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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Going deep dish into Dallas’ Chicago-style pizza scene

by Teresa Gubbins

Flickr user LWY

The topic of pizza always gets people excited, and the most excitable are those who love their pizza "Chicago-style." Rodney Mason is one such man. When he lived in Chicago, he'd go with his Chicago-native wife Angela for pizza every week, be it the famed Giordano's, or Bacino's in Lincoln Park, or Dondi's in Arlington Heights which had a good thin crust.

So when they moved to Texas, they went on a Chicago-pizza hunt. Eventually they found a place whose pies matched their vision: Chicago Street Pizza in Plano. They loved it so much, they eventually paired up with owners Ellen and Robert Hollingsworth, and in August will open a spin-off at Lebanon and the Tollway in Frisco called Chicago Pizza Cafe.

"The concept's going to be a little bigger than Chicago Street Pizza, which is a tiny place with a few tables," Mason says. "The menu's not changing too much. We'll add Chicago chopped salads, but no hot dogs, because great pizza places in Chicago don’t do hot dogs."

Chicago Pizza Cafe

While they've eschewed the obligatory photo of Wrigley Field, they do have a mural of a street scene in Chicago.

"The music, the tables, everything is like a place you'd walk into in Chicago," Mason says. "If you travel around the country, it's known that Chicago has the best pizza. Whether it's deep-dish or thin-crust, when critics rate the best pizza, it's always Chicago. There is literally a place on every single block. It's the No. 1 food there."

If you visit foodie sites such as Chowhound, you see that Chicago Street has plenty of fans. Mason says that customers come from 50 miles away, and that the place serves as an informal meetup for ex-Chicagoans.

"It's the ingredients," says Ellen Hollingsworth, who made a field trip to Chicago in April to make sure she still had the right taste. "We use all fresh ingredients, we cook our own meat, we don't get canned vegetables or pre-cooked meats. That really makes a difference. My sausage cooks right on the pizza so you get all the flavors, and we cut our own vegetables every day, everything is done fresh. That’s why people come back."

The Chicago pizza scene in Dallas is intertwined.

1. Chicago Street Pizza was originally opened by a trio of brothers, who sold to the Hollingsworths in the late '90s. One of the brothers went on to open the same-named Chicago Street Pizza in McKinney; the two are not officially related, but many of the recipes are similar if not the same.

2. Meanwhile, there are two branches of the national chain Rosati's, which claims to serve Chicago-style pizza. Some aficionados shun it because the deep-dish crust lacks finesse, but Mason says he doesn't mind Rosati's thin crust "in a pinch."

3. A knockoff of Rosati's called Chicago's Finest opened in the early 00's and has its share of fans.

4. The moderately well-regarded That Chicago Place, which first opened in Bedford, then relocated to Addison before closing last year, is about to re-open as Chicago's Original Pizza in Mesquite.

Other pizzerias who advertise Chicago-style pies -- usually deep-dish -- include Chicago Gourmet Pizza; the seriously-declining Chicago Rick's; and the three branches of Picasso's; there is also the original tourist-magnet Uno in Fort Worth.

"A lot of people equate Chicago with deep dish," Mason says. "I always loved the thin crust; I wasn't a deep dish fan until I moved to Chicago. The way people do it there is to go by season. In fall and winter, you get deep dish, and then thin-crust during the summer."

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Anonymous

Jesus Valadez, says:

Someone help out this Mexican kid. Is this a pizza with lots of filling(cheese, sauce, meats?, etc) or lots of bread?

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4 months ago
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Teresa Gubbins, says:

jesus - yes and yes. haha. it's a pizza that's similar to a pie - it's baked in a pan so the crust runs up the side and then it's filled with a ton more stuff

not a fan

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4 months ago
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(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

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4 months ago

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

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4 months ago

Mike Orren, says:

Jayjing's spam removed. His account is next ...

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4 months ago
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Todd Jones, says:

I am hungry for pizza now Teresa! Any good Chicago styles in Fort Worth. I like Mama's on Berry.

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4 months ago
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Tracy Yost, says:

When in Chicago, must have me some Giordano's deep dish.... it's a gut-bomb.... best in winter (as noted).... they also do have great "regular crust" pizza....

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4 months ago
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Tracy Yost, says:

ps, Giordano's now has a "mail order" service - they partially bake and then freeze the stuffed pizza, then ship it to you via UPS with dry ice.

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4 months ago
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david torres, says:

Chicago-style pizza didn't make here before (pizzeria uno), why do they think it would make it now. NEW YORK STYLE has always been the way to go !!! (IMHO)....

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4 months ago
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Pavel Lishin, says:

I love deep-dish pizza. People who like thin crust are moral degenerates, and idiots to boot.

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4 months ago
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John McClelland, says:

I've never had a good Chicago style pizza because I have never been to Chicago. So will be worth a try in Frisco.

I did have one from Chicago Rick's over on Marsh/Frankford in Dallas but it was questionable.

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4 months ago
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Scott, says:

I've driven 18 miles to go to Chicago Street a number of times. Wish they'd open a location closer to Dallas proper.

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4 months ago
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Jesus Valadez, says:

I hate pointless bread though pavel.

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4 months ago
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ChrisA, says:

I like Chicago Rick's personally, you guys are right - it's on a decline, which sucks. I'm down for trying this Chicago street place.

Also, I like thin crust, so I guess I fall into that "moral degenerate" category pavel speaks of. Crap.

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4 months ago
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Pavel Lishin, says:

Pointless? I'm sure you meant to type "delicious".

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4 months ago
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david torres, says:

Pavel...I love thin-crust pizza. How many new york style pizzerias are there and how many Chicago-style joints, are there? I guess there are alot of us "degenerates" all over the Plano/Dallas area !!!

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4 months ago
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CitizenKane, says:

The great thing about NY style is that you can eat it while standing on the corner (say 1st Avneu and St. Marks where Stromboli Pizza is) and watch the girls walk by...but with deep dish you need to be sitting at a table with fork, knive and plate.....I like the simplicity of thin slice.....just fold and eat it !!!

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4 months ago
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Travis Bush, says:

*I guess there are alot of us "degenerates" all over the Plano/Dallas area !!!*

GiGi_Foulin, says:

I loved The "Flying" Tomato in Denton. That pizza was awesome and I sure do miss that place! I like thick crust...but only if it done right. The dough must be buttered with herbs and not be too chewy or tough. Plus I like lots of tastey marinara sauce on my pizza. I don't like it when a pizza is moist only because of the excess oil from cheese. Thin crust is good too, it just depends on the place and who is cooking it. As a matter of fact I went to Eno's for lunch today, not bad although I do prefer a little more filling toppings.

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4 months ago
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david torres, says:

oil from cheese is good !!!....something to wipe up, with the folded slice of pepperoni <g>. ive heard about the Flying Tomato...heard it wasn't bad...</g>

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4 months ago
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david torres, says:

I will admit, if made correctly (to my specs), I can probably enjoy a 'pie'.....We went to Uno and Due in Chicago, and it wasn't bad....I couldn't believe they were one block apart!!!

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4 months ago
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jtmbls, says:

Jesus, there is no such thing as pointless bread. You of all people should know this.

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4 months ago
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Jason Rice, says:

OEsophagus, says:

We all look at Americans and realize they're fat and ugly because they eat crap like Chicago style pizza. You just suck on cheese all day. How gross is that?

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4 months ago
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Jason Rice, says:

Yeah. Too bad we can't all be svelte, classy, old world beauties

Tonsils are attractive - in some culture, I'm sure

<font size="1">Original image at http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2337...
some European bathing beauties in their bras</font>

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4 months ago
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Jesus Valadez, says:

I'm beautiful.

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4 months ago
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Jason Rice, says:

Radiant even

In a Rutherford Scattering sorta way

<a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/besas-pizza-pasta/">here is the listing</a>, daveedt. [thanks, travis]

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4 months ago
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Rodney33, says:

For anyone interested, Chicago Pizza Cafe has Thin Crust and Deep Dish Pizza, Chopped Salads, Italian Beef and more.

The address is 7004 Lebanon Frisco.

Regina's went down the tubes after she changed her name to Maureen and started selling cabbage rolls.

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4 months ago
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kirkal029, says:

Don't bother with Chicago Pizza Cafe. My wife & I ordered deep dish with sausage and cheese and was served the deep dish without the sausage (after a half hour wait). When we mentioned this to the manager, she gave us a dollar back to cover the price of the sausage ingredient. No apology. She took the pizza back and left the 2 pieces on our plate and threw out the rest. She knew I was going to ask for a refund and gave us half the pizza price back, saying we had ate the other half. (We only took one bite when we found out there was no sausage.) It just opened today and they were only serving pizzas. We really went there because we just wanted to get the italian beef anyway, so since I'm from Chicago, I decided to see how their pizza was. The sauce was fine but the crust had no flavor and didn't hold up like a Giordanos or Unos. Also the customer service was very poor. Maybe the Plano restaurant is good but forget the Frisco one. A couple before us walked out and were so pissed off that they left their deep dish after talking to the manager too. They warned us but we dismissed their reaction. Never again. Go to Chicago Ricks or Brooklyn's for pizza. At least you'll be treated with a good pizza and good customer service.