July 14--The longest farewell tour in history, the record previously held by Cher, now has a new titleholder: Doug Sohn.
Since retiring to much ballyhoo last October, the former Hot Doug's proprietor has: 1) hosted a summer festival in his name; 2) started selling his sausage sandwiches at Wrigley Field; and 3) begun recording a weekly podcast.
And now, this: Sohn's one-off special at Piece, the Wicker Park pizzeria, will get permanent status on the menu. Hot Doug's Atomic Pizza -- three-chili pepper pork sausage with pepper jack cheese and caramelized onions -- will be reintroduced Thursday, and Sohn himself will be at the restaurant at 8 p.m. to sanctify his creation.
"In so many ways, Piece reminds me of Hot Doug's," Sohn said. "It's a single owner; it's one location. And it's been fun hanging out with Bill (Jacobs, owner of Piece). And beer and pizzas as part of your meeting isn't the worst thing in the world."
In March, the last time the Atomic Pizza was at Piece, demand was high, said Jacobs. Piece sold more of that pizza in a one-month period than any other specials in the restaurant's history -- 3,165 whole Atomic Pizza pies. It was part of a restaurant campaign that benefited Pilot Light Chefs, the culinary education program for school-age children. Including pizza collaborations with Stephanie Izard and Honey Butter Fried Chicken, the restaurant donated $12,000 to the program.
kpang@tribpub.com
Twitter @pang
