I knew I was going on this trip for about 6 months, so I had plenty of time to plan what kind of food I wanted to try while I was there. While watching Bobby Flay Throwdown last semester, Flay competed against Marc Malnati, owner of Lou Malnati's, a local deep dish pizza restaurant chain. I trust Food Network more than I probably should sometimes, and I figured if Malnati's pizza is good enough for a Throwdown, it's good to be thrown down into the pits of my blissful belly. So I told my friends that was one stop we had to make while we were there.
We had a group of 23 students, so we figured we should go ahead and make a reservation. Boy, were we lucky that we did. We walked into the restaurant, which was much smaller than I anticipated, and there was a pretty decent line of people waiting to be seated. I'd say we took up a good 1/3 of the occupancy with our party alone. The selection of deep dish pizzas didn't seem that large, but I guess it's a sign that they really specialize and perfect what they do have. We got a Malnati salad, one thin-crust cheese pizza, one large "Lou", and one large "Deluxe" pizza for one table of 11.
The salad was so delicious. The dressing was very sweet, yet tart, adding the perfect taste to the greens. Also, it was topped with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and fried salami bits. If you think you like bacon bits, wait until you try fried salami pieces. If they sold that in grocery stores, salami would steal all the bacon lovers.It took a while for the deep-dish pizzas to come out, and I'm thinking it's because they take longer to cook than a regular thin-crust. Whatever the reason, the wait wasn't bad considering how amazing these pizzas tasted. I had the "Lou", which was the vegetarian stuffed pizza. I had deep-dish pizza once before, but Lou's was so much better. Just visually speaking, Lou's beats the other deep-dish I had in Orlando a couple years back. Your eyes eat before your mouth does, and let's just say that Lou's made my mouth water, and the other made my eyes water.
Although it had no meat, this was a VERY filling slice of pie. Stuffed with mounds of cheese, spinach, and mushrooms, and topped with tomatoes and (surprise) 3 more cheeses, I could feel a heart attack coming. But it wasn't the cheese that took me overboard to near-cardiac arrest; it was the flaky buttercrust. For only $1 more per pizza, you had the option to have buttercrust instead of their regular crust, and goodness gracious was I glad we decided to have that instead. The crust literally crumbled the minute it entered your mouth. I would have eaten a plate of just crust if they offered that on the menu. It's a shame that wasn't an option. But upon reflection, it's probably illegal to serve clogged arteries on a plate in Chicago. Different story in the south.
I had a bite of my friend's "Deluxe" pizza, which had cheese, mushrooms, sausage, onions, and green peppers, but I think the "Lou" was much better in taste. The thin-crust was good, but I honestly think that Austin has some pretty good if not better thin-crust. I would say that Malnati's specializes in their deep-dish and that would be my recommendation if you decide to make it out there. But if Chi-town is too dreadfully cold for a visit, they ship their pizzas all across America. It is a bit pricey, but if you're really looking to splurge, this might be a good option.
While talking with locals there, I heard a lot of comments about Chicago hot dogs. The next time I go back in April, I will have to make a stop at a dog stand. That report will come later. Until then, happy eating :)
