Celebrating Chicago’s Fiery Food Scene!
My wife Alex and I lived for 5 years in Chicago, and we ate our way through some incredible food.
With all of the headlines regarding Chicago’s safety, I wanted to do two things: first, to state that in the time we lived there we were never victims of a crime, saw a crime or felt unsafe.
What we did experience is a wildly creative food scene that yes, involved some fiery dishes like this one:
Those are Fagioli beans, part of a vey creative meal at NEXT, the experimental restaurant from visionary Chef Grant Achetz.
More on him in a moment, but let’s take a step back and have a drink – we were at “King Of Cups” – watch closely at the beginning of the clip as our Server uses his thumb as a match to light the drink!
That’s how they do it in Chicago folks! Everywhere you look there are great bars and restaurants, and a sense of “let’s have some fun with our food and drink!”
Here’s another fiery dish at Alinea: raw Hamachi is “smoked” at the table using fresh Rosemary stalks…check it out:
I will share links to these incredible restaurants later in the story, but I really want to show how much fun they have with dining out!
The people of Chicago are warm, friendly and they love their classic dishes, like the Chicago Hot Dog!
Chicago’s “No Ketchup” Rule For Hot Dogs!
A Chicago-style hot dog is an all-beef frankfurter, “dragged through the garden” with a unique combination of seven toppings: yellow mustard, bright green relish, chopped white onions, a dill pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt, all served on a steamed poppy seed bun. The iconic “no ketchup” rule stems from the Depression-era practice of using ketchup to mask lower-quality meat, and its omission signifies a pride in the dog’s superior flavor and quality.
Oh, and then there is this:
Chicago’s Deep Dish Pizza!
Look at that thing of beauty!
This slice of deep dish heaven is from Lou Malnati’s restaurant – home of the iconic “Deep Dish Pizza” that Chicago is famous for – it’s a thick, hearty, pie-like pizza cooked in a deep, round pan. Unlike conventional pizza, the layers are inverted, with cheese and toppings going on first, and a chunky tomato sauce covering the top.
There are many Lou Malnati’s restaurants in Chicago and the surrounding area, but this one on Chicago’s Gold Coast is where I took friends and family when they came in from out of town – for this!
That’s a “half and half” version…a great way to try one side with sausage and black olives, while the other just loads on the vegetables and cheesy goodness that leads to pictures like this one:
Here’s The Recipe From Lou’s!
the great news is that you have have theses delivered wherever you live!
You can order from the restaurant and they are shipped to you frozen!
We’ve done it several times and they work great!
The restaurant even has posted the recipe for making one yourself!
This is their step by step method of making a Malnati’s Deep Dish Pizza, in case you want to try yourself!
- Every Malnati Chicago Classic starts with our secret recipe dough, patted out by hand and raised up high on the sides of a seasoned deep dish pizza pan.
- Next, slices of mozzarella cheese (a little extra cheese on the Malnati Chicago Classic!) are placed directly on the dough.
- And now, the good stuff…we layer our exclusive blend of lean sausage on the pizza, completely covering the cheese.
- The pizza is then topped with vine-ripened tomato sauce, a little chunky and a little saucy, the perfect topping for this authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza.
- The final touch is an extra sprinkling of cheese and spices, and this pizza is ready for the oven.
- A pizza this good takes some time to bake, about 30 minutes, but be patient…it’s worth the wait!
- Grab your knife and fork and dig in!
There is nothing better than a bite of this….and nothing beats eating one in person, because no one has the perfect blend of sauce, cheese and topping as Lou does…you order immediately, because they take at least a half hour to bake – but you order some drinks, some salad and the time flies…and then it arrives and you dig in for a slice of greatness:
Malnati’s celebrated their 54th anniversary in March – I originally found out about this on the terrific “Fooditor” newsletter, which linked to this website that has an audio interview with Marc Malnati, the President of the business now.
As they note:
“Opened on St. Patrick’s Day, 1971, by his late father, they just opened a new store beneath Michigan Avenue and continue to slowly expand in Wisconsin. The company sells nearly six million pizzas a year, and are known as having a style of pizza based on the original source of authentic deep-dish in Chicago.”
There are other restaurants that also make great deep dish pizzas in town – like Pizzeria Uno and Girodano’s – you can’t go wrong!
There are so many ways to enjoy the food in Chicago…like Manny’s Deli:
They’ve been serving some of the best deli food in Chicago for more than 80 years – check this out:
I love this place – the staff has been there for decades – and you can have it shipped to you as well…see more here:
Of course, no trip to Chicago isn’t complete without a “Cheezborger! Cheezborger!”
This burger joint sits underneath Michigan Avenue and inspired one of Saturday Night Live’s greatest sketches!
See the whole story here!
Back to Chef Grant Achetz: his restaurant Alinea has been not he world’s best restaurant lists for years…
Chef Achetz makes molecular miracles in his restaurants, which are also delicious – here’s a deep dive into one of our meals there!
I am sharing this story because Chicago has been politicized, with claims about the city’s safety – but it’s a city of beauty – check out this unique outdoor artwork in Grant Park:
Here’s a celebration of some of the many reasons to love the Windy City!
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Good to know about Chicago. I’ve only been once, and need to go back. We’ve been concentrating on international travel. But some day….. I did go to Giordano’s when we were in Chicago, and for many years it was a Christmas Eve ritual. So good! I didn’t know about Malnati’s. Good to know!
Thanks for the note! I have ordered frozen Malnati’s delivered to our house and they bake up beautifully! We have also been more international focused but I want people to know how safe and fun Chicago is! Appreciate the comment!
I just hate what is happening to our country! Every single city in this country has crime, so why single out just a few? Thanks for a wonderful post, John, your food posts are so enjoyable.
Thank your the comment, and you are exactly right: I’m all for coming up with ways to make our country safe WITHOUT attacking an entire city and sending in national troops…they know what those optics suggest and they are doing it to intimidate non-MAGA residents. It is shameful. Chicago is a wonderful city and the food scene is vibrant!
This food all looks great, John. I’ve only seen Chicago in the movies.
Thanks Robbie…it is filled with museums, theater, music, sports, nature, paths that you can walk for bike for miles and miles…and incredible people and food. I’m trying to counter the negativity coming from our despicable leader, who lies like everyone else breathes.
I have heard rhetoric about Chicago and I’m enjoying your posts. How is Los Angeles recovering from the fires?
Thank you for asking Robbie…after months, the debris has been mostly cleared and now the slow process of getting new home plans created and approved is underway…the city came together as much as I’ve ever seen to help all of those impacted, and there is a concerted effort to stop any real estate speculators from trying to drive property prices up so those who want to rebuild can afford to
This is very good to hear, John. It makes me believe there is hope 🙏🌈
Reading this and seeing the richness of the servings I am just amazed Alex and you present such handsome slim figures! I DO remember Chicago for its food and am smiling at the Chicago-style hot dog with its compulsory seven toppings 🙂 ! And am saying a big ‘thankyou’ for the unusual Grant Park artwork of the ‘Feet’ . , had not seen, do like !!!
Well, one of those pies is good for three days s that helps! Thanks for the note, I love that art as well!
Well done for standing up for Chicago, John! But where pizza is concerned, I’m a ‘Thin and Crispy’ man. 😊
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, so is Alex! It’s shameful how our President is attacking the cities in the country he is supposed to “lead”…note that every city under attack so far has a black Mayor…we know what he’s doing
Yes, he is heading for Martial Law and the suspension of elections, no doubt about that.
He will try but I don’t think he will be able to pull it off…we will see, his evil intentions have no limits whatsoever
I love Chicago too and have never felt unsafe there for a second! you’ve got that hot dog just right and love the Chicago deep dish for a special treat , but for my everyday pizza, love the thin and crispy!
My wife also loves thin and crispy – and Malnati’s now has a thin crust they ship as well…it worked for her! Thanks for the comment, I agree that Chicago is beautiful and as safe as any city n our world today!