DAY 21: OCTOBER 21st, 2008
LOCATION: Lou Malnati's (N. Wells St. and Hubbard St., Chicago)
ORDER: 1 slice of thin cheese, half a slice of spinach pan
GUEST(S): Robin Rothman, Karisa Bruin, Adam Rife
PIZZA REVIEW: Preserving Chicago style pizza through thick and thin. While at Pizzeria Uno, Lou Malnati helped develop a recipe that made Chicago deep dish pizza what it is today. Loaded with chunky tomato sauce and layers of cheese, a couple of slices of Lou Malnati's pan pizza easily constitutes a full meal. Malnati's, like many area pizzerias, also produces a thin crust pizza. I couldn't resist, I had a little of both. The tomato sauce, alone, makes the pizza worthwhile to me so the mozzarella cheese and chewy crust are bonus. With each flavorful bite it became clearer and clearer why there were three large dining areas and a waiting room. The word is out on this place. When you (and everyone else) see the name "Lou Malnati's" you know it's good pizza.
MISC.:
1. Adam Rife water skis every year, early and often.
2. The post pizza analysis was filmed right outside of the Buckingham Fountain - known best in the intro to Married With Children. Anyway, it's under construction now so I couldn't that close to it.
VIDEO CLIP:
RATING:
4.33/5- VALUE:
4/5
- AMBIENCE:
3/3
- TASTE:
- SERVICE:
18/21 = .857 x 5 = 4.286
Who wrote the book on deep dish pizza? You know (or should I say, "UNO") the answer! In Ike Sewell's efforts in 1943 to develop a pizza that could serve as a "full meal", he (and his new pizzeria) wound up inventing an industry and christened a Chicago icon. Eventually, the UNO brand would make its way around the world many times over but never forget its roots. Nope, they're firmly planted on Ohio and Wabash where you can walk in, order a pie, and 45 minutes later, have a Chicago style thick crusted, chunky tomato and cheese filled "full meal" delivered to your table. This is deep dish pizza. Four of us were unable to eat one delicious half sausage, half cheese large pie. Sausage, on a Uno's pizza is not placed on top in chunks but instead makes up an entire layer of the foundation of the pie - so don't try "picking it off." Instead, just pass the slice over to me. I look forward to returning to the original Pizzeria Uno's but, in the meantime, I'll practice at my local franchise.
4.33/5
4.5/5