When I was in grade school, the school system would bait our
young minds with food, in return for analyzing approved books. This barbaric
system was called “Book-It” and the food that was so highly desired were 1980s
Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas. Man, I would do anything for that round, cheesy,
buttery crusted, skillet-baked, pepperonied piece of heaven, even read books. I
hated to read, but I would…tempted by the small rectangular strips of paper
given out by the teacher. I must say, I am a morally adept person, but the mere
thought of being guardian to a whole pad of these free pizza coupons tests my
ethics. To this day, I stick with writing instead of reading, but when I taste
a pizza that rivals that of my beloved Book-It, a faint chill runs right up my
spine.
Everyone
who eats knows that there are a hundred and one pizza joints around town. You
can buy mall pizza, dessert pizza, even have a raw pizza delivered to you and
bake it yourself. What if, there was a pizza joint that not only served the
most amazing pizza around, but also dished up some fulfilling eats, hard to
find beer and a gracious, yet trendy atmosphere? I would say, if Book-It
coupons were for Old Chicago, I probably would have read the Webster Dictionary if I had to!
Old Chicago is my personal
favorite pizza, but then again, what do I know? I’m just a food critic. When
Jimmy, the general manager, asked me what I wanted, I immediately blurted out,
“PIZZA.” Jimmy went on to explain that there are other choices at OC, and
though he would bring me my own specialty pizza, I had to sample some of the
other fare.
My fiancé,
once again accompanied me on a food journey, and this time, didn’t pig out on
our first dish. Appetizers galore! It took all I had to not devour the Sicilian
pepperoni rolls, Italian cheese bread with marinara, Italian nachos and
teriyaki and sesame seed dipped wings. Flavors collided and burst on my tongue!
The wings were plump and robust and the cheese strung in lines from our mouths.
We gave each other the eyebrows up head shake, while we hunched over the plate,
mouths stuffed with food. The most unique item was the Italian nachos. Light,
crispy fried pasta chips (wonton skins) were topped with mozzarella cheese,
Italian sausage, pepperoni and pepperocinis. It would be an ideal appetizer to
pair with your Smithwick.
Without
missing hardly a beat, and with a plethora of dishes, the main course was
whisked to our table. Steak and shrimp with crisp mixed vegetables stared up at
him, while a stuffed Philly chicken Stromboli
begged a good eating. The steak, a precise medium rare, was topped with
peppercorns and grilled to perfection. The shrimp was fried to a golden crisp
and along with chipotle lime cocktail sauce, made my tongue dance right inside
my mouth. The perfect shrimp on the perfect pizza; I might be onto something!
My Strom was more than a reheated lump of bread and pizza sauce; it was full of
tender, fresh chicken and a green chili ranch sauce. This would be the perfect
lunch item, as it was filling but not heavy.
Of course,
I had my pizza. Two to be exact – I even had the beer of the month to wash them
down. The Chicago 7 and the Meat Me pizzas were so
different than any other pizza around because they are topped with large, crisp
chunks of meats and vegetables. Even the garlic pieces, under the cheese, are
plump! Old Chicago
offers the freshest food possible, making their own dough daily and cutting all
meats and veggies prior to your order. No premade, frozen groceries allowed!
After
tucking our leftovers into a very full pizza box, Richard, our server, brought
out a piece of turtle cheesecake. Rich cheesecake topped with caramel, pecans
and drizzled with chocolate was almost as delightful as Richard’s banter, but
not quite.
Old Chicago offers superb
food, buttery crusted pizzas and the most extensive tap beer lineup in town,
but OC is more than a pizza place, more than a restaurant and more than a bar.
Book it to
Old Chicago off the Lloyd, in front of the east-side Wal-Mart today!
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