So throughout my life I have always been a big eater. I'm not overweight and I do not having some sort of eating disorder, I JUST LOVE FOOD! The tastes, smells, the way it's prepared, the spices and seasonings, the countless numbers of sauces and tastes you can create is just amazing and feeling the way you do when you're done with a big delicious meal are some of life's best moments. My family and friends all tell me I should become a food critic or chef and that I would always love my job. I once wrote a 2 page essay in high school just on the details of what going to my favorite pizza restaurant is like and how the pizza looks from start to finish. Now, when it comes to movies or songs most people can't pick their favorite because there are too many genres, styles, some might be old while some might be new. The same goes for food as there are so many different ethnicities, hot and cold food, breakfast, dinner, dessert, qualities, mood, etc.
I might not be able to pick my favorite song of all time because it changes from month to month, however, food is different. If someone asks me what my favorite food I can straight up tell them "I love this because of this." When you ask someone "Hey, what's your favorite food?" The typical response might be "Well I really like Italian food but i can only eat so much of it before I don't want to eat anymore for awhile. And then sometimes I really crave something and then that becomes my favorite food. And late at night..." Blah blah blah. Well as someone who wants nothing less than making delicious food for every meal, I am here to tell you my top 3 favorite foods, why they are, and why you should try and get your hands on these delicate, delightful, and delicious foods.
I will start with my favorite food of all time and work my way through my next two that are close in the running for that #1 spot!
1.Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
As a quick side note, this pizza is so delicious and so refined in Chicago that if you have never had it, then it might seem like i'm not going into much detail because quite honestly it's very hard to describe this kind of pizza if you've never had it. It's just that good.
I'm from Chicago so when I tell people there's nothing like Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, all they tell me is "Well you're just biased, you've never had New York Style Pizza or California Style Pizza before!" To that, I laugh and tell them that I have tried basically every shape, size, style, and form of pizza. Nothing touches Chicago. Were the land of Pizza and Hot Dogs! New York Style Pizza is OK at best. I like my thin crust pizza every now and then but New York pizza is made for one thing, Travelers/people on the go. You can go ahead and walk down the street with your folded up pizza with practically no crust and a giant platter of some grade B cheese on top. I will sit down and eat my thick crusted gooey cheese pizza with mountains of toppings and delicious oil's sifting around all inside instead of sitting in a pool on top. California Style Pizza (if you even consider that a real pizza style) isn't real pizza. That's just throwing some chicken with some BBQ sauce onto some baked dough.
Now we get to the reason why Chicago Style is the best and why if I moved I would have to buy a life's supply of it to take with me. (Paradise City just started playing and it so fits my mood of what Chicago Style Pizza is <3 ). As I was mentioning before, Deep Dish pizza is made very differently than other types of pizza and more than one would expect. The crust is very thick and high which lets you layer sometimes up to an inch of sauce on top! Now personally I don't like pizza that has overhauled amounts of sauce on top. Deep Dish pizza is different though because of the amount of crust and toppings that are also put into it. Instead of having some crust with a bucket load of sauce on top, the Pizza is basically a wall withholding all of the sauce with the toppings swimming in the savory sauce. Being so thick, it also makes the crust at the top very crumbly yet firm on the bottom so that when you've reached the end of a slice, you can pick away at the buttery, delicious crust. The oil that's layered all over the inside of the pizza going along with the massive amounts of sauce and your choice of toppings just makes my mouth water until I get my fix. Having a pizza that is so large, it also doubles the amount of cheese and toppings you find in the pizza. If you're a fan of Sausage and a fan of Mushrooms then I highly advise getting a Deep Dish Sausage and Mushroom pizza the next time you're out. They just go so perfectly together that in a pizza which doubles the toppings, you're in for a treat. Deep Dish has such a buttery, rich, and dense flavor to it that if you've never had it, you won't want to go back to anything else. I have had Deep Dish pizza from other states but no one quite makes it like Chicago. I can't think of anything better than going out to Maggiano's or Lou Malnati's and ordering a large Deep Dish Sausage and Mushroom Pizza while embracing the aroma's and culture that's always inside these restaurants. To me it's the #1, the piece de resistance, the last meal, and the best meal I will ever have.
2. Smoked Meat Sandwich
Oh. My. God. This sandwich is a VERY close #2 for me. For those of you that have never heard of a Smoked Meat Sandwich, it's probably not very common in many places other than Canada and in very very few places the US. If you don't know what it is but have ever seen the show "Pure Pwnage," it is the main character Jeremy's favorite food that you see often. The Smoked Meat Sandwich is one of Montreal's landmarks and I have only been there once. I had known about the sandwich from the previous mentioned show and so while I was in the Smoked Meat Sandwich capital of the world, there was no way I could pass up an opportunity to try it out. I sat down at Schwartz's Restaurant (One of the best and most famous places to get one in Canada I think..?) and had ordered my sandwich. Watching them prepare the sandwich was enough to get my mind thinking "You know what, this is going to be amazing. Holy shit i'm so excited"
For anyone who would like to experience it
I thought it was going to be pretty good but what I didn't know is that it was going to blow my mind 3 times over and would then become one of the best things I had ever eaten. I will start off by saying that I don't like mustard. I will eat it if it's on something but I don't prefer it and am not a fan of the way it tastes. However, mustard has never gone more perfectly on something than on this Smoked Meat Sandwich. The taste of the mustard that mixed in with the savory spices of the smokey beef brisket made me want to order rounds for everyone in the restaurant just so they could eat something that was so glorious that it clearly was forged in the heavens by holy chefs using ingredients never to have existed on earth.
The beef brisket itself is cut by hand since cutting it with any kind of meat slicer would cause the beef to break down or be of bad disintegrated quality because of how tender it is. Giant steaming briskets are always on the counter sending flavors through the sense of smell to everyone in the area and are ready to be cut to whatever you prefer. You can order the meat cut lean, medium, fat, etc. I cut mine Medium to get a bit of both worlds and boy did it work for the best. The Rye bread they use to put the meat in between all seemed to be baked and cut perfectly so the sandwich would have no flaws. And that's literally what it is, A perfect sandwich.
There is however one downside to this voluptuous smokey delight that is the Smoked Meat Sandwich. There is no where I have found in the US since I have been to Canada that makes a Smoked Meat Sandwich I have also found that people say anywhere you can get one is no where near the quality of one from Canada. It doesn't surprise me, but for being a food that I could and would eat everyday, I wish I wouldn't have to travel all the way back to Canada to get one... If I could get a Smoked Meat Sandwich whenever I pleased, it very well could be my #1 from having more experiences with it
3. Ribs
Ho-ly-shit. Ribs are nothing less than a party in your mouth full of tastes and spices beyond your wildest dreams with a nice hardy piece of perfectly cut meat. The place I get my ribs from is a restaurant mainly in Illinois called "Wildfire." It's a steakhouse with a giant menu and on that menu are giant words spelling out "Heaven." Which I guess if you were to read would spell out the word "Ribs" but that's just you. There are a few things about Ribs that make them so good. The sauces and spices can all be different, however, there is a certain kind that will blow your tastebud's away. Baby Back Ribs that have been smoked with a sweet BBQ sauce lathered all over along with more sauce for dipping is what I would recommend to anyone willing to experience a life changing experience. Ribs themselves aren't too filling but the taste is always there. I once went to an all-you-can-eat resort with my family and the deal was you can eat anything they serve there at anytime of the day or night 24/7. Needless to say in one sitting I ate 4 and a half slabs of ribs and never even thought a moment about it! The ribs were just finished and the smokey flavor was so strong and bold that you couldn't put them down. All I wanted to do was eat more because the ribs were drenched in so much sauce and when you would dip them in more sauce and smell the sweetness of the sauce as you went to eat them, you just smiled and shook your head the whole time thinking "damn these are some amazing ribs."
If it's a BBQ, it's time for ribs. If you're out to eat at a nice steakhouse, it's time for ribs. If you're sleeping at 5 in the morning, it's time for ribs. Anytime of the day it will be time for ribs for me. I cannot tell you how many times I go back to the cashier when I am at Portillos and order another slab of ribs because I need some more. There's something about having a sweet sauce along with a smokey flavor that just works so perfectly well together. You can't imagine it if you've never had it, you can only taste it and experience the mouthwatering smokey goodness that is, Ribs.
If you have never had any of the food on this list I strongly advise you to try it the next time you can get your hands on any of them. I know for some people they can't just drive 10 minutes away and order a Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, but maybe if you're ever in Chicago you will remember this and think, "God damn I want some pizza." I'm telling you right now it's an experience of a lifetime. And to all you Canadians who get to eat Smoked Meat Sandwiches everyday.....it's just not fair..... I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed picturing everything I was writing about ^_____^
I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
On January 08 2013 21:38 Type|NarutO wrote: I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
That pizza is from an American restaurant in California, and I am reasonably certain there is no " Chicago gouda deep dish pizza."
On January 08 2013 21:38 Type|NarutO wrote: I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
NarutO I respect your opinion but honestly every single person that I know, both IRL and online, who has been to Italy has said that the pizza there is utterly underwhelming and mediocre compared to what they have in their respective home areas. As for Mozarella, I've nothing against it but unto my experience it tastes rather blandly. In fact I could say it almost doesn't taste like anything at all.
To the OP: never had any of that stuff (but I was fully aware of them). That said your pictures and descriptions corroborated with what I'd previously read gave me a huge boner. :E
NarutO I respect your opinion but honestly every single person that I know, both IRL and online, who has been to Italy has said that the pizza there is utterly underwhelming and mediocre compared to what they have in their respective home areas. As for Mozarella, I've nothing against it but unto my experience it tastes rather blandly. In fact I could say it almost doesn't taste like anything at all.
I completely disagree on the pizza part, and more importantly I don't believe you've ever eaten good mozarella. Anyway, Italy is the only other country I could live in because the food is awesome.
On January 08 2013 21:38 Type|NarutO wrote: I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
That pizza is from an American restaurant in California, and I am reasonably certain there is no " Chicago gouda deep dish pizza."
On January 08 2013 21:38 Type|NarutO wrote: I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
NarutO I respect your opinion but honestly every single person that I know, both IRL and online, who has been to Italy has said that the pizza there is utterly underwhelming and mediocre compared to what they have in their respective home areas. As for Mozarella, I've nothing against it but unto my experience it tastes rather blandly. In fact I could say it almost doesn't taste like anything at all.
To the OP: never had any of that stuff (but I was fully aware of them). That said your pictures and descriptions corroborated with what I'd previously read gave me a huge boner. :E
P.S. plz moar blags. kthx
Dont buy cheap mozzarella from a discounter. It makes a day and night difference. Same goes for parmegiano reggiano. Also if your friends go to italy and Dont like the Pizza it can have different reasons. First of all they dont know how a Pizza should taste ; simply dont like it or the Pizza wasnt well Made.
Not every place in italy serves perfect Pizza ;-). But what was posted in the op is a dishonor to Pizza and italian lifestyle .
Best pizza I have ever had was in Italy, hands down. Very few places here even compare. Unfortunately work doesn't send me often enough to Italy.
Thing with pizza in Italy, most shops where you can buy pizza are absolute and utter crap. At least that was my experience in Genova and Milano. Cheap and tastes like crap. But when you get a good pizza, it's heavenly. Very thin crust, great sauce and cheese and maybe 1 other topping is all a pizza needs.
Those ribs on the other hand; I'm hungry now; Too bad all that sauce spoils all the taste. I much prefer a garlic/tomato/(maybe sometimes sour cream) based sauce.
I like your writing but New York style pizza destroys Chicago style so hard. When you eat Chicago style pizza, you feel like the world is ending and you need to take a nap ASAP. When you eat NY pizza, you can... you know, keep living your day. Crisp and crunchy (it's not that thin) beats thick and doughy every day.
I do agree California pizza isn't a real thing though.
NY pizza is a lot closer to Italian pizza, btw. You get a crispy but still chewy crust (not soggy), high quality cheese and lots of garlic. And ofc you get more delicious American grease though. You can even get fried chicken pizza (which is amazing.)
Such an American post, panpizza, sandwich and ribs XD Not that I mind, I like those foods as well (well, honestly, I think panpizza is kinda gross compared to real italian pizza, but it's ok).
I don't even consider Chicago style deep dish pizza as real pizza. It's more like an open faced calzone with sauce to me. New York style pizza is where it's at.
On January 08 2013 21:38 Type|NarutO wrote: I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
NarutO I respect your opinion but honestly every single person that I know, both IRL and online, who has been to Italy has said that the pizza there is utterly underwhelming and mediocre compared to what they have in their respective home areas. As for Mozarella, I've nothing against it but unto my experience it tastes rather blandly. In fact I could say it almost doesn't taste like anything at all.
To the OP: never had any of that stuff (but I was fully aware of them). That said your pictures and descriptions corroborated with what I'd previously read gave me a huge boner. :E
P.S. plz moar blags. kthx
stop hanging out with weirdos. or people who can't find good pizza in the pizza capitol of the world!
Italian pizza is awesome. The street pizza is similar to the US stuff, but the restaurant style stuff is awesome. there are some places you can find that in the states, but it is very rare.
I really wanna go to Chicago and try that pizza some day. There's a good place near me that does sicilian pizza really thick with sauce on top like chicago style and it is awesome. I am gonna try a deep dish pizza in my cast iron one day.
Thing pizza, Italian style (doesnt have to be Italian made) is far better, though it is incredible in italy. Cant believe they guy above who doesnt like mozzarella on pizza, when in decent quality its absolutely awesome tasting, I dont mind american style thick pizzas, but they're really not as good imo to a great thin crust pizza.
I am pretty surprised no one is talking about the smoked meats haha. Being quite honest, the only place to get those is Jewish delis, anywhere is just kind of second rate. I am pretty biased on this, but honestly it is the only way to go.
On January 09 2013 02:07 Jibba wrote: I like your writing but New York style pizza destroys Chicago style so hard. When you eat Chicago style pizza, you feel like the world is ending and you need to take a nap ASAP. When you eat NY pizza, you can... you know, keep living your day. Crisp and crunchy (it's not that thin) beats thick and doughy every day.
I do agree California pizza isn't a real thing though.
NY pizza is a lot closer to Italian pizza, btw. You get a crispy but still chewy crust (not soggy), high quality cheese and lots of garlic. And ofc you get more delicious American grease though. You can even get fried chicken pizza (which is amazing.)
That's neapolitan pizza I think.
new-york style pizza is this:
There's a difference between neapolitan pizza made in New-York and New-York style pizza.
I'll take a nice Jewish Pastrami over a Montreal Smoked Meat any day, and I really do not consider Chicago deep dish pizza; as others have said, it really is more like an open face calzone. That all being said, I would most certainly eat everything described in the OP without hesitation
On January 08 2013 21:38 Type|NarutO wrote: I think as Italian I have to speak out here, because I don't think you know enough about Pizza. If you have oily sauce / oil on top of your topping, its because they use wrong cheese. Gouda parts at 320°C so its partly oil, partly cheese which is bad if you want to go for traditional and good Pizza.
Usually you would and should use mozarella, because it doesn't part in between fat/protein etc. It just melts slowly at 320°C. Secondly real Pizza would be made in a stone oven and with a thin crust. If you have never had Italian Pizza in ITALY, you cannot speak judgement about Pizza.
From time to time I like what americans call Pizza, but the reality is, its a good delicious serving, but not Pizza to begin with.
I think you usually put basil after you did finish it, but for that matter... still a lot more original Pizza then what you describe.
I am actually friends with a guy who's whole family is from Sicily and his cousins opened up this real nice authentic Italian style restaurant. I had traditional Italian Stone Oven Thin Crust Pizza before! :D It was really good. I would definitely prefer it over New York style pizza but in my opinion it still isn't good enough compared to Deep Dish
As for New York style being a quick "bite and go" instead of sitting down and eating a huge Deep Dish Pizza like some people have been saying. That's what I referred it to in my blog! It's not a sit down and eat style of pizza and because of that I don't think the taste is there compared to what it could be. You can make a giant pizza pack filled with all sorts of toppings, sauce, and cheese. But in the end that also means the taste of the Pizza itself is going to skyrocket because of it. New York Style is definitely more snack material and a "bite and go" while you're out and about.
As for Deep Dish Pizza being an open faced Calzone, I think a Calzone is more similar to Stromboli. Also, all the places I have ever had a Calzone have fried it. I know you can bake them but I think the more common practice is frying them..? Which definitely makes the taste completely different. Even though they have many similar ingredients, the way they are made and some ingredients vary between the two and that can make them similar sometimes, but definitely two unique dishes! Love hearing the debates though! This is of course just my opinion!
Man, I haven't really had a good smoked meat sandwich in a while. I always get a couple whenever I go to Montreal, and I went out of my way to visit some Jewish delis when I was in NYC a few years ago.
NarutO I respect your opinion but honestly every single person that I know, both IRL and online, who has been to Italy has said that the pizza there is utterly underwhelming and mediocre compared to what they have in their respective home areas. As for Mozarella, I've nothing against it but unto my experience it tastes rather blandly. In fact I could say it almost doesn't taste like anything at all.
To the OP: never had any of that stuff (but I was fully aware of them). That said your pictures and descriptions corroborated with what I'd previously read gave me a huge boner. :E
P.S. plz moar blags. kthx
Sorry but no. Problem is, even in italy, 80%-90% of pizza sucks: that's because A) foreigners make it B) poor ingredients, often bought at supermarket C) wrong cooking, wrong pasta, wrong baking, wrong bakehouse, too thin, too big... i could go on forever.
exepctional pizza ofc exist, in every part of the country. But you need to know the places, and tourists do not: they go in the first pizzeria they met.
If you are not using a certain quality of tomatoes, that's not a real pizza. Same for cheese (the horror on seeing 99% of the cheese they put on it around the world). Same for everything. One of the best pizza you can eat her, for example, use a yeast from a mother of 100 years old.
And yes, i've ate good pizza in the rest of the world i traveled.. Ofc the majority sucks, even more than in italy, but ive been surprised by the quality of some of them, expecially in australia. But those were not real pizzas, as it is not the pizza i eat sometime in the restaurant under my house. Real one is different, rare, MUCH expensive (outside italy) and requires a specialist in it to make.
It is not by chance that is a food protected by the government, to avoid imitations and preserve it .
On January 08 2013 21:12 Sinensis wrote: Do you cook any of these yourself? Have any recipes you think are good?
I do make my own deep dish pizza! The ribs I haven't tried yet in fear that I would seriously screw them up lol. As for as recipes that I think are good, my grandma died when I was about 8 (i'm 19 now) and still to this day she made the best food I have ever had at any place ever. No one in my family has been able to replicate the way she cooked, however, she had a bucket load of her own recipes and our family made about 200 giant cookbooks full of them about 10 years ago to give out to people. She had this one recipe for snack mix (chex mix) that is my favorite snacking food still today. Everyone in my family makes it all the time and even though it's no where near as good as how my grandma would make it, it still blows my mind how good it is. Now, after telling you this I regret to tell you that my family is thinking about starting a company where we make it and sell it. Soooo I can't really give out the entire recipe but I could give a simplified version without some of the extra secret ingredients that my grandma came up with the basic form of it still tastes DELICIOUS! So if anyone here really likes snack mix or would like to give it a try I can definitely put that up!
EPT![[image loading]](http://chicago3d.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Deep-Dish-Pizza.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.ecenglish.com/blogs/Montreal/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/smoked-meat.jpg)
I have also found that people say anywhere you can get one is no where near the quality of one from Canada. It doesn't surprise me, but for being a food that I could and would eat everyday, I wish I wouldn't have to travel all the way back to Canada to get one... If I could get a Smoked Meat Sandwich whenever I pleased, it very well could be my #1 from having more experiences with it ![[image loading]](http://www.cooknutri.com/wp-content/uploads/Baby-Back-Ribs2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nxRa8sr9_do/UCsbd0qhcLI/AAAAAAAAMDU/G4s9ehJLCyI/s1600/IMG_1822.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://slice.seriouseats.com/images/2004_04_26_GrimaldisPie01-thumb.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8039/8055496458_7e188be98c_z.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/2046091810_8ad15c0cf9.jpg)
