XXL Pizza
An extremely thick layer of mass almost higher than the sears tower (now Willis Tower), mozzarella slices everywhere, tomato sauce brimming with the most unusual ingredients, caramelized and crunchy edges that is subtly prepared to satiate the appetites of the entire Chicago Blackhawks team and part of the Bears. And without exaggeration. A deliciously caloric and juicy piece of architecture that will seduce you until you can nibble on one of its huge portions, be it deep dish, stuffed pizza or the lesser-known pan pizza. In two words: colossally tasty.
Oprah's favorite
The fundamental rule to enjoy a Chicago-style pizza is to completely forget about thin crusts, light toppings and counting calories. Not suitable for delicate palates and diet addicts. It is essential to have an open mind and a big appetite. Here everything is XXL , so after the feast, stroll through the magnanimous Millennium Park and visit Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, also called The Bean. Are you ready for this great culinary experience?
THE DEEP DISH: FOR FANS OF XXL
The famous deep dish was created in 1943 at businessman and athlete Ike Sewell's Uno Chicago Grill, now called Pizzeria Uno. The recipe was created by chef Rudy Malnati who would later open his own chain of pizzerias together with his children. It is a lavish dish that is all the rage among locals and visitors from all over the world. This majestic event-worthy pizza is baked in a deep round pan so that the edges of the dough stand out. Oil and butter are first added so that the dough is slightly fried. Later, slices of mozzarella and tomato sauce are added along with the ingredients that have been chosen such as homemade Italian sausages and vegetables (onion, pepper...). Many compare it to cakes, quiches, casserole and even lasagna. because of its thickness. A gastronomic bomb.
The favorite of the Blackhawks, the Bulls and the Fire
At Condé Nast Traveler we have toured the whole city to show you the real places to taste deep dish in all its splendor and why. A more than obligatory visit is to Uno's, the creator of this magnificent dish, where you should ask for a Numero Uno with sausage, pepperoni, onion, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella and roman cheese or (a substitute for Parmesan widely used in the United States and Canada) .
If you prefer one vegetarian, choose a Farmers Market with caramelized onion, spinach, dried and plum-type tomatoes, eggplant, pesto, feta, mozzarella and Romano cheese. But if you venture to try their latest novelty, choose a Nuovo Deep Dish like the _Chicken Spinaci_ with chicken, spinach, artichokes, caramelized onions, feta and mozzarella. They also have thin-crust pizzas and gluten-free beer for coeliacs . A chain with more than 140 restaurants throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Oprah's favorite is Pizano's, from the son of Rudy Malnati who since 1991 continues to preserve his father's legacy. Don't miss 'The Rudy Special'. A great success is to go to Lou Malnati's and ask for 'The Lou'. Rudy's grandson Rick Malnati runs this chain with 37 locations throughout the state. Two vital rules: do not expand the business beyond Illinois and only use local products.
The best stuffed pizza in Chicago
The most nostalgic should go to Gino's East, admire its walls graffitied by customers since 1966 and enjoy its deep dish with a sausage burger. Its dough is first covered with cheese and then everything else is added. The two best alternatives are the Meaty Legend with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian and American bacon; and the Jalapeño Blue with bacon, blue cheese, sausage, and jalapeños stuffed with bacon and blue cheese.
And sports fans should visit Connie's; the favorite of the Blackhawks, the Bulls and the Fire. Running into an NBA or NHL player savoring one of the enormous delicacies served since 1962 will be almost inevitable.
THE STUFFED PIZZA: FOR GOURMET EXPERTS
To this improved deep dish hybrid, a thin layer of dough is added to cover all of the above. Similar to a calzone but adding even more cheese, tomato and ingredients to taste on top. A proper savory tart brimming with mozzarella and tomato which makes it much thicker than the typical deep dish. The weight of a medium stuffed pizza is 1.36 kilos (3 pounds). Quite a feast.
The recipe was created in a small town near Turin, where Mama Giordano was famous for her 'Italian Easter Pie' with a double layer of dough filled with cheese and other ingredients. Her sons, Efren and Joseph Boglio, moved to Chicago where they opened Giordano's in 1974. To honor her mother, they used her recipe turning it into the much-desired stuffed pizza. Considered the best in the city by media such as NBC, CBS, Chicago Tribune or even the New York Times, among many others. At Giordano's, pizzas are 40% bigger than their competitors and they try to please all the diners. Therefore, there is one for every taste. To feel like a local, a classic Chicago with pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers and wild onion is just the thing.
A one-of-a-kind pizza
If you want something exotic, they call the mythical tropical 'Tropic Delight' with pineapple and Canadian bacon. The most carnivorous will enjoy the 'Meat & more meat' with meatballs. One of the most complete is the_double-crust pie_ filled with ricotta, pepperoni, salami, sausage and bacon. Those with a sweet tooth will be forced to ask for a S'mores pizza with cinnamon dough, hot chocolate and sugar marshmallows. In addition, they have a much lighter skinny pizza and gluten-free pizzas for coeliacs. Luckily, we are no longer in the days of Prohibition and one can have a gigantic mug of cold Goose Island beer with his huge slice of pizza. A multitude of visitors and locals make the wait long, but when you sit down at the table, your stuffed pizza is already waiting for you. Delicious fries with parmesan and garlic as a starter and the sausages prepared just for them.
To meet some clueless celebrity, visit The Art of Pizza. A pizzeria that has changed the name of the square where it is located Art of Pizza Square For being so special. The 'Art's Meaty Delight' with sausage, bacon, pepperoni, minced meat and in cubes is essential.
THE PAN PIZZA: FOR THE MOST LIGHT
The least pompous version of all; but its thin dough, its fried and caramelized Parmesan cheese edges are a delight for the palate. You will find the best selection at Pequod's and at Burt's Place (Tel. +1 847 965 7997) of the same founder, Burt Katz. In Burt's , it is mandatory to reserve and order the pizza that will be eaten one day in advance. Thus, all the ingredients will be fresh and the dish will be waiting for you at the table after five minutes of your reservation. Be punctual!
The lightest option
CURIOSITIES
- fans of the Chicago pups can enjoy Giordano's at their booth of baseball's Wrigley Field.
- In the Duel Citizenship episode of 'How I Met Your Mother', Ted and Marshall take a roadtrip from New York to Chicago based on_tantrum_ and beef jerky to gobble down a gigantic pizza from the fictional restaurant Gazzola's.
- There are organized tours that take you to taste the best pizza in town like the Chicago Pizza Tours.
- Harry Styles praised his pizza at his last concert at Chicago's Soldier Field.
- Many unbelievers do not consider it a real pizza because of its resemblance to a cake, but the natives who are very proud of their dishes will tell you about the Theory of Cognition of Pizza by journalist Sam Sifton, which explains that the first portion that is eaten as a child will determine how our pizza predilection will be for the rest of our lives.
- If Paul Giamatti in 'Between drinks' despises Merlot in Napa, you don't go to Chicago to order a classic Margherita unless he intends to add all the possible toppings. This is Chicago, the sanctuary of excessive pizza.
- There are three American cities vying for the throne of the best pizza making in the country. New York with its thin crust, San Francisco with its cooking in wood ovens and Chicago with its gigantic, stuffed pizzas. But, without a doubt, the one in Chicago is unique. And when Traveler says unique, it is that it is unique in his kind.
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