In my entire life I never thought I would utter, ‘there is just too much cheese,’ and yet that’s exactly what I found myself exclaiming when eating Giordano’s stuffed crust deep dish pizza. There was so much cheese that I briefly worried about it being a choking hazard. If I choked on the long strands of mozzarella, then someone would be able to pull them out of my mouth like a magician with a tied-handkerchief chain.
While in Chicago for a few conferences related to my day-job, I took the opportunity to explore the city’s cuisine which is how I wound up at Giordano’s. Despite the overwhelming amount of cheese, I really enjoyed their pizza. Their crust was thick without being too crunchy and the semi-sweet tomato sauce provided just the right amount of tangy taste.
I’d gone to Giordano’s because my first attempt at Chicago pizza wasn’t great and I wanted to see if it was me, the restaurant, or the pizza style. I’d started my journey at Lou Malnati’s. When you order, they say it takes 30 minutes for your pizza so I had quite some time to wait which raised my expectations. Unfortunately, 30 minutes later, the waiter dropped off a wet pizza. Yes–wet. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was as if someone had baked the crust to a thin, hard crisp and then poured a 1/2 a cup of water over the top of the tomato sauce. I suspect that the 30 minutes was because they had to defrost the pizza and what I ate was the result of leftover ice/liquid that didn’t evaporate in the oven. I’d never had a wet pizza before and wondered if perhaps this was the Chicago way of doing things.
My negative food experience continued at Frontera Grill. I like Rick Bayless. He’s a hard-working, creative chef who really cares about his staff and his fans. I’m going to chalk up my meal to a bad night for the chef. I’ve never eaten such a rubbery, chewy steak before. This was not the kind chewy you get with grass-fed beef — it was more like eating rubber dish washing gloves, or gnawing on a piece of windshield wiper. After a 45 minute wait and a $32/steak price tag, I thought the food would be better. However, I’m willing to give Rick and Frontera another chance next time I’m in the area. At least it was more satisfying than a wet pizza.
Improving my palate is fun, but I wanted to full Chicago experience so I also visited the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Institute of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. My thoughts on them are:
–Field Museum + both Art Museums = yeah!
–Shedd Aquarium = meh.
I also saw a number of awesome comedy shows at Annoyance Theater, Improv Olympic, and Second City. I highly recommend all three venues. Specifically, check out the Cook County Social Club, Felt and TJ & Dave. Additionally, I attended 2 shows at ComedySportz. The players were funny, but I had a hard time hearing the comedians because I sat in one of the worst seats in the house (more on that below in lessons learned). The best part about ComedySportz is that I was next to some native Chicagoians who said if I’ve tried the pizza, I have to eat the hot dog.
Portillo’s hot dogs are well known for their combination of a Vienna beef dog and a pickle (amongst other things). A full breakdown of all of the ingredients can be found here. Before I share my thoughts on their tastiness, please know that while I will eat anything/everything, I’m not a huge fan of pickles or sauerkraut. With that said, the hot dog wasn’t bad. Once I removed the pickle, it was great. The poppy seed bun was soft and I liked the addition of the tomatoes.
Speaking of great, I also had some wonderful meals and table service at Karyn’s on Green, Dinotto’s, Indian Garden and Bella Bacinos. If you need somewhere to eat in Chicago, check them out.
Lessons learned:
–If you are dining or laughing alone, Chicago can be a bit tough. A number of restaurants and comedy clubs stuck me in the corner. (Feel free to insert Dirty Dancing line here). Sitting next to the piano player makes it really hard for me to hear the funny (yes, you ComedySportz). Putting me at the little counter where the waiters make their cappuccinos and stuff tortillas into baskets is insulting (hear that Frontera Grill)? My tickets and food cost the same as everyone else, yet because I didn’t have a date with me I was treated in some places like a second class citizen.
–I can’t finish an entire pizza by myself anymore. I don’t know when that happened, but I realized it 1/2 way through the Giordano’s pizza. So sad. What happened to my stomach staying power?
–Chicago is an awesome city. Big, clean, funny with good food and activities. Trying to fit the post-conference tourist activities in to my evening schedule meant that I slept a lot less than usual but it was worth it. I’d definitely go back.
–Special thanks to Lori and Mary Louise who saved me from eating by myself all of the time. It’s always nice to connect with friends. Thanks for letting me monopolize the conversation!
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