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I had my first taste of an Uno's pizza during the summer of 1966. I was visiting a cousin who was a Missouri native and on Saturday night, we waited in the line to get in. Well worth the wait. And that was in the original with all the names carved on the wooden walls and a pizza such as I had never had before. But that's not so hard to do as I am a native of the deep southern part of Illinois and to the best of my memory, the closest we came to pizza was a package product my mother sometimes would make. Later, 10 years later, I moved to Chicago and one of the first places I HAD to go was to Uno's. Winter time, so always happy when we got in the door to wait -- it's not called the "windy city" without justification! So, we give our order to the waitress and we wait, and we wait, finally, name called. Think we had beers and perhaps a salad, but the much awaited pizza arrives, pipping hot at the waitress warns us as she does the bit with the handy tool and looseens the pizza from the pan and put a slice on each of our plates. Oh, did that bring back memories of that first one. We always had to order the same ingredients -- sausage, onion, mushroom and green pepper! OH! the thought of that, my mouth is watering already! We (that is my ex-husband and I) would often meet there for pizza. Then friends introduced us to their favorite place which was further north and west of the Water Tower area. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name -- just that it was a thin crust. And later, someone suggested we try Lou Malnati's -- we only lived a short distance away, so that one became our real favorite. The house salad was great and did not fill us so much that we had no room for that pizza that was always the small -- perfect for 2 people! Then we moved closer to the loop and we tried a few more -- there was one place, name escapes me now, but it was to the east off of Michigan avenue, and it too, was always a wait. Then we got even smarter and started getting forzen cheese & sauage ones which we started keeping in the freezer for those times when we just had to have a slice. And I added the green pepper, onions & mushrooms to those.
One evening while sitting in the bar section at Uno's, we were crowded next to a travelling salesman and since the space is so small, we got to chatting about food. He always made time to go to Uno's when in Chicago, but then some how my home town was mentioned and he said not matter how close he was to the neighboring town, he made a point of going to a Barbeque place -- Ray's in Harrisburg. Well, there is a man after my own heart -- althought my family favored another place, I had often eaten in Rays (and still get his sauce and find his grandson and get sandwiches).
Then there were other places for pizza that suddenly started popping up in various areas close to the loop. One place had a spinach pizza, another was close to where the ex worked and we had some pizza there.
I moved to San Antonio in '86, so no more pizza -- might have checked to see if someone could get a frozen one and overnight it, but that never occured to me and the price would have been silly. Then a move to St. Louis, a trip to Chicago for several reasons, so more pizza from one or the other of my favs. But while in St. Louis, they suddenly opened a "store" not far from us there. Well, was I disappointed!!! I told husband we could split one --- oh, was I wrong, too small and not the same crust.
But because of that we looked at the menu again and ordered a different style which was much better.
Then some years later, we move to the Philly area and discover the first night we are there -- our anniversary, no less, that there was a new Uno's almost in walking distance. So for years we went there for pizza. Fortunately, at some point a second one was opened and we not longer
had to put up with the rude, tired parents and screaming babies who had stopped at the first place they came to after they left Seseame Place. Summers at Uno's at that location were awful. But we did try several other pizza places over the years and I must say, that I have two favorites and they are Uno's and Lou Malnati's.
I did find it interesting one summer when we met my niece and her family at the Field Museum to see King Tut, her husband, who grew up in a Chicago suburb and also went to conventions at the convention center! Had NEVER HAD an Uno's pizza!!! My niece was in 7th heaven because, despite her 20 year + delay of seeing the King Tut exhibit, she also got to have some Unos! And I have a friend in Chicago who used to send me gift certificates from Lou Malnati's and I would order a pizza and a dessert. We also lived in Pittsburgh and I went nuts when we saw a new Uno's --- the franchise stores are not exactly the same -- and one thing missing seems to be the corn meal in the pans!!!

But I say Uno, Due or Lou Malnati's. I never cared for what they ordered at my last job in Pittsburgh when we had overtime -- they were thin crust and just not a Chicago style pizza. Close, but really NOT CIGAR!!!
Mary