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Local Guides
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FOOD OF THE WINDY, CHEESY CITY
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by
View
January 20 - 26, 2005 |
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It’s warm and inviting inside this neighbourhood eatery.
Couples, friends and families fill the dozen tables,
chatting and eating happily. Arriving around 5pm on a
Saturday, we were lucky to get a table. Within a half
hour, there was a modest line–up.
In the interest of getting a good sampling from the menu,
we made a big mistake—a mistake that can only be
made at a restaurant like Chicago Style—a mistake that
didn’t reveal itself until all the food had arrived at the
table: I had ordered too much.
The order: the daily special Bruschetta ($5.95—it had
feta on it and I’m a sucker for feta cheese), a small (six
slices) Stuffed Pizza ($17.90), Eggplant Parmigiana
(small salad included—$9.95) with an Italian Sausage
($1.95) and one small mixed Ravioli ($6.50) with two
homemade meatballs on the side ($1.25 each). It
doesn’t look like much written down like that, does it?
I am honestly surprised that the young waitresses could
carry a single entrée, let alone one in each hand— the
portions were enourmous! At Chicago Style Pizza, small
is large and large means dinner plus lunch tomorrow.
The first item that made it to the table was the stuffed
pizza. This is a great example of why a pizza is a pie: the
stiff crust supported a two–inch thick mix of cheese,
sauce and our particular choice of toppings: pepperoni,
mushroom, onion, green pepper and green olives—aka
the “Shack Special.” This pizza is an adventure. While
the mix of toppings was tasty, there was so much cheese
that my enthusiasm for it waned. One of these slices
would easily replace four slices of traditional pizza,
which I will stick to in future. If, however, you are a lover
of cheese, get stuffed.
For those who enjoy wine with their pasta, there is a
good–sized wine list that boasts domestic and imported
bottles served by the glass, the litre or the bottle, all at
reasonable prices.
Our entrees arrived just as we finished a slice of pie
each. The Eggplant Parmigiana was lightly battered and
fried, making it melt in the mouth. It was served on a
generous helping of ziti under a blanket of cheese. The
gerously portioned Ravioli, half–and–half cheese and
meat, was delicious. The meat ravioli were good, but the
cheese ravioli was a treat, its ricotta stuffing quite tasty. I
was disappointed with the meatballs; I’ve had better,
though, like everything else offered, they were quite
large.
Chicago Style boasts a homemade sauce which you
can get without meat, if you’re one who doesn’t consume
animals. This plain, red sauce strikes a good balance
between tanginess and simplicity—it tastes great, but it
doesn’t overpower the food with which it’s served.
All in all, we enjoyed our adventure in portion sizes. The
food was tasty and reasonably priced. The service was
excellent. I would advise people to visit Chicago Style
Pizza on a weeknight to avoid potential line–ups or try
any of the menu items as take–out or delivery options.
And, my mother wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t mention
that she thinks their all–meat Roast Beef sub is one of
the culinary delights of the city. V
[LEANNE KEMMLER]
CHICAGO STYLE PIZZA
534 Upper Sherman,
Hamilton
905.575.8800
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