CHICAGO _ Chicago is representing yet again.
This time, it's all about the pizza _ that saucy concoction that brings us back to its greatness on a regular basis in this great city of ours. Be it thin, deep dish or something in between, pizza is a staple that many have opinions on, including staff at The Daily Meal.
The staff came out with its annual ranking of best pizzas in America and while New York is the state with the most pizzas on the list (36), with Brooklyn having more than Manhattan (15 vs 10), Chicago is the Midwest state with the most rankings (six to be exact).
The carbonara pizza at Pizzeria Bebu in Chicago comes in 87th place; the sausage pizza at Vito & Nick's in Chicago comes in 70th place; the "changes hourly" pie at Bonci takes 63rd place; Rudy's Special at Pizano's comes in at No. 50. Rounding out the rest of the rankings: Pequod's deep dish comes in at No. 24 and at No. 3 Lou Malnati's Chicago classic pizza.
The food team considered certain qualities vital to a good slice: a nuanced sauce, neither too sweet nor salty; good-quality, well-distributed cheese; good-quality and sensibly combined toppings; a flavorful, savory crust; and a well-balanced, and pleasing ratio of sauce, cheese, toppings, and crust that maintains a structural integrity. The Daily Meal considered nearly 1,000 pizzas this year wherein a group of pizza experts (composed of chefs, restaurant critics, bloggers, and writers) voted on places where they've actually eaten. 59 qualified experts weighed in. If you want to see other good pizza locales, peruse the gallery.
We Chicagoans do love a good eating experience _ case in point: a new study on ratings and reviews by another Chicago pizza place, Home Run Inn. Apparently, Chicagoans are the most opinionated diners as evidenced by Google, Yelp, Facebook and TripAdvisor.com. Well, can you blame us? There's so much food to enjoy here, why waste time on the mediocre?
Happy eating.
