This place is trying to be something it isn't on the service side. Coal Fire needs to:

Take orders at the counter and give out numbers.
Deliver the pizza's to the numbers or have pickup at the counter.
Have a machine for self service fountain drinks.
Come up with a better seating arrangement to allow for more tables.

Kesey wrote:This place is trying to be something it isn't on the service side. Coal Fire needs to:

Take orders at the counter and give out numbers.
Deliver the pizza's to the numbers or have pickup at the counter.
Have a machine for self service fountain drinks.
Come up with a better seating arrangement to allow for more tables.

See, I knew someone would be able to figure out a better arrangement!

The delivering the pizzas to the numbers sounds like the best idea--sort of like what they do at the cafe inside Fox and Obel.

My husband and I went this past Friday night. We had a great experience. I think we arrived close to 9:00 so perhaps that helped in the service department, though the tables were filled once we were seated.

We ordered the Fiorentino and the White. We loved both pies, though we thought next time we might ask for prosciutto on the White to mix it up a bit. We had no problem getting our orders delivered. And salami on pizza with the peppers was simply divine. We devoured both pies!

The service was what I expected it to be with the ordering/food delivery system they have set up. Yes, we had to ask for water, but only once. And we had to ask for a corkscrew, but that was because she hadn't known that we had wine (it was in my purse), she only saw my husband's beer and brought an opener for that. They were extremely warm and accomodating. Lot's of smiles and a genuine appreciation for our business.

We felt very comfortable tipping a little over 10% and feeling that it was appropriate (and a good tip) for the style of how this establishment is run, and not a dis on bad service. We will certainly be returning.

11%? i'll bet they can hardly wait for your return.

jazzfood, I find your comment about my choice of tip % to not only be inflammatory, but also completely unhelpful to the users of LTF as far as the food and restaurant are concerned.
There was a discussion about tipping at Coalfire because of the unusual service style. I simply offered up what I did in this specific situation.

I agree, while admitting that I like my humor dry (and my martinis dirty). Let's be constructive wherever possible. I also don't tip more than 10% at CoalFire unless in a huge party, and usually find myself taking out since the room isn't that enjoyable and the pizza, while delicious, is pricey enough as it is. [and since we're all into disclaimers, I of course do tip generously at other places with "full" service].

I always tip at least 20% at Coalfire (as I do most everywhere). Maybe that's why I never have service issues...just a thought.

my apologies.

stevez wrote:I always tip at least 20% at Coalfire (as I do most everywhere). Maybe that's why I never have service issues...just a thought.

I can see how that would make sense if you were a repeat customer somewhere, but we were there for the first time last night and DID have service issues. I seriously doubt they could psychically sense that I was unsure how much tip to leave, and thus I received not so great service.
We did, for the record, end up leaving about 15% which is less than our usual 20% but, as I said in my initial post, we were unsure how to tip due to the unusual service situation there.

Thank you for your apology, jazzfood. It is appreciated.

I now feel that I have to put this out there lest you all think I am habitually a cheap tipper, but in a full-service restaurant I rarely tip below 20% and regularly tip above it.

LTH,

Joined the LTHForum Cocktail Hour Michael M called at Clark Street Ale House right about the time the group was discussing where to go for dinner. After kicking around Double Li, Khan BBQ and a few others ten of us ended up at Coalfire.

Pizza was spot-on* solid, verging on awesome, really delish, pure blistered goodness, not a meh bite in the bunch. In addition to the amazing pizza service was quite good, and my request of evoo was easy peasy for our waitress and made the pizza even more delish.

In addition to the menu items we had a truly yum-o pizza, sausage and anchovy, which is not typically on-offer.

Coalfire is a spot-on GNR nomination.

Enjoy,
Gary

*I have attempted to use each and every word in the pet peeve thread.

But was it addictive?

And single or double yum?

Mike G wrote:But was it addictive?

Not so much addictive as to-die-for.

One of the advantages of having a large group at the table was the chance to sample so many different pies. I want to add my voice to the others today complimenting the sausage and anchovy - a starburst of flavor hit the palate on the first (and every other) bite.

OK, I must admit this is hearsay, but a very close friend/co-worker went to Coal Fire about three weeks ago. He is a chef for a food manufacturer and the other three people he was with were also chefs for manufacturers (including one CMC). I have great respect for the palates and proclivities of these four chefs.

I was excited they were going there, as this is literally blocks away from where I lived in Chicago two years ago, and I have a big mushy spot for my old neighborhood. Also, I love pizza with burned crust. I'm a huge Spacca Napoli fan (as are all of the diners involved in this story) also.

Anyway: I received a text message from him that night. He said "Coal Fire = terrible." I called him, shocked. He said that it was just very, mediocre. The crust was OK, he told me, but the toppings were awful. The prosciutto was too thick and looked like that junk in the cello packs in a grocery store deli, he said. The olives were sliced California olives that seemed out of a can. The cheese was nothing special. It just wasn't good, he said over and over again. Oh, and there were only three other people in there the entire time we ate, he exclaimed.

So I showed him this site. I showed him the beautiful pictures and the rave reviews. He said that the pictures (all of them) are absolutely NOT what he had to eat there (though he did recognize the restaurant, pointing out his server and his table in one picture--so it's not like he went to the wrong place!), he said that his pizza both looked and tasted incredibly mediocre and shouldn't even be spoken in the same paragraph as the almighty Spacca Napoli.

So what gives folks? Do you have any idea? Was this a Twilight Zone experience? Could they have had a momentary lapse? Is it possible that Coal Fire had run out of ingredients and had had to run out to the Jewel for temporary replacements? ANY IDEAS AT ALL???

[Full disclosure: I'm in Chicago next week for one night, and I'm looking for somewhere to eat. Dare I do check out the Coalfire? I'd hate to waste my one meal there? Maybe I'll just split a pizza with someone at Coalfire early and then head over to Avec for my go-to-goodtime.]

maxwellh wrote:So what gives folks? Do you have any idea? Was this a Twilight Zone experience? Could they have had a momentary lapse? Is it possible that Coal Fire had run out of ingredients and had had to run out to the Jewel for temporary replacements? ANY IDEAS AT ALL???

[Full disclosure: I'm in Chicago next week for one night, and I'm looking for somewhere to eat. Dare I do check out the Coalfire? I'd hate to waste my one meal there? Maybe I'll just split a pizza with someone at Coalfire early and then head over to Avec for my go-to-goodtime.]

Based on several visits that I have made, I'd say if indeed your friend went to the right place (which I'm not 100% convinced of, since Coalfire usually fills up and stays that way), his experience was an aberration and not what you would usually expect from Coalfire.

stevez wrote: ... I'd say if indeed your friend went to the right place (which I'm not 100% convinced of, since Coalfire usually fills up and stays that way) ...

Like I said, he recognized his server, as well as the actual table that he sat at, so it was one and the same. It was a Tuesday night...maybe a rare "off" night for them? I dunno ...

In addition to being hearsay, it appears that this report is based on a text message that says "Coalfire=terrible?!" With such little detail, why would you fret about trying it? Just go and report back.

(But yes, those olives are canned. Just don't order that pizza. Order the sausage or the hot salami and red pepper or the white pizza. Those are the standouts.)

I was there on a Tuesday night a couple of weeks ago (with some folks from here) and even discounting the fact that we brought in a good-sized group there were plenty of people there apart from us and it was the best pizza I ever ate in my life. Argument by example, I know. I suppose any place can have an off night, but if we admit that possibility I suppose we should also allow for the possibility that your friend's taste buds had an off night.

I hear what you guys are saying, but there was more than just a text message. We had a lengthy discussion immediately after I received this message, and it wasn't just him. It was a group of guys whose tastebuds I can vouch for(I know, this is just me--someone you guys don't know personally typing here, but I'll stand by it).

I'm going to chalk this up to 1) Coalfire's having an apparently rare slow night which (from years of personal restaurant experience) I know can lead to 2) the kitchen letting down their guard and possible letting not their best leave the window, coupled with 3) not the best items on the menu being ordered (but seriously, there is NO excuse in this day/this age/this city for canned olives to get used on any attempt at serious pizza--can we agree on that?)

I'm going to go next Monday night, and I'm going to order the sausage, the hot salami and red pepper and the white, and I'll get back to you folks. Any more advice in the intervening days would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for everything thus far, folks!

But of course...I just checked out Time Out, and it says they're closed on Monday. And yes, it's the only night I'm in town, and no, I don't know when I'll be back, and no, no way am I going to be able to convince my buddy to go back and try it again to disprove his original statements.

Ah well...

maxwellh wrote:(I know, this is just me--someone you guys don't know personally typing here, but I'll stand by it).

M,

Not just someone we don't know, but someone who's first post is a second hand trashing of a place. It's difficult enough to get facts correct when one is at the restaurant personally, but to forward such a strong opinion based on second hand info seems misguided at best, posting with a specific negative agenda at worst.

Yes I know you friend is a chef and his friend is a CMC (Certified Master Chef), for all I know your friends friends friend is Joel Robuchon's right hand man, it's still, at least to me, carries a hell of a lot less weight than if he posted personally, which he is more than welcome to do.

Regards,
Gary

G Wiv,

Your post is a appreciated, and I realize that I'm the one left in the position to give supporting evidence--not that I wish to "prove" that Coalfire is bad--just that I'm the stranger who walked in off the street, so to speak, with a derogatory story to tell. It wasn't my intention to bad-mouth Coalfire, but only to share the account and get feedback.

I had discovered Coalfire based on all the glowing posts on this website, and I knew that folks here knew it perhaps better than anyone else. I'm sorry that it was, in essence, "a second-hand trashing," when what I wanted was to tell about a bad experience that my friends had and see if you guys could shed any light on what might have gone wrong that night. It sounds to me like it was indeed a one time only thing, that most everyone has had nothing but outstanding pizza when they've eaten there, and that I should proceed to Coalfire with confidence in the future.

Thanks, folks.

EDIT: And FYI, my only agenda is to eat good food as frequently as possible.

Still glowing from the impromptu LTH dinner last week (as well as the beer and bourbon), I returned to Coal Fire a couple of nights ago for a late snack. Secondhand criticism notwithstanding, this place is simply wonderful. I've now tried a total of six different pizza selections, and not one was less than delicious. (Oooh, I almost said "spot-on.")
I agree with G Wiv, maxwellh. Encourage your friend to sign up and post his firsthand experience. I'm sure we'd all be very interested in the opinion of a professional chef.

Not to detract from the great pizza here, I thought about the confusuin regarding "coal" (fossil fuel used in NYC, CT and at D'Amato's) versus "coals" (burned down wood, used in Naples, Spacca Napoli and my back yard) and looked back at the photos in this thread. Clearly, Coal Fire uses a Vesuvio brand woodburner, distributed largely Down Under, from what I can tell.

The easy thing to do, for anyone wondering, would be to just ask. I don't so much care, since at that high heat I'm not sure the fuel source matters terribly much (at 700-800 degrees, there is no visible smoke from the super-efficient wood fire in a pizza oven, though some smoke can be tasted in the crust, IMO). The takeaway is, it doesn't seem plausible for Coal Fire to actually be using any coal a la Totonno's and the CT places at this point.

(But yes, those olives are canned.

I can forgive canned olives (or, better, just not order the pizza that has 'em), but I can't forgive canned mushrooms. Mushrooms are my number one pizza topping. Please tell me that the mushrooms at Coalfire are fresh. I haven't been there yet, and I'm very anxious to try it.

JeffB wrote:The easy thing to do, for anyone wondering, would be to just ask.

I did ask ands was told it was a combination of coal and wood that is used in the oven.

JeffB wrote:I'm not sure the fuel source matters terribly much (at 700-800 degrees, there is no visible smoke from the super-efficient wood fire in a pizza oven

A wood-burning oven will have logs added as needed for a constant live fire to maintain the temperature and properly cook the pie. The by-products of this combustion at high temps are not as visible as the smoke of a smoldering fire at lower temps, but do indeed contain all kinds of less-visible compounds that contribute to the distinctive flavor of the crust.

Bill/SFNM

Absolutely, Bill. As I feel my way around the oven, I recognize that a live fire is helpful to keep the dome temps up and to get the top nice and charred to match the bottom. That requires wood, not just hot coals*, and burning wood releases flavorful stuff. Just not a smoldering smoke at that temp. I continue to be amazed by the fact that I can throw on a large cherry or apple log and have it ignite almost instantly once the oven is up to temp.

PS, I know SFNM has a surplus of incredible charms, but SW Michigan has some benefits too -- a carload [technically, a face cord] of the local trash wood (apple, cherry and hickory) is a ten-spot down at the farm a few blocks away.... I put the money in a rusty coffee can on the honor system.

*That is, char-coals, which might still leave open some ambiguity re Coalfire's fuel.

stevez wrote:I did ask ands was told it was a combination of coal and wood that is used in the oven.

As Mr. Z said, seems wood and coal are used, though in what proportions I have no idea.

Wood in foreground of Coalfire Picture


Frankly, whatever Coalfire is doing they are doing it right, they, along with Burt's, Vito & Nick's and Spacca Napoli are my top 4 Chicago favorites, with Zaffiro's in Milwaukee rounding out the top 5. (In no particular order)

Enjoy,
Gary

Coal Fire
1321 W. Grand Ave
Chicago, IL
312-226-2625

Spacca Napoli
1769 West Sunnyside
Chicago, IL
773-878-2420

Vito & Nick's
8435 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago
773-735-2050

Zaffiro's Pizza & Bar
1724 N Farwell Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-289-8776

Burt's Place
8541 N. Ferris
Morton Grove, IL
847-965-7997