Daniel Zemans, our man in Chicago, checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. Daniel also blogs about Chicagoland pizza with his friends on the Chicago Pizza Club blog. —The Mgmt.
Pequod's Pizza
2207 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago IL 60614 (map); 773-327-1512. Additional location: 8520 Fernald Avenue, Morton Grove IL 60053 (map); 847-470-9161 pequodspizza.com Pizza Style: Deep dish and stuffed crust The Skinny: One of the better deep dish pizzas in Chicago. The thickness of the crust may upset the balance between the crust and toppings, but that the crust is caramelized by a thin layer of cheese results in a great, unique chewy texture. The sweet, chunky sauce goes perfectly with the sausage.
Pequod's was founded by Chicago pizza legend Burt Katz a little over 30 years ago. He sold the place in 1986, but Pequod’s has remained one of the most beloved deep dish spots in Chicago. There are two locations: the original in the Northwest suburb of Morton Grove, and another in the Lincoln Park neighborhood (where I went for this review).
Before heading to the restaurant, I took advantage of a trick that many deep dish and stuffed pizzerias allow—I preordered, which is like calling ahead for takeout, except when you get to the restaurant, you sit down and eat. Since these pies take 40 minutes to cook, it makes sense to call ahead so you don't have to wait long before starting your meal. I phoned in an order of half sausage, half pepperoni pizza before eagerly making my way over to Pequod’s.
In previous experience at Pequod’s, I have been disappointed with the balance of the ingredients. The bottom crust, while quite tasty, is thick and a bit dense—it blocks my ability to savor the cheese, crust and toppings. To balance out the crust during this visit, I added a little twist to my order by asking for extra sauce and extra cheese, a wise decision.
The Famous Caramelized Crust
The first thing everyone notices about a Pequod’s pie is the caramelized crust. Some critics call it burned, but they’re wrong. Before cooking the pizza, the chef spreads a thin layer of cheese along the outside of the crust. While the resulting flavor is merely decent, the texture is magnificent—the caramelized cheese gives the back of the pie a chewiness that doesn’t exist in most pizzas.
Good Vs. Bad Chewiness
This type of chewiness is not to be confused with that a bad, greasy New York slice that’s been sitting on the counter for half an hour; that is bad chewy. This is a firm chewiness allowing diners to savor each bite in a way that's not generally possible—otherwise known as good chewy.
The Cheese
The cheese is basic mozzarella, and with so much of it, there's more than sufficient gooey delight. Those of you who are horrified by the concept of eating pizza with a knife and fork should avoid asking for extra cheese, as it slides off the sides. After a couple minutes of cooling, there's sufficient congealing to prevent sliding, which is good for the second and third slices.
The Glorious Meat Toppings
For those who prefer a sweet sauce, Pequod’s chunky version is spectacular. As a tangy sauce fan, I was a bit disappointed—but that needs a major caveat. The sausage, which comes from Scala’s Preferred, a Chicago institution, was incredible. And while the sauce was generally too sweet, the interplay between sausage and sauce was perfect.
Pequod’s does a special trick with their meat toppings, which adds crispness to the pepperoni and thick pieces of sausage. Not sure if they put the pies in a broiler for a couple minutes after baking them, but the results are: great texture, and a release of juices sitting freshly atop the pie when it arrives at your table.
Given how great the sausage interplays with the sweet sauce, my next trip to Pequod’s will involve an order of extra sauce, extra cheese and extra sausage. Before this visit, I liked Pequod’s plenty, but now I’m convinced it’s one of the better deep dish pizzas in Chicago.
40 mins to cook a Pizza? wow, this post has blown my mind.
Any preconception I had of what pizza is, has gone in one big gooey caramelized deep dish explosion of joy.
"The cheese is basic mozzarella, and with so much of it, there's more than sufficient gooey delight"
here lies a basic problem with comparing NY pizza and Chicago savory pies. Most of the top tier classic new york slices are some variation on margharita, using fresh mozz at least in part. Others use a blent usualy including finer cheeses that your average bagged "basic" pre shreddd mozz.
I just don't see how anything with run of the mill cheese is even in the discussion.
This is, actually, a very nice mom and pop operation.
An odd story:
Their kid must have been going through puberty or something--
They hired the band White Zombie to play in their back room--the band was in it's infancy--Rob had not yet quite found his voice--they were the smelliest, stinkiest band I've ever had the misfortune to talk to--I was trying to buy records, all they had were T-shirts--in any case it was a unique experience.
The pizza was better than the band, as much as I enjoyed them.
Whether someone happens to like so-called "deep-dish pizza" or not is a matter of personal taste. However, I object to this concoction created in Chicago (Unos' etc.) being called "pizza." It is NOT pizza. Pizza was created by Italians in Naples, Italy, and this dish was never baked in pans, but cooked directly on the bottom of a very hot stone oven. If someone wants to create a casserole comprised of bread dough, tomatoes, cheese, and meat, baked in a pan (or deep dish) that is their prerogative. And if someone wants to eat it (and even enjoy it) that is also their prerogative. But, for heaven's sake, stop calling this tomato, cheese, meat, and bread casserole pizza! It is NOT pizza!
A Chicago native, this was my personal favorite (though I preferred Morton Grove to Chicago). The sausage was sliced from a 2.5"-3" roll, about .25"-.33" thick. Yes, the caramelized crust appears burned but that's deliberate (see above). The crust, like the sauce, was also a little on the sweet side, but I liked that.
No joke, this might be my last meal. It certainly was the meal I had to have when I went thru one of the most personally emotional times of my life. Worth hitting if your there to say the least.
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The cheese is basic mozzarella, and with so much of it, there's more than sufficient gooey delight. Those of you who are horrified by the concept of eating pizza with a knife and fork should avoid asking for extra cheese, as it slides off the sides. After a couple minutes of cooling, there's sufficient congealing to prevent sliding, which is good for the second and third slices. 
9 Comments:
I would eat the hell out of that.
MichaelN at 4:20PM on 07/30/08
40 mins to cook a Pizza? wow, this post has blown my mind.
Any preconception I had of what pizza is, has gone in one big gooey caramelized deep dish explosion of joy.
p.s. doesn't it look just a little burned?...no?
joecameron at 7:43PM on 07/30/08
Seems to me like thick-crust pizza is more like an American-style lasagna with a crust on the bottom. Not bad -- just not pizza.
tmj529 at 2:18AM on 07/31/08
Reminds me of the blob, I'm not sure who is going to be eaten.
Q80 BurgerBelly at 9:28AM on 07/31/08
"The cheese is basic mozzarella, and with so much of it, there's more than sufficient gooey delight"
here lies a basic problem with comparing NY pizza and Chicago savory pies. Most of the top tier classic new york slices are some variation on margharita, using fresh mozz at least in part. Others use a blent usualy including finer cheeses that your average bagged "basic" pre shreddd mozz.
I just don't see how anything with run of the mill cheese is even in the discussion.
aaaaaaaaanyway...
Abe Froman at 6:07PM on 07/31/08
This is, actually, a very nice mom and pop operation.
An odd story:
Their kid must have been going through puberty or something--
They hired the band White Zombie to play in their back room--the band was in it's infancy--Rob had not yet quite found his voice--they were the smelliest, stinkiest band I've ever had the misfortune to talk to--I was trying to buy records, all they had were T-shirts--in any case it was a unique experience.
The pizza was better than the band, as much as I enjoyed them.
beano at 4:00AM on 08/03/08
@beano - When was that? Pre or post Burt Katz (1986)?
Daniel Zemans at 11:23AM on 08/03/08
Whether someone happens to like so-called "deep-dish pizza" or not is a matter of personal taste. However, I object to this concoction created in Chicago (Unos' etc.) being called "pizza." It is NOT pizza. Pizza was created by Italians in Naples, Italy, and this dish was never baked in pans, but cooked directly on the bottom of a very hot stone oven. If someone wants to create a casserole comprised of bread dough, tomatoes, cheese, and meat, baked in a pan (or deep dish) that is their prerogative. And if someone wants to eat it (and even enjoy it) that is also their prerogative. But, for heaven's sake, stop calling this tomato, cheese, meat, and bread casserole pizza! It is NOT pizza!
JerseyWarren at 11:40AM on 08/04/08
A Chicago native, this was my personal favorite (though I preferred Morton Grove to Chicago). The sausage was sliced from a 2.5"-3" roll, about .25"-.33" thick. Yes, the caramelized crust appears burned but that's deliberate (see above). The crust, like the sauce, was also a little on the sweet side, but I liked that.
No joke, this might be my last meal. It certainly was the meal I had to have when I went thru one of the most personally emotional times of my life. Worth hitting if your there to say the least.
NYChristopher at 1:12AM on 08/08/08