Cheeseburger Pizza at Nite 'N Gale: Too Much Pickle
Posted by Daniel Zemans, November 18, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Serious Eats Chicago contributor Daniel Zemans checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. --The Mgmt.
[Photograph: Mark Blitstein; remaining photographs: Daniel Zemans]
Nite 'N Gale
346 Waukegan Avenue, Highwood, IL 60040 (map); (847) 432-5244; nitengale.com Getting There: Metra Union Pacific North train to Highwood; restaurant is visible from train platform Pizza Style: Cracker crust Oven Type: Gas The Skinny: Highwood institution puts out a good cracker crust, but misses badly with its cheeseburger pizza Price: 10" cheeseburger pizza is $12.50
Nestled between Highland Park and Lake Forest, leafy suburbs that have been home to great wealth for over a century, sits the town of Highwood, the socioeconomic stepchild of the North Shore. Highwood has been home to a variety of waves of immigrants since the 1870s, including a sizeable group of Italians that came around the turn of the 20th century and built a community that remains there today.
Nite 'N Gale has been in the Fiocchi family since it was founded in 1947 and has been passed down from Geno to Marvin to Kyle, who owns it today. From it's dim lighting to oversized worn down leather booths to the large bar that dominates the main dining room, Nite 'N Gale oozes 1950s Italian restaurant and lounge. The menu includes a variety of traditional Italian-American favorites, including Chicago specialty Shrimp DeJonghe, as well as a number of decidedly non-Italian dishes (Cajun chicken?). Obviously, I was there for the pizza. Specifically, I wanted the cheeseburger pizza, a pie the restaurant is so proud of that it one of only two preset toppings combinations listed on the menu.
The cheeseburger pizza is basically a ground beef pie that, after being fully cooked, is topped with slices of tomatoes and pickles, as well as ketchup and mustard.
I'll start with the good: The cracker crust on the pizza was good. It was crisp and light, but had enough heft to stand up to the array of toppings. Unfortunately, that's the limit of the benefits of the pizza. I think the picture speaks for itself, but this was a horribly unbalanced pie that still has me wondering how it earned and has held a place on the menu. I am a huge fan of pickles and these ones were good enough, but I'm not sure I could ever embrace them as a pizza topping. I do know that in this particular case, where the pickle to meat ratio was about three to one and the ketchup and mustard and pickle juice thoroughly dominated the sauce, it did not work. Basically, this was a pickle pizza. It was certainly edible - I even ate the leftovers for breakfast the next day - but that's about the limit of what it has going for it.
I'm sure there are people out there who think that a cheeseburger pizza is never a good idea, but I wholeheartedly disagree with that sentiment. While I haven't had a good one in Chicago, I can put a plug in for the bacon cheeseburger slice at Maffei on 6th Avenue in New York. That slice is loaded with well-seasoned ground beef and also has some bacon and American cheese in addition to the mozzarella. There are no pickles or burger condiments, and there is ample sauce. Side note: Maffei is also home to one of Ed Levine's favorite grandma slices.
Obviously, I cannot recommend the cheeseburger pizza at Nite 'N Gale. That said, the crust was a good representation of the cracker crust style, so if you find yourself in Highwood and are craving a pizza, I suspect a more traditional pie at Nite 'N Gale would be fine, though not worth going far out of the way to try. Unless, of course, the idea of a pickle pizza appeals to you, in which case you should head to Nite 'N Gale immediately.
I'm not usually a fan of pizza that's trying to be some other type of food, be it alfredo, cheeseburger, phily cheesesteak, or barbeque. I guess I'm a pizza traditionalist, but I always like good old pepperoni with some veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, and/or onions the best. Pizza never seems to really succeed at being other food and should be allowed to shine as itself. :-)
I would never put ketchup or mustard on a pizza. I've had a good "cheeseburger pizza" before, but it was just hamburger with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, plus onions and tomatoes.
Well, if you don't like pizza trying to be some other type of food, then this probably won't dissuade you, but I would like to argue that sometimes, it really succeeds. I made a "burrito" pizza with a thin layer of enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoned chicken, and spicy jack cheese, topped with fresh cilantro and tomatoes and it was one of the best pizzas I've ever made. Just thinking about it now is making me hungry. You can see it for yourself at http://bit.ly/2tzHsq.
I think a true cheeseburger pizza, with about half that number of pickles, might be really good.
As a lover of both burgers and pizza I must admit that looks and sounds disgusting. I fall into the pizza purist category, but I could see a more restrained version being pretty darn tasty.
Seriously? You schlepped all the way up to Highwood, and you had pizza at Nite 'N Gale, when you could have eaten at Buffo's across the street? Bad call...
And if you're looking for classic Italian American food in Highwood, you could do a lot better as well. Washington Gardens comes to mind...
@lkrier: The burrito pizza looks really good. Fewer pickles definitely would have been an improvement. I think an ideal cheeseburger pizza would also have some onion and another cheese in addition to mozzarella. The pickles were just way too strong of a flavor.
@hmlicata: The purpose of the trip was to try the cheeseburger pizza so Buffo's was not what I was looking for. I'll make it to Buffo's eventually.
I tried the cheeseburger pizza at California Pizza kitchen. It didn't have ketchup, mustard or pickles, but it did get topped with lettuce, tomato and avocado. I liked it. [/ducks]
Ah, I thought of an exception. I used to like the Thai chicken pizza from Schlotzsky's, but then they cut way back on how spicy it was, and then they discontinued it altogether. :-(
So... maybe I've just been unlucky, but in my personal experience, most of the time these hybrid pizzas fall into some sort of food uncanny valley where they're not necessarily disgusting or anything, but are still inferior to either of their "parents".
But hey, I might try one again someday, as long as you're buying! :-)
UGH. You don't go to the Nite N Gale for pizza!!! Butt Steak. Fish broiled to perfection, great bread and bread sticks. Good Italian dishes too but Del Rio across the tracks is a better choice. Not to mention Bertucci's.
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15 Comments:
I'm not usually a fan of pizza that's trying to be some other type of food, be it alfredo, cheeseburger, phily cheesesteak, or barbeque. I guess I'm a pizza traditionalist, but I always like good old pepperoni with some veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, and/or onions the best. Pizza never seems to really succeed at being other food and should be allowed to shine as itself. :-)
Neohippie at 4:24PM on 11/18/09
I would never put ketchup or mustard on a pizza. I've had a good "cheeseburger pizza" before, but it was just hamburger with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, plus onions and tomatoes.
crude_cheesy_1 at 4:29PM on 11/18/09
Well, if you don't like pizza trying to be some other type of food, then this probably won't dissuade you, but I would like to argue that sometimes, it really succeeds. I made a "burrito" pizza with a thin layer of enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoned chicken, and spicy jack cheese, topped with fresh cilantro and tomatoes and it was one of the best pizzas I've ever made. Just thinking about it now is making me hungry. You can see it for yourself at http://bit.ly/2tzHsq.
I think a true cheeseburger pizza, with about half that number of pickles, might be really good.
lkrier at 5:28PM on 11/18/09
As a lover of both burgers and pizza I must admit that looks and sounds disgusting. I fall into the pizza purist category, but I could see a more restrained version being pretty darn tasty.
Burger365 at 5:37PM on 11/18/09
@Neohippie - You've obviously never had Ian's Pizza in Madison, WI.
njgood at 5:46PM on 11/18/09
Yeah, that pic does not look the least bit appealing.
yankeesgal at 6:20PM on 11/18/09
Somewhere a crust is crying.....
Pizzablogger at 6:48PM on 11/18/09
Seriously? You schlepped all the way up to Highwood, and you had pizza at Nite 'N Gale, when you could have eaten at Buffo's across the street? Bad call...
And if you're looking for classic Italian American food in Highwood, you could do a lot better as well. Washington Gardens comes to mind...
hmlicata at 7:43PM on 11/18/09
@lkrier: The burrito pizza looks really good. Fewer pickles definitely would have been an improvement. I think an ideal cheeseburger pizza would also have some onion and another cheese in addition to mozzarella. The pickles were just way too strong of a flavor.
@hmlicata: The purpose of the trip was to try the cheeseburger pizza so Buffo's was not what I was looking for. I'll make it to Buffo's eventually.
Daniel Zemans at 10:47PM on 11/18/09
I tried the cheeseburger pizza at California Pizza kitchen. It didn't have ketchup, mustard or pickles, but it did get topped with lettuce, tomato and avocado. I liked it. [/ducks]
Amandarama at 7:52AM on 11/19/09
They obviously took the meaning of "cheeseburger" too damn literally.
It is deplorable to even THINK about putting mustard and ketchup on a pizza, let alone pickles! This looks disgusting and probably tastes even worse.
Who wants to eat this crap?? They should stick to the basics: beef, cheese, (maybe more cheese), and onions.
jlewfoodie at 9:57AM on 11/19/09
Hey, shouldnt this be on AHT too?
nhfoodie at 10:02AM on 11/19/09
Ah, I thought of an exception. I used to like the Thai chicken pizza from Schlotzsky's, but then they cut way back on how spicy it was, and then they discontinued it altogether. :-(
So... maybe I've just been unlucky, but in my personal experience, most of the time these hybrid pizzas fall into some sort of food uncanny valley where they're not necessarily disgusting or anything, but are still inferior to either of their "parents".
But hey, I might try one again someday, as long as you're buying! :-)
Neohippie at 11:31AM on 11/19/09
There are some hybrid pizzas that work: a buffalo chicken pizza and a philly cheese steak pizza can be delicious if done correctly.
jlewfoodie at 7:02PM on 11/19/09
UGH. You don't go to the Nite N Gale for pizza!!! Butt Steak. Fish broiled to perfection, great bread and bread sticks. Good Italian dishes too but Del Rio across the tracks is a better choice. Not to mention Bertucci's.
suegramma at 5:11PM on 11/23/09