By Gerrick D. Lewis
The UNITY News Online

About the Takeaway: In this feature, UNITY News Online takes to the streets to uncover which famous Chicago eateries have earned their reputations, and which ones should be put to rest. The final article in the series is Chicago’s pizza.

Giordano's Pizza is known for their Chicago style deep dish.

The moment I arrived at my hotel I craved a slice of piping hot Chicago-style pizza. Coming from Columbus, Ohio I can satisfy my love of the classic Uno’s, by way of the frozen food aisle. Not autentico!

I made my way to the Chicago standard Giordano’s, located in Prudential Plaza, with two student reporters.

We were greeted with a large sign advertising just how magnificent the place is. With the words ‘World Famous’ in its tag line, the atmosphere was inviting and the compelling aroma of garlic and cheese made my stomach grumble.

With varying palates, we decided to play it safe and order a thin crust with pepperoni and sausage – a classic, even though the stuffed pizza (which is their specialty) made me drool like Homer Simpson would a sprinkled donut.

And I must say- the thin crust version was delectable. My serving was cheesy, with just the right amount of toppings and sauce supported by a crispy crust. But, there was just something about it that didn’t necessarily set it apart.

It’s not that I set the bar super high… Okay, maybe I did. This is Chicago, after all, and I was expecting a pizza qualified to rival New York’s. But I refused to throw in the towel and went back in the ring for round two.

Later that week, a local Chicagoan pointed me to Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta on E. Madison Street to try some deep dish.

With a massive appetite, I hastily ordered “Mark’s Special,” which included sliced tomatoes, basil and fresh garlic, (which according to their menu, Oprah loves).

Now, I’m going to tell you a little secret: I watch an unhealthy amount lot of Food Network. In fact, I’m so addicted to the channel, that when I go out of town I’ll recreate Rachel Ray’s adventures in Cuisineland to cope with my separation anxiety. Unfortunately, Pizano’s deep dish was not so yumm-o.

The disappointment was heavier than the would-be pieces of pie as I thought “Wait, this isn’t deep dish! And why does her thin crust look just like my pizza?”

The crust was underwhelming and a bit on the thin side. The thinly sliced tomatoes laid over an even thinner serving of sauce did nothing to help the mediocre taste of stale basil and garlic.

So here I am - nearly done with my time in Chicago - still without tasting that one slice of pizza that Chicago has claimed to rival even New York’s pie.

The Takeway: Giordano’s makes an excellent thin crust pizza. I give them 3.5 out of five, but next time I’ll pass on the regular and go for the stuffed pizza.

If you go to Pizano’s, skip the deep dish. Another student in the group got a thin crust and it was outstanding. But my deep dish experience gives them a 2 out of five.

For all the UNITY folks reading please give me suggestions. Where do I need to go? What are your favorite places to get a slice of pie?

topic: Chicagoland

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 at 9:14 am and is filed under Blog, Chicagoland. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.