Friday, November 30, 2007
chicago fire pizza
I ate there last night. It is cavernous inside and too loud. They were blaring christmas carols which you could barely make out over the talking. It was pretty packed. Our server was good, he handled the whole waiting 40 minutes for the deep dish to be done perfectly be spacing out our order well. I like how they have cheap family style salads and if you order one they just bring however many plates your party requires. The Caesar was all right, I'm not really into Caesar salad. I didn't detect any anchovy. I know most people don't like it, but I think if you're going to offer a Caesar you should at least give people the anchovy option or it's not really a Caesar. After that we went to a thin-crust vegetarian pizza, which was terrible. ADK said it was like a roller rink pizza and she hit the nail on the head. The deep dish Chicago fire combo was delicious, however. The tomato sauce is really fresh tasting and the sausage tasted like high quality Italian sausage. OK, now for the inevitable Zeldas comparison: the crust at Chicago fire is lighter, and I prefer the heft and pie-ness of Zeldas. I would say the pizzas are slightly different and both equally delicious, however the ambiance of Zeldas (yes, even with the "rude" servers) puts Zeldas over the top for me. I am a Zelda lover, but I don't eat pizza that much and I only go to Zeldas maybe twice a year, so I don't have some big Zeldas agenda in saying that. Oh yeah, the super cheap brew is an extra point in Zeldas favor, too, because Chicago fire only has crappy brew but it's like 4.25 for a pint.
RIP Sluggo. end of an era
ReplyDeleteI hate a crappy Caesar, hate it.
ReplyDeleteyet I love a good one, this has led me to rarely eating them because most I get seem to be anchovyless and way, way overdressed.
-Natalie.
hmmm...old soul has a three and half hour breadmaking class next thursday. i want to go but it's 45 bucks.
ReplyDeleteIf only we could split it and each attend half.
ReplyDelete(My half includes the eating part, sorry)
-Natalie.
p.s. is my scarf in your car?
oh yeah, i forgot about that text. i don't think so.
ReplyDeleteLeftover report: the deep dish leftovers from chicago fire hold up SO MUCH better than those from Zelda. I also noticed that they put the sauce on top of the cheese, so the fresh crushed tomato taste is the first thing that hits your palate. smart.
Pots and pans?
ReplyDelete(I am re-writing all my texts here)
-Natalie.
i'm nt sur if we need em. wht knd?
ReplyDeletestfu lol
ReplyDeletemllr
wow, i just saw on sacrag that sac has been named by forbes magazine as the the nation's worst housing market, with new orleans at number two. depressing.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the general consensus on Chicago Fire is THIN CRUST BAD, DEEP DISH GOOD. I had some Chicago Fire thin-crust this past Monday at the NAG meeting, and it tasted like someone had poured a bucket of salt on the pizza. I chalked it up to the pizza being cold (I came in at the end of the meeting, typically slim pizza pickings) but it sounds like several have been unhappy with the thin crust. I'll try the deep-dish pie next time I go there; I went in for hot wings and their antipasto salad (both of which were quite good) and at the time the music was pretty subdued. But that was a Tuesday night.
ReplyDeleteZelda's is just a whole different pie, there's not much point in comparing them to, well, anything else. Chicago Fire's interior decor will need time to develop some meaningful stains and other character.
has anyone been to luigi's by the slice lately? i haven't been since about a month ago when i got a slice that was so dry and old the crust cut my tongue when i bit into it. i so want that place to be good! i'm hoping they're getting their act together...
ReplyDeletethat's funny you mentioned the pizza being salty, cuz dp had to salt his and he pointed out you shouldn't have to salt a pizza.
ReplyDeleteI love Luigi's by the slice. I think the key is to get whatever is fresh out of the oven. They reheat the slices for waaay too long.
ReplyDeleteps. I always salt my pizza. It's just better that way.
jam.
the kind you already own.
ReplyDelete-Natalie.
oh, MY pots and pans. ha! you can tell how often i've been cooking. oh yeah, i'll get those soon
ReplyDeleteYeah, you can't have mine.
ReplyDeleteI will sell them off to make you pay for the pain that Heartbeeps is still causing me.
isn't chicago fire a CHAIN!??
ReplyDeleteI refuse to eat anyone's Caesar but the one I make.
ReplyDeleteNo, ChiFi isn't a chain. It seems like it, Erik thought so too. The other location is in Folsom.
ReplyDeleteAnna
I'm pretty non-plussed by Chicago Fire. It wasn't bad, but there are too many other good places to eat for me to go back again.
ReplyDeleteBecky, I'd be interested to hear what you think of Luigi's (both the new slices spot and the old joint). I made a point to order the freshest thing that came out of the oven yesterday, at the slices spot, and it was almost transcendent. The crust was rather sweet and so cripsy and soft in all the best ways. I've usually shied away from ordering pizzas with more than one meat, but three of us got the turkey salami, sausage and olives.... like I said, it was the best. They even threw in a plain cheese pie for us when we came in, just for the kids, and it also was terrific.
I hardly ever eat pizza. Maybe five times a year? Not counting the pizza I made. I love regular Luigis, but haven't tried by the slice.
ReplyDeleteI was happy to get a tip on a pizza peel (the wooden thing with the handle that you use to get the pizza out) from Skipper, he said they have them at East Bay restaurant supply, the place with the funny name that's by Goldies. I've been meaning to check that place out.
I actually worked at the Folsom location for a short time, and had a chance to try everything there. And I still go back to the downtown and Folsom locations regularly.
ReplyDeleteThis is how I would rank the food.
best appetizers would have to be the wings, followed by artichokes when they are in season.the antipasto salad very good too.
now for the pie...
In my opinion there are only two pizzas worth ordering here, and they are awesome. The owner designed them first, then all others are just tossed in for verity to appease people who don't know "good" pizza.
1) Thin crust traditional, very good as is on the menu, but add pepperoni and its over the top awesome!
2) deep dish combo. this is the best deep dish I've ever had.
this is what my friends and i order EVERY TIME we go in there... no questions, no arguments. this is what we get and its good every time.
Sorry im not a food blogger, and probably could have described the food and why its good in more detail. I would however conceder myself a foodie, and like to think i can pick out a good pizza from crap. so next time you try Chicago fire; give these menu items a try.