Pequod's Pizza

Living in Chicago, there is a lot of discussion about the best pizza pie in the city. And guests who come to 'Our Kind of Town' want to try 'our kind of pizza' which means I have spent more than my fair share of time in Giordano's and Lou Malnatti's.

But these traditional Chicago places are not where I go to fill my belly (to its brim) with pizza. For my money, there is only one place for the ultimate deep-dish pie: Pequod's Pizza. This pizzeria is located in Lincoln Park at 2207 N Clybourn. It used to be a big dive and has been redone to be less of a dive after a fire a few years ago. Even though its ambiance is less than romantic, it's one of my favorite stand-by date places to go with my husband.

Last week my sister was in town and we headed here for lunch. I called in our order ahead of time since I knew I wouldn't be able to wait the 45 minutes for my pizza after arrival. About 5 minutes after we were sat, our half sausage half mushroom & onion pizza was at our table and the waiter was dishing up our lunch. Oh, so good. My sister thought the sausage side was better, but I stand by my mushroom & onion side. I really like the textures of the mushrooms which are cooked dry and the onions which are crunchy. The crust is prepared with cornmeal and its heartiness is enhanced by the deep tomato sauce flavored with plenty of oregano. And, the best part of the pizza is the caramelized outer crust. Perfect.

If your mouth is watering or your stomach is grumbling, I suggest you head straight to Pequod's for your own pie. And have a tall glass of Tucher's cloudy Hefe Weizen for me while you're at it!

Pizza picture by Katie Cannon.