Back from 10 days in Chicago - Home Run Inn and more

Well, our semi-annual trip to Chicago and the suburbs is now complete, and as usual, among the highlights was some great food, both in mom's kitchen and out and about at various restaurants. As usual, I overindulged on pizza and beef/sausage combos, but what the heck, I've got 6+ months to work it off before the next trip! Ouside of those two food groups, I also had an excellent Sunday brunch at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. What a spread they put out there!

The highlight, though, was my final meal Thursday night at a long-time family favorite place that had let me down a few times over the past 5 years...Home Run Inn in Darien. The last few times the pizza has been soggy and in general, way too salty. It redeemed itself Thursday night...the 2 pizzas we got (sausage and mushroom/plum tomato) were among the best pizzas I have ever had. Perfect crust, abundance of toppings and nice balance of crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.

I knew the place was too good to give up on...of course, now I'm wanting more and I'm 1800 miles away!

RSMBob wrote:..... I also had an excellent Sunday brunch at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. What a spread they put out there!

Shhhhhhhhhh!


Seriously tho - I try to eat all of the waffles, strawberries, and baked salmon filets when I go there, but they always just keep bringing out more!!!

RSMBob wrote:The highlight, though, was my final meal Thursday night at a long-time family favorite place that had let me down a few times over the past 5 years...Home Run Inn in Darien. The last few times the pizza has been soggy and in general, way too salty. It redeemed itself Thursday night...the 2 pizzas we got (sausage and mushroom/plum tomato) were among the besr pizzas I have ever had. Perfect crust, abundance of toppings and nice balance lf crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.

I knew the place was too good to give up on...of course, now I'm wanting more and I'm 1800 miles away!

Sometime this past summer I noticed the dramatic improvement at the Darien Home Run Inn as well. Maybe they got a new chef or a new oven, or maybe increased local competition forced them out of complacency...but whatever the reason, the pizza they're putting out at the moment may be their best ever.

Shhhhhhhhhh!

Hey, what's with that? Judging from the size of that room and the number of people in it, the brunch at Drury Lane is certainly no secret, LOL! I was impressed at how well they kept things stocked and the relative ease of getting the food in a timely manner. The good (or bad) news is the distance you might have to walk betweein the food and your table. The hot food cools down but at least you get to work some of the food off!

I have never been to the restaurant but that is my favorite frozen pizza brand!

JeanneBean wrote:I have never been to the restaurant but that is my favorite frozen pizza brand!

I remember going to the original on 31st street....when it was a bar and they had a couple of tables and a window for pick ups. They had meat processing going on in the basement and used to put out their frozen stuff from there as well. Very nice family. They used to live in the back. Still a great pizza. And a wonderful childhood memory.

I also remember when they first started doing their frozen pizzas, they came in a silver tray with a clear plastic cover (kind of like a leftover container). They would deliver to the store I worked at on Wednesdays and they would still be warm to the touch! Ah the good ole days.

Interesting article in the Tribune about Home Run Inn frozen pizza.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... 9947.story

This bit caught my eye:

Meanwhile, Home Run Inn's dough is fermented, leading to a crust taste described as "buttery" by Garrison.

My immediate reaction was that of course it tastes buttery, there's butter in it! But I checked the ingredient list and there's no butter in the crust. All of a sudden I feel a lot better about eating this.

I had never had Home Run Inn frozen pizza until I met my wife, who is a big fan. I like it a lot - count me as a fan. I had been eating Reggio's frozen pizza for decades (and still love it). But we don't buy too much frozen pizza any more. Instead, when we order a delivery pizza, we simply freeze some of the leftovers.

For a South Side and suburban pizza chain looking to expand, a few blocks south of Wrigley Field seems like the perfect place for a Home Run Inn (3215 N. Sheffield Ave., Lake View, no phone yet). The three-generation family business, with storefronts in Little Village, Beverly, near Midway, and in the west and southwest suburbs, plans to open its first North Side location in the space that formerly held the Leona’s flagship.

http://www.chicagomag.com/dining-drinki ... e-Run-Inn/?

I like Home Run Inn and yes, I also think their frozen pizzas are about as good as you can get for a frozen pizza. I'm still surprised the Arlington Heights location closed on Algonquin near Arlington Hts Rd years ago, it always seemed to do well. Speaking of a south side/suburban chain, I'm surprised Aurellio's hasn't expanded to the north side/suburbs.

Home Run Inn has opened in the long dormant Leona's space.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/10/16/955 ... n-corridor

Darren72 wrote:I
This bit caught my eye:

Meanwhile, Home Run Inn's dough is fermented, leading to a crust taste described as "buttery" by Garrison.

My immediate reaction was that of course it tastes buttery, there's butter in it! But I checked the ingredient list and there's no butter in the crust. All of a sudden I feel a lot better about eating this.

I know I'm a almost six years late for this response, but I would have also bet that there was butter in that crust. I am surprised. I've never gotten my fermented doughs to get anything like that buttery flavor. I wonder if the corn oil also adds to that butter-like flavor. I like their 31st Street location for a change of pace every once in awhile, but their frozen pizza is probably my favorite frozen pizza. It has that unique crust and none of the flavors I normally associate with frozen pizza.

HRI frozen pizzas are not only the best frozen pizzas out there they are also pretty darn good just as pizzas. Aside from the regular crust offerings they introduced an "ultra thin crust" line a while ago - the uncured pepperoni one is really outstanding. Stay away from the sausage though, it's the flavorless gristly brown stuff you'd expect to find on a frozen pizza.

so is the pizza at 31st street noticeably better than the frozen? I mean, the frozen is decent in a pinch, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

teatpuller wrote:so is the pizza at 31st street noticeably better than the frozen? I mean, the frozen is decent in a pinch, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

I would say, yes, of course. But HRI pizza is unique--I really can't think of another pizza in Chicago that is quite like it with that dense yet flaky and buttery crust. I kind of put it in that "when I want something a little different" category like I do Bartleby's of Northbrook. It wouldn't be my go-to day-to-day pizza, but once a year or so, I crave it. Just try it when you get a chance. It's really hard to predict whether you'll like it or not based on your view of the frozen pizza, but the frozen pizza is a fairly reasonable facsimile of the fresh product, as far as frozen pizzas go. Yeah, I know there's a lot of hedge words there.

Never heard of Bartleby's. Where is it in Northbrook?

nr706 wrote:Never heard of Bartleby's. Where is it in Northbrook?

Perhaps he meant Barnaby's?

Regards,

Yes, Barnaby's. I blame it on middle age, Melville, and my English degree.

I do not eat a ton of pizza, frozen or otherwise, but, for what it's worth, my three oldest boys (ages 9, 7, and 5) insist that Home Run Inn is the best frozen pizza (and believe me they've had quite the variety).

Since Costco seems to have stopped carrying HRI pizzas, I think the best everyday price (and certainly sale price) is at Mariano's. Although, interestingly enough, the two-packs tends to be more expensive than two individual pizzas of the same size.

So glad to hear all the love for Home Run Inn pizza. It's our go-to frozen pizza, as well, and I agree that it rivals pizza you can get from a lot of local establishments. We love the Ultra Thin line-- all flavors are great-- but I especially enjoy the Ultra Thin Carmelized Onion & Sausage.