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| Is bigger better? Does a pizza place have to be a busy and well known to be any good? How about one of those “hole in the wall” type places, are they really worth trying? Let’s find out. “Pequod’s” pizza is a hole in the wall if there ever was a hole in the wall. Located in Morton Grove on Fernald (a side street), “Pequod’s” is surrounded by homes and not other businesses. It certainly doesn’t look like much either, if I went during the day I might have missed it. Luckily the neon lights helped me pick it out from the homes in the area. They do have a second location in the city of Chicago on Clyborne that certainly has to be more visible than this one. If you’re wondering, what’s with that name? “Pequod” is actually a fictional whaleship that appears in Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick. Step inside and you feel like you’re in someone’s basement, in the 70’s! Dim lights, small dimensions, and wood paneling on the walls definitely keep the hole in the wall feel going strong. The dining room is so small that my buddies and I take a seat at a table that should only be used for two people and not three. Our waitress arrives and we order drinks and some cheesy garlic bread to hold us over while we look over the menu. It’s an ok appetizer that has a little crunch and lots of gooey mozzarella. What’s on the menu? A few appetizers, sandwiches, pastas, and pizza make up possibly the smallest menu I’ve ever seen at a restaurant. Being a small restaurant doesn’t mean that the service here is efficient. While my buddy insists he’s had good service before, it takes us almost a half hour to flag down our waitress (one of two) and finally order our pizza. We decide to try both the thin crust and their special deep dish with sausage and pepperoni (both large). What makes the deep dish special is that they caramelize the crust, something no other pizza place does. After pretty close to an hour our pizzas arrive to the delight of our grumbling stomachs. Thin crust is first and it is more like a medium crust. The crust is slightly thicker and has more of a bread like texture than most thin crusts. The pizza is topped very generously with real cheese, spicy sausage, pepperoni, and a sauce that is thankfully not sweet. Without that medium crust all that goodness would have fallen off. Deep dish is supposed to be the star of this show and we can’t wait to dig in! The bottom of the crust is thick and crispy on the outside, and soft and bready on the inside. Many times with deep dish the bottom crust gets soggy from all the toppings, this one holds up and it is wonderful. Toppings are very generous and I definitely love that spicy sausage that really has some bite to it. What about that caramelized crust? Well, let’s just say that caramelized in this case means burnt. Not burnt so that it’s inedible, but slightly burnt to add texture. What they do is cover the outer crust with cheese and let it get slightly burned around the edges. This pizza is a little different but very good at the same time. Our waitress drops off our bill without ever asking if we were interested in dessert, so we skip dessert tonight (their loss). Final bill with tip for the three of us was about $60 or roughly $20 per person. Overall “Pequod’s” offers very good pizza, shaky service, and an atmosphere that’ll take you back a few decades. “Hole in the walls” are fun little secrets that you can share with your friends, and this one fits the bill. Rating ** and ½ out of ****. Locations Pequod's Pizzeria 8520 Fernald Av Morton Grove, IL 60053 Tel: (847) 470-9161 2207 N. Clybourn Ave. Chicago, IL Tel: (773) 327-1512 Home |
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