Spaghetti Pie at Geppetto’s, Oak Park

Spaghetti Pie at Geppetto’s, Oak Park

Some time ago, Wednesday Journal’s Dan Haley told me I really should eat the spaghetti pie at Geppetto’s. This week, with The Wife out of town, the time seemed right to sample this strange-sounding pasta dish, so I walked over to Geppetto’s.

Let’s get the negative out of the way right up front. What I encountered at Geppetto’s was the oddest, most distant, passive aggressive, minimally interactive non-service I can remember receiving. Slow, inattentive, with the server clearly trying to avoid eye-contact, I was given dinner without being asking if I wanted a drink, had bread wordlessly plopped in front of me without butter or oil, and was generally “dealt with” without the hint of a smile. I honestly could not wait to leave.

But the spaghetti pie was disturbingly, disarmingly delicious.



In case you didn’t know, spaghetti pie is not technically pie: it’s more like lasagna made with thin spaghetti. There’s soft Italian cheese mixed in, and a hint of herbs, and it’s served in a wedge. There’s no actual pie crust; though the menu says there’s a “parmesan crust,” that seems to refer to a thin sheet of baked cheese on top.

I had meat sauce on top, but you can also get it with marinara. Either way, the light acidity of the tomato plays off the richness of the cheese for a very balanced bite, and it’s soft, easy-to-eat.

The spaghetti pie is classic comfort food: creamy carbs, mildly spiced, and warm. I actually like the thin noodles better than the usual wide and flat noodles of lasagna; they seemed to make it all much creamier, softer, more luscious. It’s the sort of thing that if you were eating with even not-so-close friends, someone would inevitably ask, “Hey, can I try a bite of that?”

With summer here, it’s probably not exactly the best time of year to hunker down on a big bowl of warm pasta, but this menu item was so good, I may just take it on again this season…though I’ll likely get it for delivery or to-go.

Geppetto’s
113 N Oak Park Ave
Oak Park
(708) 386-9200

My kids LOVE this stuff.
Luckily it's trivially recreated at home. While not my particular cup of tea I can easily see the attraction, it's a gut-bomb of cream, cheese, pasta, meat and red sauce - what's not to like?!

zoid wrote:My kids LOVE this stuff.

Softness, non-aggressive spicing, and you can eat it without a knife. Yeah, I can see how this would be very popular kid food.

My friend makes this with leftover spaghetti and crisps it up on the bottom, forming a crunchy layer. I'm unlikely to make this, however, since there is no such thing as leftover pasta at my house.

The service was that bad ten years ago, which is why I stopped dining there.

TooHot wrote:The service was that bad ten years ago, which is why I stopped dining there.

And yet...this place is still in business. I think they benefit a lot from location and reasonable prices...and probably a few more good menu items besides the spaghetti pie.

I'll have to try the pizza again one of these days.
When we first moved to Oak Park (man has it been 17 years already?) we liked it quite a bit but then it just fell off like it was shoved from a balcony. I thnk a re-trial is due.

zoid wrote:I'll have to try the pizza again one of these days.
When we first moved to Oak Park (man has it been 17 years already?) we liked it quite a bit but then it just fell off like it was shoved from a balcony. I thnk a re-trial is due.

We order their pizza every few years. At one time it was excellent, then it was no so great; currently, I just don't know.

I may just take it on again this season…though I’ll likely get it for delivery or to-go.

Don't do that. They never get an order right. At least in my experience.

What the balls???
That picture absolutely drips nostalgia for me. I used to order a hunk o' spaghetti pie for delivery every once in a while back in the day. I forgot which night, but it was a regular special. I do remember that in those times, the Monday night special was 5.99 for a large snausage pizza (should give you an indication of how long ago this was) and their pizza, well, the thin crust anyway, was indeed excellent at one point. But, the spaghetti pie was way better than it sounded. I ordered it one night on a whim and was hooked on it for a long, long, time.

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Hammond, and further reinforcing the fact that I'm old as shit.

It's definitely a weird place that exists in it's own separate reality.

The garlic chicken is probably the most solid and reliable dish,

Garlic Chicken with Spinach Entrée - Breast of chicken sauteed with fresh garlic, prosciutto ham, spinach and linguine

and a few of the other dishes are actually more than decent, but like earlier posters said the service is disinterested at best, take-out orders are about as reliable as trying to make rent at the craps table, the salad bar is just sad and the house vinaigrette is unlike anything I've experienced anywhere, and not in a good way.

The spaghetti pie is the real deal. It is hearty, tasty and more than filling. It is, after many trials and many errors over the years, the only thing that I will order from Geppeto's. I gave up on their thin crust years ago when the consistency factor disappeared and it was a contest to see if the pizza you received matched the pizza you ordered. For thin crust, I call Bartolli's in River Forest. For spaghetti pie and a salad though, you should be happy with Geppettos.

Closed

https://mobile.oakpark.com/News/Article ... rk-addio-/

Wow. I guess it was inevitable as nothing lasts forever but I'll miss it.

Eating in has steadily gone downhill but I’ve always been a fan of their...

The Monster from Geppetto's

Sausage
Pepperoni
Ham

Mushrooms
Onion
Green Pepper
Olives

Even with all those toppings they managed to still have a crisp crust. There would also be a nice browning to the vegetables on top of the cheese.

Guess I’ll have to stroll over to Bricks for a snack during events in Scoville <jk>.

Panther in the Den wrote:Closed

https://mobile.oakpark.com/News/Article ... rk-addio-/

"Once an Oak Park favorite, the restaurant has had a harder time attracting customers in recent years. For that reason, Geppetto's owner Oleg Vachenko opted to cease operations, according Geri McLauchlan, who owns the building.

In McLauchlan's opinion, Geppetto's low prices combined with the changing restaurant industry contributed to the lowered profits."

I've never been, so no first hand experience. I had to read what excuses were made for its demise, which I knew would not be in alignment with the comments in this thread.