pentaphobia strikes once every 5 years in America.

spiffytriphy wrote:Their answering machine states a maximum party of 4 for dining in.

Wow they must very confident of their cliental sticking around for the long haul.

Whats next a secret password to get in.

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:

spiffytriphy wrote:Their answering machine states a maximum party of 4 for dining in.

Wow they must very confident of their cliental sticking around for the long haul.

Whats next a secret password to get in.

No. It is really small. Once you see it you will understand.

Other then having to shove a couple of tables together, why would a table of five be any different then if a two top and a three top came in at the same time? Is there no room to shove a couple of tables together, I guess then that would be a problem.

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:Other then having to shove a couple of tables together, why would a table of five be any different then if a two top and a three top came in at the same time? Is there no room to shove a couple of tables together, I guess then that would be a problem.

The restaurant has three tables. Two two-tops, and one communal table that seats six. As you might imagine with a restaurant this small, there's no space to move those tables around, even if they wanted to (not to mention the tables are of different shapes/heights).

-Dan

Well if there is a communal table that seats six you could have a party of six, whats the big deal.

Great Lake should seat parties of 5, Hot Dougs should stay open later, Avec should take reservations, Salam should allow byob, Schwa should hire a receptionist, and LTHForum should hire a consultant to build a better Search function.

Kennyz wrote:Great Lake should seat parties of 5, Hot Dougs should stay open later, Avec should take reservations, Salam should allow byob, Schwa should hire a receptionist, and LTHForum should hire a consultant to build a better Search function.

I don't know if it's just me but this one & your other quip in response to where to eat after the opera have made me chuckle.

You did forget to add that you shouldn't have to order in advance at Burt's and the cannoli at PN shouldn't cost so much, then again neither should a Maybach, it's still just a car.

EvanstonFoodGuy wrote:Well if there is a communal table that seats six you could have a party of six, whats the big deal.

I'll leave the quips to Kenny (he's the pro) and actually answer your question: if you walked in with a group of 6 and the communal table was completely empty, I'm guessing they'd happily seat you. That said, I've never been there when the communal table (which, remember, represents 6/10ths of all available seating) is empty.

-Dan

dansch wrote:if you walked in with a group of 6 and the communal table was completely empty, I'm guessing they'd happily seat you.

I'm guessing you would be met with disdain and asked to leave.

stevez wrote:

dansch wrote:if you walked in with a group of 6 and the communal table was completely empty, I'm guessing they'd happily seat you.

I'm guessing you would be met with disdain and asked to leave.

Well, the first part might happen no matter how many people are in the group! (Kidding!)

Far be it from me to handicap this one, but I don't think anything will happen at 4 pm. They don't open until 5. Unless, of course, you want to be first in line. In which case, I will pray for unseasonably warm temperatures for you.

I called to inquire about reserving for a party of 6, and was told that we would not be seated. If I recall correctly, we may not even sit at different tables. Either my memory is not so good as time goes by, policies have changed, or direction of the wind. I wish you the best of luck, and please regale us with the turn of events.

I would join you but I have another commitment that night.

So... I'd like to attend, but I only eat at communal tables when I can be assured that I won't have to interact with, or sit too close to, anyone I don't know.

-Dan

petite_gourmande wrote:I called to inquire about reserving for a party of 6, and was told that we would not be seated. If I recall correctly, we may not even sit at different tables. Either my memory is not so good as time goes by, policies have changed, or direction of the wind. I wish you the best of luck, and please regale us with the turn of events.

I would join you but I have another commitment that night.

this sounds an awful lot like kenny shopsin's rules for his NYC restaurant.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=22083

Um, SCUBAchef posted something on the previous page of this very thread that may be of interest.

Five of us really enjoyed their pizzas! Although we weren't able to dine in, I'm happy I was able to get a taste of what everyone has been talking about. We phoned in our order tonight around 5pm and the pizzas were ready at 6:30pm. Great Lake and Slyce currently make my favorite pizzas!


Tomato, homemade fresh mozzarella, mona aged cheese, fresh herbs pizza.


Tomato, homemade fresh mozzarella, mona aged cheese, fresh herbs pizza.


Smoked bacon, cipollini onion, homemade creme fraiche, chive pizza.


Cremini mushroom, white cheddar, black pepper, rosemary pizza.

I've been to Great Lake a few times now and really enjoy it. If you go somewhat early before 530pm it's not hard to get a table. After that it's best to get takeout.

The pizza's not cheap, but it's so fresh and homemade it's worth the extra $ to me. The owners aren't the happiest people in the world to most, but with a smile and a genuine interest in what they do and they will warm up to you. After a few visits I think they start to recognize people...

When it's warmer, we'll walk up Lincoln to grab a growler of fresh Half Acre beer and then proceed to Great Lake for some pizza. After 8 miles of walking the pizza and beer taste great!

For those who have done take out -

I'm probably going to go with this option tomorrow night, but I'm trying to time it so I have pizza around 730 or 8. Any advice as to when I should put in my order and whether it's more advantageous to call or order in person?

Call when they open at 5:30. They let you specify the time you want your pizza.

Oh that's perfect, thanks for the info!

Actually, they open at 5, not 5:30. As I posted upthread, the best place for info now (this from Lydia on our last visit) is menupages. Their complete menu is there (though there may be changes in add-ons available) as are their hours. If you wait until 5:30, you may get your desired time by default or, frankly, it may be even later than that. I'd call soon after they open and explain what you'd like.

Good luck!

Gypsy Boy wrote:Actually, they open at 5, not 5:30. As I posted upthread, the best place for info now (this from Lydia on our last visit) is menupages. Their complete menu is there (though there may be changes in add-ons available) as are their hours. If you wait until 5:30, you may get your desired time by default or, frankly, it may be even later than that. I'd call soon after they open and explain what you'd like.

Good luck!

I was told that they open now at 4pm on weekends...

Interesting piece on GL in the Trib's Stew today. Sounds like demand is actually weakening somewhat. And they're offering sandwiches for Super Bowl Sunday.

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... e-day.html

My wife and I had pizza #3 last night, which contains smoked bacon, Cipollini onions, and homemade creme fraiche. We called around 5pm for a 5:50pm pickup. Pizza was amazing!

Hopped Up wrote:Interesting piece on GL in the Trib's Stew today. Sounds like demand is actually weakening somewhat. And they're offering sandwiches for Super Bowl Sunday.

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... e-day.html

Very interesting...I'm thinking about heading up there to get one on Sunday. Might be a nice snack while watching Super Bowl coverage.

We had a #1 with salami and a #2 with bacon a couple weeks ago and were relatively underwhelmed. Crust on the #1 was outstanding, but I didn't think the whole pie was very well balanced. Crust on the #2 was very soggy, bacon wasn't at all crispy (which isn't necessarily bad, but the combination of soggy pie + soggy bacon wasn't great). And at $55+ for two smallish pizzas, prices are sky high, even compared to Spacca Napoli/Coalfire/etc.

We'll probably stick to Coalfire in the future.

Just another data point, the bacon and crust on last night's #3 were both perfectly cooked, just enough crisp and chew.

I am pleased to report that Great Lake is now open on Tuesday evenings at 5:00 PM. I dined there last night and it was fairly quiet as a result of the fact that not everyone is aware of this. We had a 1,2 and 3 and they were all very good.

I've really been wanting to try Great Lake. Does anyone have a recommended methodology for getting one of those delicious pizzas from their oven to my mouth with the least amount of hassle? (Note that I understand that some substantial effort is going to be involved, given the popularity of the place - I'm just looking to minmize that effort).

From what I can glean from reviewing this thread, the best thing to do is: (1) find out what time they open on a given weekday (2) call the moment they open (3) order take out (4) go pick up pizza at appointed time and enjoy. Is this accurate? If that's all one has to do, why are there such long lines? Is everyone just really desperate to sit down and eat their pie in the restaurant? I feel like I must be missing something. (And if I missed it in within this thread, I apologize).