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Restaurant Mon Dec 02 2013
Holiday Eats: Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.
Throughout this month, Drive-Thru staffers will be writing about their favorite bars and restaurants to celebrate the holiday, as so much of the holiday is not the day itself, but the days that come before--the places you end up at after a holiday party, a day of errands and shopping, or just to hide away from the shorter days and colder weather.
The first stop on this trip is Lincoln Park's Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co., situated in the narrow basement of a brownstone that supposedly housed lookout gunmen during the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, which took place across the street (it's now a yard for a large apartment building, nothing to see). Gruesome history aside, the restaurant is an experience. Made of cozy, cramped pine booths and a small bar, the place specializes in pizza pot pies that are inverted at the table from their baking pan to reveal a delicious, rich little delight that makes all the frozen discs in the fridge at home cry with envy. THe place also serves oversized grinders; while I was more focused on the pot pie, it was clear that lovers of warm sandwiches will find a friend at this place.
The appetizer, however, is a must-have: the Mediterranean Bread (pictured), a large expanse of thin dough brushed with oil and topped with a blend of cheese, herbs, more cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes that hangs dangerously over its plate. The room is dark, save for the garland and lights that greeted me this past weekend, but the place was packed with people taking a break from turkey leftovers and televisions. The food is delicious, the room is charming and has low lighting: I'm sold.
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.
2121 N. Clark
(773) 248-2570
Cash only
