jimswside wrote:roast beef? how rare was the beef?

I cant imagine the beef would be too different as one of the toppings on one of my favorites... Italian Beef, sausage, green peppers, and giardiniera

It was cooked to medium rare, thinly sliced and placed as a continuous layer on the pie. I am pretty sure after a round in the pizza oven it will be cooked to well done.

I was first introduced to the Italian Beef and giardiniera pizza while working in Lemont from Rosati's Pizza and it has become one of my fav's when looking for a pizza out of the ordinary.

Panther in the Den wrote:

jimswside wrote:roast beef? how rare was the beef?

I cant imagine the beef would be too different as one of the toppings on one of my favorites... Italian Beef, sausage, green peppers, and giardiniera

It was cooked to medium rare, thinly sliced and placed as a continuous layer on the pie. I am pretty sure after a round in the pizza oven it will be cooked to well done.

I was first introduced to the Italian Beef and giardiniera pizza while working in Lemont from Rosati's Pizza and it has become one of my fav's when looking for a pizza out of the ordinary.

Like I mentioned It is one of my favorites, with some Italian sausage, green pepper, and giardinera, it is like a beef and sausage combo on a pizza. I have recently started ordering mine with green olives as well.

the wimperoo wrote:I've never thought of even trying it, but that roast beef pizza w/hot giardinera looked great.

I don't know about the egg pizza though. Doesn't seem that appetizing to me.

I thought the same thing when I saw this pizza. I'm pretty old school when it comes to pizza toppings. I like to judge a pizza joint with a basic sausage pizza. I always heard from friends how good the Italian beef pizza was. Now I will definitely get one on our next visit. The egg pizza -- maybe an early lunch?

I was a little disappointed that Lee wasn't a featured waitress on the show. Nor were the carpeted walls and multi-colored chandelier lights!

jimswside wrote:Like I mentioned It is one of my favorites, with some Italian sausage, green pepper, and giardinera, it is like a beef and sausage combo on a pizza. I have recently started ordering mine with green olives as well.

I didn't put it together. I will have to give the 'combo' a try. Although I do not see how the green olives fit in.

Thanks!

Last week I attempted to order the Italian Beef and giardiniera pizza from a local fav Salerno's and they substituted sport peppers. Grrr... Not the same at all.

Salerno's Pizza & Pasta
7128 Roosevelt Rd
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 383-1500‎
(708) 484-6658‎

I like green olives...

plus in some of my favorite giardinera mixes, I love finding the green olive amongst the peppers and other items..

Panther in the Den wrote:

jimswside wrote:Like I mentioned It is one of my favorites, with some Italian sausage, green pepper, and giardinera, it is like a beef and sausage combo on a pizza. I have recently started ordering mine with green olives as well.

I didn't put it together. I will have to give the 'combo' a try. Although I do not see how the green olives fit in.

Thanks!

Last week I attempted to order the Italian Beef and giardiniera pizza from a local fav Salerno's and they substituted sport peppers. Grrr... Not the same at all.

Salerno's Pizza & Pasta
7128 Roosevelt Rd
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 383-1500‎
(708) 484-6658‎

I like Salerno's, and their gelato is quite good, plus they're a stone's throw from my house. However, their pizza pricing is exorbitant. Do you have a good coupon source, or are you, too, paying $20 for a large one-topping thin for the pleasure?

Santander wrote:I like Salerno's, and their gelato is quite good, plus they're a stone's throw from my house. However, their pizza pricing is exorbitant. Do you have a good coupon source, or are you, too, paying $20 for a large one-topping thin for the pleasure?

I do get an email with a $2 off large and XL pizza that I can forward along to you (PM your email). It does say "Limited Time Offer" but there is no date listed.

Also I often upgrade to thick crust as there is no additional charge.

Love their online ordering system!

I don't know about the egg pizza though. Doesn't seem that appetizing to me.

While I have not seen egg on a menu anywhere in Chicago, it is actually quite common in pizzerias in Rome. Not sure about other cities in Italy, but the egg cooked into the pizza seemed very common in Rome and eaten by many locals as well as tourists.

I've had it -- along with speck -- on a 'Bismark' at Spacca Napoli and it was tremendous . . .


Bismark at Spacca Napoli (photo by Eliot Wexler, used with permission)

=R=

butter674 wrote:

I don't know about the egg pizza though. Doesn't seem that appetizing to me.

While I have not seen egg on a menu anywhere in Chicago, it is actually quite common in pizzerias in Rome. Not sure about other cities in Italy, but the egg cooked into the pizza seemed very common in Rome and eaten by many locals as well as tourists.

I had one in Venice. My initial response was "huh?" It was quite tasty.

The "Francese" at Apart Pizza on Montrose has ham, brie and egg and it is quite good.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:The "Francese" at Apart Pizza on Montrose has ham, brie and egg and it is quite good.

Actually, that sounds quite tasty. However, I draw the line at putting pineapple on a pizza.

butter674 wrote:

I don't know about the egg pizza though. Doesn't seem that appetizing to me.

While I have not seen egg on a menu anywhere in Chicago, it is actually quite common in pizzerias in Rome. Not sure about other cities in Italy, but the egg cooked into the pizza seemed very common in Rome and eaten by many locals as well as tourists.

I remember trying a pizza with egg on it in Paris, way back in 1978. It was quite good....done in a brick oven. Haven't had one since.

Santander wrote:
I like Salerno's, and their gelato is quite good, plus they're a stone's throw from my house. However, their pizza pricing is exorbitant. Do you have a good coupon source, or are you, too, paying $20 for a large one-topping thin for the pleasure?


I do get an email with a $2 off large and XL pizza that I can forward along to you (PM your email). It does say "Limited Time Offer" but there is no date listed.

Also I often upgrade to thick crust as there is no additional charge.

Love their online ordering system!

There is a link in the bottom left hand corner on the Salerno's website that will take you to coupons for several different kinds of discounts.

Can anyone comment on the quality of Salerno's crusts? My preference is for the crackery-est possible but Salerno's was not on my radar. Should it be?

Salerno's is a little moist and thick to be cracker, but it still trends towards the harder and denser varieties as opposed to the soft, bready, or flaky. It's actually somewhat similar to Piece crust, just cooked longer and drier for lower elasticity.

Aurelio's and Vito and Nick's are my favorite Americano thin crusts; they're slightly buttery, crisp, and have those lovely caramelized singed edges. Salerno's is not quite commercial, but their product is too smooth, dry and uniform to be artisanal. That said, ingredient quality is good, and when they go easy on the cheese, they make an above-average takeout pizza. Thanks to all for the coupon tips (didn't even realize they had their system online).

Dave148 wrote:

butter674 wrote:

I don't know about the egg pizza though. Doesn't seem that appetizing to me.

While I have not seen egg on a menu anywhere in Chicago, it is actually quite common in pizzerias in Rome. Not sure about other cities in Italy, but the egg cooked into the pizza seemed very common in Rome and eaten by many locals as well as tourists.

I had one in Venice. My initial response was "huh?" It was quite tasty.

Pizza Bismarck is a traditional pizza generally served with mozzarella, a light tomato sauce, occasionally speck (as per Spacca Napoli), and eggs baked on top. It seems to be a northern version (as you'd expect given its name), and many Neapolitans seemed to be appalled by the idea, altho they'll permit a hard-boiled egg or two in a Capricciosa, where pretty much anything goes.

jbw wrote:Pizza Bismarck is a traditional pizza generally served with mozzarella, a light tomato sauce, occasionally speck (as per Spacca Napoli), and eggs baked on top.

Speck (sometimes Shpeck <german>): Halfway between salt pork and lightly smoked bacon taken from the hock rather than the belly.

Interesting! Learn something new everyday.

Salerno's pizzas have changed recently. We went their a few weeks ago and were extremely disappointed in the pizza. The crust had no flavor and neither did the sauce or sausage. Something has changed there. Not sure what; won't be returning any time soon.

pamiela wrote:Salerno's pizzas have changed recently. We went their a few weeks ago and were extremely disappointed in the pizza. The crust had no flavor and neither did the sauce or sausage. Something has changed there. Not sure what; won't be returning any time soon.

Which location?

The pie I had from the Oak Park location was pretty good!

pamiela wrote:Salerno's pizzas have changed recently. We went their a few weeks ago and were extremely disappointed in the pizza. The crust had no flavor and neither did the sauce or sausage. Something has changed there. Not sure what; won't be returning any time soon.

Is this the same Salerno's as in Michael Salerno's Pizza that opened in the Glen (Glenview)? I though it was really bland and not worth another try.

Ram4 wrote:

pamiela wrote:Salerno's pizzas have changed recently. We went their a few weeks ago and were extremely disappointed in the pizza. The crust had no flavor and neither did the sauce or sausage. Something has changed there. Not sure what; won't be returning any time soon.

Is this the same Salerno's as in Michael Salerno's Pizza that opened in the Glen (Glenview)? I though it was really bland and not worth another try.

No, this is the Salerno's that was on 16th st in Berwyn since forever.

Marshall K wrote:No, this is the Salerno's that was on 16th st in Berwyn since forever.

This the guy who is on Grove by the Burlington tracks now, right?

Cogito wrote:

Marshall K wrote:No, this is the Salerno's that was on 16th st in Berwyn since forever.

This the guy who is on Grove by the Burlington tracks now, right?

Guess I'm confused, The Salenero's on the North side Roosivelt just east of Harlem is the same guy who had the one on 16th St in Berwyn.

the wimperoo wrote:I don't know about the egg pizza though. Doesn't seem that appetizing to me.

It's really quite good, especially with onion (egg alone is a bit bland). I've been touting Vito & Nick's egg pizza for a while now. Here's a piece of an old Chowhound post, from back before Vito & Nick's got mentioned much on the internet.

I think egg pizza in Chicago goes way back and is not some recent invention of the last 20 or 30 years. Vito & Nick's, the place I recommended, opened in the late 1940s and remains a bastion of south side, blue collar, thin crust, traditional Chicago pizza (washed down with Old Style, their only beer on tap). I consider it one of the classic south side pizzerias together with Chesdan's and Home Run Inn. I happen to like Vito & Nick's a lot more than either of those.

Vito & Nick's serves only the most basic thin crust pies. It’s either small or large with a choice of 4 or 5 toppings. No pineapple, no arugula, nothing like that. The only unusual pizza they serve is the egg pizza and I suspect back in the '50s it wasn’t all that uncommon. It’s a Friday-only thing and gave Catholics a little variety on their meatless day. The pepper and egg sandwich, a Friday staple at Italian beef stands, undoubtedly has a similar origin.

As I recall, it's not listed on the menu any longer but they'll make it on request.

the wimperoo wrote:I've never thought of even trying it, but that roast beef pizza w/hot giardinera looked great.

The beef pizza sounds okay but I wouldn't really recommend a beef sandwich at Vito & Nick's. There wasn't anything terribly wrong with it but there are far better Italian beefs elsewhere on the southwest side. I didn't see the Diners Drive-ins and Dives episode. Did they talk about the Italian beef sandwich or only the pizza?

Marshall K wrote:

Cogito wrote:

Marshall K wrote:No, this is the Salerno's that was on 16th st in Berwyn since forever.

This the guy who is on Grove by the Burlington tracks now, right?

Guess I'm confused, The Salenero's on the North side Roosevelt just east of Harlem is the same guy who had the one on 16th St in Berwyn.

It is one of those confusing family issues.

The Salerno's that used to be on 16th (you are right, forever) had closed for a few years and reopened in a brand new building on Grove south of the Burlington Tracks...

Salerno's Pizza On Grove
3250 Grove Ave
Berwyn, IL 60402
(708) 484-3490‎
(708) 484-3400‎ - Delivery

I Googled and associated with that location is a website that doesn't even mention pizza. Heck, the website is barely in English and above the name at the top of the page is DJ Osvaldo. I am beginning to think it is not in the family anymore.

http://www.salernosbar.com/

Years ago there was a rift in the family and another family member opened small location (mostly delivery) on the southside of Roosevelt (next to and somehow associated with Cappuccino's) that lasted for a few years.

After the south Roosevelt location closed a short time later (maybe a year) another Salerno's reopened in a newly remodeled building just across the street and to the west opened (not sure of the relation)...

Salerno's Pizza & Pasta‎Address:
7128 Roosevelt Rd
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 383-1500

Since they have opened 5 other locations in Chicago, Bolingbrook, Glenview (Michael Salerno's), Burr Ridge, and 6625 W. Roosevelt Rd in Berwyn (Gelato Uno).

As far as I know the locations listed above are not related to the locations near the Fox River in St Charles or Aurora.

---------------------------------

The location on 16th (and then on Grove) always used to be my goto spot for a thicker and loaded pizza (they even had it available frozen, ready to bake at home) and about 3 years ago I had a great family dinner there. Great family service, pizza and Italian dishes.

Since the location on the northside of Roosevelt opened I have not been back to Grove but it is a different (but good) pie. Thinner, less cheese but fresh ingredients and nice and toasty.

It sounds like I need to return to the Grove location and see what the story is there.

---------------------------------

To sum it up there has been a lot of water under the bridge and I would have to say the location on Roosevelt in Oak Park is pretty far removed from the old location on 16th. Even different style pizza.

Rene G wrote:Did they talk about the Italian beef sandwich or only the pizza?

Only the pizza. Actually, until your post, I didn't realize they even had beef sandwiches on the menu, and I've been going there for years. With the pizza so good, it's hard to get distracted by anything else on the menu.

Marshall K wrote:

Cogito wrote:

Marshall K wrote:No, this is the Salerno's that was on 16th st in Berwyn since forever.

This the guy who is on Grove by the Burlington tracks now, right?

Guess I'm confused, The Salenero's on the North side Roosivelt just east of Harlem is the same guy who had the one on 16th St in Berwyn.

PITD is pretty accurate. You said you knew what was going on, so I didn't want to debate the point, but now that the wound has been opened, what the hell. The old place on 16th St was owned by 3 brothers. They had a falling out and the place was closed. Then Arnie opened the one on Grove, and Joe opened the one on Roosevelt. Not sure what Curly is doing. I prefer Arnie's pizza and think it is closest to what they had on 16th St. I haven't been in Arnie's for a couple of years (just got deliveries), but about a year or so back the place started staying open late night on weekends as kind of a disco nightclub catering to transvestite Hispanic customers. And no, I'm not kidding. I don't know whether this is Arnie's brain child or if someone else is running that side show. Business seems to be brisk at the disco, but I don't think the neighbors are particularly enamored with the concept. There you have it, everything you ever wanted to know about Salerno's, and then some.

Last time I was at the Roosivelt location Joe introduced himself as owning the 16th St. location thus my assumption. So now tell me about the Grand Ave. location near Bari. Also this is the Vito & Nick's thread, yes?

Marshall K wrote:Last time I was at the Roosivelt location Joe introduced himself as owning the 16th St. location thus my assumption. So now tell me about the Grand Ave. location near Bari. Also this is the Vito & Nick's thread, yes?

Now the Grand Ave location I don't know about. Just the ones in my neck of the woods.

You should of asked Joe!

I am willing to bet all of the local Salerno's that you meet will say they were involved with the 16th St location as that was before the family tiff.

Lot of good Salerno's content here - can it be split into its own thread?