Jeff Varasano achieved internet pizza fame thanks to his painstakingly detailed efforts to re-create the life-changing pizza he had at legendary New York City pizzeria Patsy's. Last year, Varasano took the plunge in his adopted hometown of Atlanta and opened his own pizzeria. The result: The guy is putting out great pizza that lives up to its inspiration.
Serious Eats Chicago contributor Daniel Zemans checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. —The Mgmt. [Photographs: Daniel Zemans] Trattoria 225 225 Harrison Street Oak Park, IL 60304 (map); (708) 358-8555; trattoria225.com Getting There: Blue...
There are plenty of burgers around that are better, but there are a lot more that are worse. As a burger destination, I wouldn't run back to Hop Häus, but for a sports bar, it has some of the better burgers around.
This is not a pizza that's going to blow your mind, but if you're in the neighborhood, it's one that will bring you some Chicago thin crust pizza joy.
The best part of the pizza was definitely the crust, which is probably a good thing given the name of the place. The crust was cooked perfectly in the wood-burning oven, leaving a flavorful crisp and chewy piece of bread that would be great with no toppings at all.
Any discussion of a Vinnie Pie has to start with the crust. The end crust is extremely thick and has a nice crunchy exterior and a softer but still chewy interior. If you can imagine a great hearty Italian roll - the kind needed to stand up to a saucy meatball sub - and envision that bread as a pizza crust, then you have an idea of what the crust at Vincent's is like.
The cracker-thin, perfectly cooked, taste-as-good-as-they-look crusts were incredibly crisp without being remotely crumbly. Both pizzas had some tip sag, but that was a small price to pay for the crunchy, lightly toasted goodness that made the bulk of both pies a texturally delicious treat.
With some well-conceived pies and an emphasis on local and organic ingredients, the only thing that could stand between Union Pizzeria and greatness is execution. Fortunately, on this visit that was not an issue and I ended up with two perfectly cooked delicious pizzas.
Edzo's does two different styles of burger very well, offers them made from two different levels of beef quality, and even takes the time to make sure the bun is the appropriate choice for the style of burger. That is more than enough to put the place in the upper echelon of the burger scene. But the kicker is that the burgers weren't the best things I had on my visit.
These perfectly cooked burgers had a bit of oil in them, as is often the case with smashed burgers, but that was a fine price to pay for the crisp exterior and beautiful beef lacing all the way around the edges.
