Art of Pizza: a rant [+ Cafe Luigi]

Sometimes it's hell for a New York-style afficianado in this city of short crusts, deep dish, thin, and stuffed.

I admit it; I like Pizza Hut in a pinch. As conspiracy theories enrapture my noggin, yet again I'm shot down; no store delivers "that far east." Meaning the lakefront.

The only consumer-friendly mass-marketed pie available in my neighborhood is that dreck Domino's; even I won't stoop so low. Awhile back it seemed we were gonna get a Papa John's(yes, yes, but I *learned* to appreciate them in college), which ain't bad for that genre. No go...they stopped mid-construction on a Division storefront and vanished; conspiracy theories, again.

Darkling agents conspire to keep me separated from the delivery of mass-market platonic ideal: decent-enough crust, pleasing thickness(nothing ridiculous), sensible array of toppings(no roof tile-ing of the pepperoni, thank you).

There's Papa Romeo's whom I actually enjoy; cheese with character, assertive(perhaps overly-sweet sauce...see: Papa John's), a deft hand with the accoutrement. Thing is, the s/o hates it.

Look, Chicago pizza has it's place. I will never be a fan, but the occasional deep dish slice(accent on the uno...so to speak) hits the spot. However, when I think *pizza* it's of East Coast derivation not the frankly-preposterous, Chicago product.

So, Papa Romeo's was out, Papa John's never opened, there's no Little Caeser's nearby(and the Chicago LC's are crap, anyway), Domino's is always ass, and the pothead Pizza Hut Wicker Park(at least when I lived in the neighborhood the delivery personel were classic stoners of a comedic stripe) won't deliver whereas many other restaurants similarly-located do. And they know they have an issue; apparently, people from my neighborhood call them all the time because they're positioned on the net as the closest location + delivery. It's been thus for years.

Anyway, hey! let's try Art of Pizza, they recently sent us a flyer and I've heard good things(yeah, yeah...only about the deep dish). Yeah, they're gonna be expensive, but, again, I've heard good things. They have pan!

(a quick netsearch reveals that those few nearby places offering anything other than the inescapable thin or deep dish, don't deliver, of course.)

Bad, bad decision.

Two pan pizzas two toppings each. "Wow! These fuckers are heavy!" I inwardly-muse, as I finish up with the delivery guy.

They...are...

Fucking alcohol sops...frat boy-stuff-yr-piehole overabundance. It's all dough. And short dough to boot. Blecch. When I think pan I don't imagine a leaden foccacia.

Pizza 1 had most of it's toppings stuck to the box interior from mishandling. But, that's besides the point(I could call and complain, however here we must deploy that "but, how were the portions?" chestnut). They have a remarkably heavy-hand with the pepperoni(not my thing...I don't want shingleing, just a slice here and there)...but were incredibly stingy with everything else(pepperoni+green olives on one/mushrooms and bacon on the other).

Beyond the absurdly, urf-y bread dominance and ur-pep there's the bland sauce and the kind of cheese so thick it congeals into an off-putting cement mere minutes upon opening of the container.

wtf?

I *think* I'm easy to please. Hell, I woulda done Pizza Hut for chrissakes.

Something simple, none o' this overwrought/overthought Chicago-style craptaculosity. No thin crust, no deep dish, no stuffed.

Sometimes I just want a friggin' pizza.






...did I mention it was expensive?

Cafe Luigi may deliver to you. Probably the closest thing I've found to what I grew up on out east...

Shame they seem to have no website that I find:

Cafe Luigi
2548 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 404-0200

"Tim" wrote:Cafe Luigi may deliver to you. Probably the closest thing I've found to what I grew up on out east...

Shame they seem to have no website that I find:

Cafe Luigi
2548 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 404-0200

I will have to check that out, I believe I've seen them offered as a decent East Coast-esque pie. I meant to ask for rec.s, but the nature of my rant seemed to preclude such an entreaty. As it stands I have a tonne of "pizza" which I won't let go to waste and, of course!, the box won't fit in the fridge even on an emptied shelf. Grumble, chew, chew, grumble...


...chew...

...chew

Definitely try Cafe Luigi -- the closest thing to an East Coast slice place that I've found here. Including the crumbled sausage that Chicagoans would probably disdain but which takes me back to the stuff I ate growing up.

Funny thing about Cafe Luigi: I have been there many times now and have yet to get a freshly-made slice. I've been there at peak times, off-peak times, lunch, dinner, it doesn't matter. I used to ask, "What's fresh right now?" only to have the counterwoman shrug in reply; now, I don't even bother. It doesn't really matter, since they reheat it so that it tastes more or less new, but it does make me wonder: Do they just make ten pies in the middle of the night, or something? Anyway, it obviously wouldn't apply if you're getting a whole one.

I live around the corner from Cafe Luigi and really enjoy their pizza. Espcially the crumbled sausage -- we Chicagoans aren't suppoed to like that?!? I've never lived on the East Coast and don't know what "real" NY pizza is supposed to be, but I've heard that Luigi's is pretty close. I've had their pizza both by the slice in the shop, and whole pizza delivered. Good either way, but better delivered -- I'm close enough it was probably only 5 minutes from oven to my door.

Pizza Hut over Art of Pizza?!?!? That's insane.

Must...resist....don't...rise...to...the...bait....AHHHH. That's better. I just had a reheated slice of Malniti's deep dish and all is right with the world again.

Agree on Cafe Luigi. This is the closest thing to NY style you're going to get (and I love it). The best part is the surly dude that owns (?) the place. Nothing like getting a slice of pizza with a side of hate.

Blecch. When I think pan I don't imagine a leaden foccacia. Pizza 1 had most of it's toppings stuck to the box interior from mishandling. But, that's besides the point

Stop! Stop! You had me at "frat boy-stuff-yr-piehole overabundance!"



Spinach deep dish from The Art of Pizza. Mmm. The "Ulysses" of pizza, dense, heavy, stately plump, works on many levels, lasts a whole day. Many never finish it.



Yes I said yes I said yes.

Mike G wrote:

Blecch. When I think pan I don't imagine a leaden foccacia. Pizza 1 had most of it's toppings stuck to the box interior from mishandling. But, that's besides the point

Stop! Stop! You had me at "frat boy-stuff-yr-piehole overabundance!"



Spinach deep dish from The Art of Pizza. Mmm. The "Ulysses" of pizza, dense, heavy, stately plump, works on many levels, lasts a whole day. Many never finish it.



Yes I said yes I said yes.

I agree...that pie looks tasty(is it possible that the crust on that pizza is thinner than on the pan-style? Yegads). Apparently, deep dish is the way to go at Art of Pizza. I simply ordered wrong, disasterously wrong for what I had in mind.

A few birds with one stone: implicit in my "rant" is just that...it's myopic; my intention isn't to bait Chicago-styles vs. East Coast-styles. My caveat being...Chicago-style's okay, but it's not "pizza" to my way of thinking: step back slowly...nothing to see here...nothing to see...

and I'll say it again...yeah...I like Pizza Hut(specifically the thin crust pepperoni and the pan supreme)

over the holidays I got my first fix in at least three years at a Pizza Hut lunch buffet in downstate Illinois at which I had the opportunity to try all sorts of "ethnic" pizzas the likes of which I'd never consider ordering on my own...and, I'm happy to have had the experience, but, man...taco pizza? Yuck-o.

but, that argument is for another day; yes, Virginia, one *can* enjoy crass commercial fast food *and* appreciate (and cook) slow, "authentic," locavore, etc.

dogma of any stripe gives me hives(so says he, avatar of the perfect NY slice)

I probably am the minority, but I when I go to Art, I almost always get the thin crust. Now, that said, I've only been three times. The first time? It was one of the most sublime pizza experiences I had. I got one of each. The pan was way to doughy for me. The deep dish? Good, but they are just so dense - not something I want for a casual piece of pizza. The thin was perfect. It was soft, not a cracker crust which you often get around here, and so soft and buttery - I could have eaten the crust all by itself - and not too thick so that you only had crust.

I've had it twice since, and it's never been quite as good. Not sure if the ten minute ride on my bike was at fault the one time, or if it had been sitting awhile the other. I still remember that first time, though. And, I'll probably keep going back just to see if I can duplicate that experience.

Deep dish at Art of Pizza, si. Pan, no.

And yes, a pan pizza has a tall crust and a thin layer of ingredients, the deep dish has relatively thin crust but an inch of ingredients on it.

I'm not wild about the thin at Art of Pizza, it seems too bready for thin to me, but at least it does have the same virtues of very fresh-tasting tomatoes and seasonings that the deep dish has. You could do worse in the immediate area, no question.

The Art of Pizza is my go-to for thin. One of my favorites. Their Chicago Style is what gets all of the attention, and is quite good - I just prefer thin crust in general. I've never had their pan, and never really consider ordering pan anywhere - besides Pequod's. With that said, I'm still trying to understand how someone can put Pizza Hut over the Art of Pizza!!

rmtraut wrote:The Art of Pizza is my go-to for thin. One of my favorites. Their Chicago Style is what gets all of the attention, and is quite good - I just prefer thin crust in general. I've never had their pan, and never really consider ordering pan anywhere - besides Pequod's. With that said, I'm still trying to understand how someone can put Pizza Hut over the Art of Pizza!!

Simple, they make a decent, consistent product. We are talking apples and oranges, here. AoP's pan is completely different(imo in a bad way) from PH and PH doesn't offer deep dish or stuffed. I don't like PH better than any divers NY-style place found in country(or, for that matter, any great woodfired Neapolitan-style). But, even if one delivered...Neapolitan-style doesn't necessarily translate through delivery. Pizza Hut does. I do, however prefer PH's demographically-sussed "style" to Chicago styles I've had. Same way I like Burger King, Taco Bell, and Arby's. I eat them once in a blue moon. Hell, I had my first Pizza Hut in three years over the holidays. When I lived in Wicker Park I ordered from them more often.

urgh...I'm not sure why I'm even bothering...and perhaps I'm misreading any critical intent in your comments.

I *do* tire of the kneejerk equation among *some* gastronomes that fast food=bad food. It is what it is and imo there's room for both. Having said that, I'm not a suburbanite inundated with Appleby's upon Outback Steakhouses et al. Fast food is often a novelty for me. The city neighborhoods I've lived in have mainly been deserts when it comes to the famously-ubiquitous franchises. If the shoe was on the other foot I imagine I'd be crying to escape stripmall fastfood hell. So, Pizza Butt over the pan pizzas I had from Art of Pizza, yes. Pizza Hut over the sublime pies available to East Coasters or woodfired "authentic" pies(be they Californian or Neapolitan or the odd light, crisp, ephemeral Sicilian)...well, duh...no.

for the sake of completeness...4 Chicago pizzas I enjoy(but, am rarely in the mood for): Pizzeria Due deep dish, Gino's East deep dish, Lou Malnati's deep dish, O'Fame thin

jesteinf wrote:Agree on Cafe Luigi. This is the closest thing to NY style you're going to get (and I love it). The best part is the surly dude that owns (?) the place. Nothing like getting a slice of pizza with a side of hate.

Oh, come now. He's not surly, he's just NY style

So I am not the only one who goes into Luigi, orders a few slices, and feels like I did something wrong by the man working the counter. It is as if he is upset that he has to do a little work. Maybe I should just leave money on the counter and walk away without any pizza in return. The surliness is easy to ignore, as the slices are great. Ordering a whole pie, gets you a piping hot and fresh pizza which I agree is probably the best NY style the city has to offer.

Side note on Art of Pizza, I think it is Monday nights, when they have a $1.99 italian sausage sandwich special. Pretty good for the price to add a couple sandwiches on to your pizza order.

Luigi is decent, but they are rude every time I call them. It does feel like you're putting them out.


My go to for NY style delivery is Apart. I love the place. Not sure if they'll deliver to you Mr. Gordon, but they should be the first people you call next time.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Luigi is decent, but they are rude every time I call them. It does feel like you're putting them out.


My go to for NY style delivery is Apart. I love the place. Not sure if they'll deliver to you Mr. Gordon, but they should be the first people you call next time.

I followed the Apart thread with interest. They are rather far from the Gold Coast. But, who knows...maybe they would.

Please try Michael's pizza on Broadway at Belle Plaine. You can find a link to them off of the buenaparkneighbors.org webpage.

I didn't quite nail down what your area was exactly, hopefully they will deliver to you. If not, it's worth a trip on the 36 bus, stops right in front of the restaurant.

It's one of my favorite thin crusts. Is it New York - I have no idea, and don't care. But it's good.

Also try thin crust pizza at, of all places, Chili-Mac on Broadway at Briar or Barry.

EDIT: Art of Pizza + carefree cholesterol attitude = "Art's Meaty Delight" --> one of my favorite pizzas in town.

RhoneRanger wrote:Please try Michael's pizza on Broadway at Belle Plaine. You can find a link to them off of the buenaparkneighbors.org webpage.

I would have to say that I thought Michael's was subpar, to say the least. Cardboard crust. Even my husband thought it wasn't very good, which is saying something, considering that he likes Tombstone frozen pizzas.

-gtgirl

RhoneRanger wrote:Please try Michael's pizza on Broadway at Belle Plaine. You can find a link to them off of the buenaparkneighbors.org webpage.

I didn't quite nail down what your area was exactly, hopefully they will deliver to you. If not, it's worth a trip on the 36 bus, stops right in front of the restaurant.

It's one of my favorite thin crusts. Is it New York - I have no idea, and don't care. But it's good.

Also try thin crust pizza at, of all places, Chili-Mac on Broadway at Briar or Barry.

EDIT: Art of Pizza + carefree cholesterol attitude = "Art's Meaty Delight" --> one of my favorite pizzas in town.

Sorry to say, but it sounds like Michael's is the antithesis of what I'm looking for.

Wow. This is great. I thought I was the only person who received the vibe from the guy at Luigi. I lived nearby about 10 years ago and found him somewhat comical. No big deal in my book. He's never really mean or does anything bad. He's just stoic and barely speaks ....plus he's got a mean kinda look to him. Still great pizza. But, delivery from there was always really lengthy.

Anyway, I'm all about Apart Pizza now. half-NY/half-Neapolitan style in my book. Great lunch specials there too.

Per AOP, I ordered from there once a long time ago after they were crowned w/ some award. I got the pan and thought it was terrible (5 lbs of thick/chewy dough that overwhelmed the pizza). I'm glad I saw this thread as I'll have to try the deep dish.

I grew up in Boston and also crave that East Coast style pizza. I have found Piece on Damen to be EXCELLENT. I had never tried New Haven style pizza, but it gave me the feeling of being home. Plus they have nice handcrafted beers...mmmm...beer

PizzaWhore wrote:I grew up in Boston and also crave that East Coast style pizza. I have found Piece on Damen to be EXCELLENT. I had never tried New Haven style pizza, but it gave me the feeling of being home. Plus they have nice handcrafted beers...mmmm...beer

Piece ain't bad...not *quite* what I'm searching for, but close. They skipped my mind as per delivery possibilities. And, of course Santullo's(though they have many detractors and which I've yet to try) is veritably next door.

My last pizza foray ended in a draw; O'Fame's thin which as I've mentioned before is one of the best for that Chicago genre plus we gave their specialty(ricotta/tomato)pan(which is still too doughy to my mind, but nowhere near the atrocity that is Art of Pizza's pan) a shot.

I had one quibble: they left out the marinara for my(heftily-portioned, well-prepared) unfortunately, woefully, soggy fried calamari(other places keep it crispy why can't they...oh...I know why...). I'd specifically asked if the calamari came with both marinara and cocktail sauce as stated on the menu...and the order-taker person affirmed indeed it does. What shows up but, soggy calamari and cocktail sauce. No marinara. It's just my luck(or delivery luck in general...though I don't remember ever having items missing from various Asian delivery). I called to complain(I had no intention of them sending the driver back)---had I known I'd get cocktail *instead of* marinara sauce I would've chosen a different appetizer. Same way if a place sends Ranch(ewww) instead of bleu cheese(yumm-o) with buffalo preps: I'm ordering the item because of it's sauce pairing. Perhaps, I'm alone in this. Yes, I could whip up my own provided I have the initiative and time(marinara) or ingredients(bleu cheese dip) but, that's not really the point of delivery. Not to mention that those sauces aren't free(to me...I don't care how cheap they are for the restaurant they're asking for my money).

Anyway...my orig. point being that the profusely-apologetic guy on the phone at O'Fame let slip that they were understaffed and that's why everything took so long(soggy calamari) and we received one sauce instead of two.

So: I realize this would never happen in a million years, but maybe tell the prospective customer that you're understaffed *from the start*. Especially with pizza or fried items I might like the opportunity to rethink my order(or choose a different service altogether). Feh.

O'Fame makes a great Chicago thin...this time their delivery issues nearly killed it.

Oh, and holy crap have they gotten expensive! A medium three-topping thin, a twelve inch pan, and appetizer-size fried calamari came to 50 bucks plus. Three different price points per mailer, online, and menu. The menu(and what we were charged) being the highest. They're good, but not *that* good. You throw in delivery problems and I'm ready to think twice next time.

PizzaWhore wrote:I grew up in Boston and also crave that East Coast style pizza. I have found Piece on Damen to be EXCELLENT. I had never tried New Haven style pizza, but it gave me the feeling of being home. Plus they have nice handcrafted beers...mmmm...beer

Have to add a disclaimer that I am friends with the brewer at Piece, but beyond that, I am certainly a HUGE fan of the place.

I am rather suprised I have not seen more mention of the place as the beer is some of the best (locally made) to be found in the city, and the choices are constantly changing. There is not a wheat I can find that tops the Top-Heavy Hefeweizen.

And I have to say the pizza is one of my favorites and stands out as something you can not find on every corner.

Jamie

I'm heading to NY this weekend but I won't be able to get a slice of pizza while I'm there. So, to make up for it, I was thinking about ordering a pie from Cafe Luigi's tonight. I took a look at their menu and noticed that they offer Sicilian style pizza in addition to their standard Neopolitan. I'm tempted to order it. Has anyone tried it?

If memory serves from living about 100 yds from Lugi's many years ago, there other style pizza (assuming Sicilian) is really a dense, thick, lightly sauced brick of a square slice of pizza. I was a big fan of their thin slices at the time, but definitely not the Sicilian. It may be different if it wasn't reheated, but I'd still stay with ordering their thin.

I am a fan of stuffed pizza and after trying all the places that deliver near me (Edwardo's, Lou Malnati's, Michael's, Paninos, etc.), The Art of Pizza's vegetarian special still reigns supreme. Slices maintain very well when reheated in the oven the next day. Edwardo's quality significantly drops in my opinion. I just wish The Art of Pizza offered wheat crust, but a small price to pay for mouth-watering taste.

I'd like to give some love to Art of Pizza.

First and foremost, they make great pizza. They make both stuffed crust with lots of sauce on top and pan pizza with the sauce under the cheese, but still a thick crust. I love them both. The crust is moist and dense and the tomato sauce is bright and full of fresh tomato flavor. On top of that, the pizza delivery is very fast. I live about a ten minute drive from their store and they always deliver in under an hour. Given that many deep dish places cite 90 minute wait times due to how long the pizza takes to bake, Art of Pizza really stands out. My standards are spinach, mushrooms and onions in stuffed crust and italian beef and hot giardiniera on pan. This is my favorite deep dish in Chicago (granted I haven't been to Burt's) and just about everyone I serve it to feels the same way.

Usually I go for delivery, but sometimes I need a quick slice. A lot of times a single slice of deep dish is all you need. Art of Pizza usually has 4-5 different options ready to go. It's not as good as getting the pizza delivered piping hot, but I love that I have the option of a single slice of deep dish, not something you see too many places.

Also they have daily specials which are usually some sort of Italian standard like manicotti, lasagna or meatballs smothered in their tomato sauce and served with soup, salad and breadsticks. The special is a steal at 5-6 dollars depending on the day. It's run-of-the-mill Italian comfort food, but it hits the spot.

I feel really lucky to live so close by. It's the deep dish I always eat unless I'm with out-of-towners.

Gotta say, I love Art of Pizza's meaty delight pan pizza. That thing will last me days. It's not the best pizza in the world, but it's definitely above national chains...