flavors, here is the pizza dough recipe we use and some flavor combinations we tried out this week:
Pizza Dough Recipe:
- 3 1/2 AP flour, plus more for rolling
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups water at 110 degrees F
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
Combine flours, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in a stand mixer. Add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. With the bread hook, mix until the dough forms into a smooth, firm ball.
If the dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of AP flour at a time until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water.
Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
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Sprinkle your working surface with a mix of 2 Tbsp. corn meal and 2 Tbsp. AP flour. The corn meal will give the crust a crunchier texture. Roll out a baseball-sized portion of pizza dough — adjusting to your desired thickness.
Slather the pizza with this garlic spread:
In a tinfoil packet, roast a whole bulb of garlic with olive oil and butter in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees F. Blend in a food processor.
Top your pizza however you’d like! For our pizza playoffs, we made three very different pizzas:
Classic Salami Za:
- Salami
- Mozzarella
- Banana peppers
- Shallots
- Parmesan
Chicken Taco Pizza (ChickiTaciPizzi):
- Grilled chicken
- Sliced avocado
- Shallots
- Queso fresco
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
CHAMPIONSHIP COMBINATION GOES TO:
Prosciutto-Pistachio Pizza:
- Gruyere cheese
- Chopped pistachios
- Prosciutto
- Arugula
- Balsamic / honey glaze
Prosciutto-Pistachio pizza for the win.
On a baking sheet or pizza stone, cook the pizzas for 5-8 minutes at 500 degrees F.
What's your favorite pizza topping?