Naming a deep dish pizza joint after a doomed whaling vessel ought to have been my first warning. The second came when I ordered a medium pie to split, and the waitress leaned down, gave us a look that said she’d seen men stronger than me fold like lawn chairs, and said, “Better go with a small, honey.”
I was full of foolish courage but my wife, ever the wiser of the two of us, agreed without hesitation. The crust arrived crisp and charred in places, like it had been struck by lightning and survived. Around the edges, the cheese had melted and hardened into an obsidian reef. The bread underneath was as soft and deep as a preacher’s promise, and the sausage came in chunks the size of a gambler’s dice and just as dangerous.
I had read somewhere, perhaps carved into a tree, or scrawled on pequod’s bathroom wall, that no man should eat more than 1.5 slices. I laughed. I cackled. I ate two.
I remember very little after that. There was a great stillness, like the moment before a thunderclap, and then I awoke some hours later in our hotel room, filled with empty LaCroix cans… I haven’t eaten since. I may never again.
The pizza was glorious. Terrible. A marvel. A menace. If you go, and I strongly advise you do, bring a friend. Bring a will. And whatever you do, heed the legend: one and a half slices, no more.
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This report deserves a Pulitzer. Or something…
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Was this the one in the city or up in the ‘burbs? Pequod’s in Morton Grove was my hometown pizza place, and my father was friends with Burt Katz. They bonded over the love of old stereo and radio equipment. You can still see some of them lining the walls of the places.
It’s a pilgrimage stop whenever I go back to visit relatives.
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brilliant. on my recent Chicago trip my partner asked why I hadn’t planned on hitting a deep dish joint, especially since she never had it. this is why. no regrets.
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No, this was the one in Lincoln park. We walked over after visiting the zoo/conservancy. Stopped at j9 wine bar on the way, which was very nice.
I had a number of Chicago-based clients and as such, had the chance to try many of the deep dish variations but first time at Pequods and loved it. I’ve heard Millie’s is wonderful and a little lighter but I’d be hard pressed not to return to Pequods next visit. Still haven’t tried Chicago thin which I understand is having a moment.
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Thanks, not completely happy with it, much harder to write something like this in the car than when we were on trains in Italy.
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You can go down to the south side for Vito’s, but my somewhat nostalgic choice for it is Barnaby’s. That link is to the one in Niles, but there are also locations in Northbrook, Arlington Heights, and South Bend, IN, should you ever be unfortunate enough to find yourself there.
They have house-made root beer and are a peak “pizza for the team after little league” sort of place. The crunchy corn meal/semolina on the bottom of the crust is a feature, not a bug.
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