You say Tah-May-Toe & I say Tah-May-Toe
You say Pah-Tay-Toe & I say Pah-Tay-Toe
Tah-May-Toe, Tah-May-Toe, Pah-Tay-Toe Pah-Tay-Toe
Cut
What was wrong with that?
It is supposed to be Tah-May-Toe, Tah-Mah-Toe
Anyways that was a long intro but made me think of one of the quicker but certainly funnier skits on SNL involving the great Christopher Walken (who is quite the dancer as well)
Well I have incorporated that little song/saying into this blog post all about a local restaurant that is what I would consider a MUST visit for anyone looking for true Chicago Thin Crust Pizza
SALERNO'S
Started in 1966, the original location was in Berwyn. They have however a dynamite location near the intersection of Grand & Ogden with parking (this is Chicago and that doesn't happen). The owner's name is Pete and he is a soft spoken guy with a great attitude towards his pizzas. I sat down and had lunch with him the other day and went through my usual schpeal of what does this pizza go through before it ends up on my table?
Of course it doesn't just get cooked and brought out by the waitress, there is a story behind it and for that I'm sorry but I am not disclosing too much on a blog, you'll have to take the tour! What I can tell you is that Pete's philosophy doesn't dive into all the tricky physics of how a pizza needs to be specially treated in order for it to turn out right. GAS OVENS... that was the big one he said. "People talk about stone bottom this and clay encased that... give me my ingredients, my perfected recipe, and a stainless gas oven I can set to a certain temperature and slide that pizza in for set time.
Ok so the real secret here isn't in the technique so much as it is in the ingredients... I will need to get to the bottom of that but for now all you need to know is that the cheese gives off that nice burnt white and yellow look to it, the crust is EXTREMELY crispy with a bit of flakyness to it, almost like a pastry would have and the sauce... oh yeah the sauce, nice and sweet but not too liquidy.
Salerno's is churning out amazing thin crust Chicago style pizzas in the West Town neighborhood which makes it close to the United Center (Hawks/Bulls/Concerts) and a wonderful sit down meal. But what about my title to this post you ask... oh yeah Gelato!
In order to exit Salerno's, you are forced to walk past this freezer housing fresh home made Gelato with flavors like Banana Split, Raspberry, Etc. Good luck getting out in the summertime (or anytime really) without demanding a couple of scoops.
Salerno's Pizza
1201 W. Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60093
312-666-3444 (do I spy a 666 in their phone number?)
