That's Amore

When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie...

Now that I've got you all humming along with that old boozehound Dean Martin, stop to think for a minute. Have you ever actually had a real pizza pie? After dinner on Wednesday night, I can now proudly identify myself as a card-carrying member of the Pizza Pie Eaters Club. And I've been singing about it ever since.

Back at Easter time, I watched a TV show on The Food Network starring my favourite TV chef of the moment, Ms Rachel Ray. As luck would have it, Rachel was filming her show in Chicago and was zipping about the city sampling the best food and drinks that Chicago could offer. One place she visited was the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company on North Clark, a short bus ride from my home.

Aside from the curious name, you might wonder what makes this pizza joint worth posting about? Well the place doesn't take reservations for one thing, and yet it is always packed to the rafters. The line up for a table is quite often right out the door, and I can now agree with Rachel Ray and tell you with some authority that the pizza pot pie is the sole reason for it.

The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company makes two different sized individual pizza pot pies - the 1/2 pound, and the 1 pound. Both sizes are made to order and, unless you order the vegetarian option, both sized pies contain whole mushrooms, tomatoes, meat sauce, lots of cheese, and bell peppers (capsicum). A little ceramic bowl is lined with cheese, filled with the ingredients, and topped with pizza crust and baked. Then it all starts getting theatrical, because the piece de resistance is that the pizza pot pie is delivered to your table upside down and then inverted right in front of you. The waiter takes the ceramic bowl off the top, allowing the ingredients to settle and the oozing cheesy topping to sit like a crown on top of the delectable pizza goodness underneath. Oh man, it was sooo good.

As much as I hate to admit it, the individual pizza pot pie at "The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company" is much better than anything that D'Agostino's has to offer. Well worth the 20-minute line up outside, trust me on that.