ChicagoPizzaQuest Wrap Up, Lessons Learned, Suggestions

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Typical Sicilian pan-style from Freddy’s Pizza in Cicero

 

Aside from the usual name-calling I get, this #ChicagoPizzaQuest turned out to be pretty tame. I guess by “tame” I mean somewhat respectful. Naturally, there are some disagreements, and despite my thoroughness – tackling 76 joints in two months – I still have that nagging feeling that I’ve missed a gem.

If I would have had more time, I would have liked to have tried Pi-Hi on Western Avenue, across the street from Lane Tech High School, Phil’s Pizza D’Oro on north Milwaukee Avenue, the slices at Jimmy’s and Santullo’s (a different Quest perhaps, or at least an Amended Quest/Sidebar); Home Run Inn on 31st (rather than from my local frozen food aisle) and a few others, including Phil’s in Oak Lawn, Joe’s Italian Villa in Palos Heights, Villa Rosa near Midway, Rosangela’s in Evergreen Park, Italian Fiesta (3 locations) and Chesdan’s in Homer Glen. I will make it my mission, at some point in the next few months (when pizza fatigue has faded) and hit most of these, along with Phil’s in Bridgeport (different than the Oak Lawn location?)

And certainly, I wish Burt’s Place hadn’t closed for good last week. That might have changed the final outcome of the #ChicagoPizzaQuestThick standings (here’s wishing them a peaceful retirement). I also wish I could have included all of those restaurants that happen to have pizza ovens (Piccolo Sogno, Balena, Quartino, Labriola Ristorante) as I know they produce tasty artisan pies. I feel like that category – Italian Restaurant Pizza – should be a sidebar along with By-the-Slice Pizza (Jimmy’s, Santullo’s, et al), so maybe I’ll do those two next time.

I’ve learned that childhood pizza bias and PIGUE Syndrome are hard to change. I respect those businesses that have been dishing out pies for decades, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to rush back there the next time I’m craving a pizza. I think if anything, I’ve shined a light on some places that probably deserved more media attention than they typically get. More importantly, I wanted to once-and-for-all set a standard for Quests, Crawls and other assorted “Best of” lists that always seem to consume web editors and bloggers, with the promise of more clicks. At least from now on, whenever someone attempts to tackle a subject, they’ll have to begin by acknowledging “it’s not exactly a Dolinsky deep-dive” but it’s a start. I truly believe the only way to cover these sorts of Top 5s or Top 10s is to do them methodically, honestly, in-person and anonymously. Anything else just seems lazy. This all started after I read a “7 Hottest Pizza Places in Chicago” post, with one of those designated “hot spots” a place in my neighborhood I happened to eat at the night before, and found the pizza sorely lacking. This Pizza Quest was my response, and my antidote. An attempt to set the record straight, and straighten out the beguiling categories that go over most tourist’s (and out-of-town writer’s) heads.

Now I’d like to hear from you. Is there one, glaring omission here? Did I completely miss the boat by not including _____ in the tavern-style or deep dish categories? Let me know here, and tell me why it’s worth the trek. If I see a pattern develop, I’ll make sure to give it a fair shake, and if it’s truly transcendent, I’ll update my Top 5 list.

Thanks so much for all of your input and understanding, and most of all, for reading the results of my work, and sharing it with someone you care about.