The Chicago Traveler

There was a bit of dispute over my last Best Pizzas list, as I expected there would be. It is a Chicagoan debate that has gone on for generations and will continue probably forever. So, just to add more fuel to the fire, here is another list of Chicago’s ten best ‘pies’ (courtesy of Citysearch and Yelp).
Honorable Mention: Gino’s East. If you enjoy reading, the walls here provide plenty of material.

10. Pizzeria Uno. The one, the only, the original. Loosen your belts now.
9. Piece. These very non-Chicago-style slices are simply delicious.
8. Home Run Inn. This old neighborhood tavern offers the …read more

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When it comes to Chicago-style deep dish pizza, there are a handful of famous names that are tried and true. Many of them (including Uno, Gino’s, and Malnati’s) are well-known far beyond the city limits. Another powerhouse in the Chicago pizza scene is Giordano’s.
There are 13 locations in the city and twice as many in the suburbs. Each of them look a little bit different from the rest, but you can usually expect to find red-and-white checkered tablecloths, wood-backed chairs, silver-topped red-pepper and parmesan shakers, and exposed brick. The Rush Street location (just off Michigan Avenue) has two floors and …read more

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As we’ve learned well by now, great food doesn’t just come from swanky digs. Restaurants like Taste of Peru and La Gondola overcome their strip-mall surroundings with big flavors. Another popular spot that could be easily overlooked (but you’d be severely missing out if you did) is Lakeview’s Art of Pizza.
Here, pizza truly is an art—a masterpiece, in fact—in which every detail is enjoyed and appreciated. The canvas is your choice of crust: thin, pan, or (my recommendation) stuffed. The Art’s sauce does more than just hold your preferred ingredients in place; its seasonings actually contribute incredibly to the overall …read more

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It has been some time since I last visited Pequod’s Pizza, but it was an experience I won’t soon forget. I actually used to work near the restaurant, and I’m surprised (and saddened) that I didn’t dine here sooner.
T-shirt-and-jeans types (many of them students at nearby DePaul University) enter beneath the blue awning and enjoy a contemporary setting with exposed brick and a casual atmosphere. Your mouth will water instantly upon arrival, as the smells of delicious pizza fill the room. You can tide yourself over with appetizers like chicken wings, breaded mushrooms, and jalapeño poppers.
Pequod’s makes both thin …read more

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Fans of the American reality competition show Top Chef on the Bravo network had to know that there was no way I could not write about this season. The show was/is filmed in Chicago this season, much to my delight. The competition premiered last night, but if you missed it, don’t worry; Bravo airs the show several times throughout the week. Check your local listings.
Now, I’m not here to discuss the details of the premiere episode, per se. (For a more in-depth look at the episode, check out a fellow b5media site, Foodie Obsessed.) Rather, keeping true to The Chicago …read more

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It’s nearly February, and it may be a little late for a 2007 round-up, but I’ll risk it.
Chicago is well-known for its pizza, but who has the best? Trust me, this question has long been debated by Chicagoans and an agreement won’t be reached any time soon. Here is a list of Chicago’s ten best pizza places (according to Citysearch). And remember, it’s all subjective, so if you don’t agree, let’s hear it! Who do you think has the best?

10. Pizzeria Uno. The one, the only, the original. Loosen your belts now.
9. Aurelio’s Pizza. This huge restaurant has been full …read more

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I’ve written about quite a few pizza places here in Chicago, but you can’t talk about deep-dish pizza without giving homage to the original: Uno Chicago Grill, better known as Pizzeria Uno. (The new name evolved from the new menu, which includes “hip and intense new tastes.” Hmm.)
Whatever the name, the gooey deep-dish has remained the same. Uno’s introduced the world to this Chicago trademark in 1943, under the command of founder Ike Sewell. (It is likely though that the original recipe was developed by Chef Rudy Malnati.) Twelve years later, Pizzeria Due opened just a block away (619 N …read more

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In 1959, Joe Aurelio Jr. opened a small, four-table restaurant in Homewood, IL. However, despite several expansions, growing into a business seating over 150 people, loyal customers would still form lines around the block, all waiting for some of that delicious Aurelio’s Pizza. In an effort to accommodate more of his patrons, Joe purchased a nearby 12,000-square-foot (1115-square-meter) warehouse to relocate his business in 1977. But even with the world’s largest pizzeria of the time, people still lined up and waited as long as necessary just for a taste of Aurelio’s cuisine. Now, there are 43 locations in six states …read more

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The eight-day Jewish holiday Hanukkah began last night, celebrating the rededication of the Second Temple at the time of the Maccabee rebellion. To all our Jewish friends and readers, Happy Hanukkah!
In honor of the season, I present a little restaurant that is quite unimpressive from the outside. The sign is worn and faded, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d probably think it was out of business. But trust me, there’s plenty going on inside Tel Aviv Kosher Pizza. The dinner rushes are fast and furious, yet the restaurant never gets overly thunderous or noisy.
This hidden hot spot …read more

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For over 35 years, Palermo’s Italian Cuisine on 95th Street has been well-known among the South Side locals for its service, its atmosphere, and, most of all, its thin-crust pizza. Hungry customers pour into the comfy interior with a family feel and an Old World ambiance (old-fashioned décor, brick arches, food and wine posters, and beautiful paintings), all looking for the quality dishes Palermo’s has become renown for.
Each and every recipe is a first-generation Italian tradition, having been brought straight from “the old country.” Start your culinary memoirs with the stuffed banana peppers: tender and juicy, they’re stuffed with …read more

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