After going through rough terrain, hidden pathways, various road obstacles, and passing by other animals, the zookeeper and I finally got to Gino's East on Higgins. I blame Google Maps for the horrendous walking directions. This lady is right. We should sue. The directions said to walk through a rural business area and the road in actuality looked more like a highway than a road and worse yet there were no sidewalks! It was actually safer taking the train to the next stop, then walking down the stairs into the business district where Gino's East was located. Of course, Google Maps didn't mention this at all. Rant off.
Anyway, it was neat how the pizza itself was vastly different from the typical deep dish we've ever had. The zookeeper insisted on pepperoni and I, being the panda with a larger appetite, decided a small wouldn't suffice. Given the nature of the trip and considering it is first [and may very well be last] visit to Chicago, it only seemed appropriate to order a medium size (eight slices probably feeds 3-4) for two. And since [nearly] all meals were to be seen as company expenses, why not?
After nearly a 45 minute wait for the pizza to finish baking, we were delighted with the smells of fresh herbs and oily cheeses. It was quite amazing how strongly aromatic the pizza was. It was almost as if my nose could taste the pizza before opening the box, and as if we just ordered ourselves a pizza box of salsa di pomodoro fatta a casa. Another interesting tidbit was that, for a medium sized deep dish sitting in a normal cardboard take-out box, it was quite heavy. Maybe close to 5 pounds or so.
It was kind of strange and bizarre with the very first bite. On observation it appears like any ordinary deep dish but with a very thick pie-like crust. It tasted like pasta without the pasta (O_O?) which isn't a bad thing I guess. And as I was taking my bites of the slice, there was this chanting in the background as if I was in entrenched in an illusion.
"It's soooooo gooooood. It's soooo gooooood!"
Was this pizza spiked with magical shrooms?
Apparently, it was the zookeeper mumbling "It's so good!" as I was keenly observing the innards of the slice, the highly herbal fragrant sauce (which puts a whole new meaning to Herbal Essences), and that astounding thick slice of cheese seemingly oozing out and subliminally telling me "This is why you're fat."
It's such a delicious, thick, hearty slice of pepperoni. And that crust didn't seem like a pie-crust at all [even though the texture is similar]. It just seemed so perfect together. This is one of those foods that make you think of the old Carl's Jr. (Hardee's in the midwest) commercials "Don't bother me. I'm eating."
Price - wow this is expensive pizza!
Atmosphere - appears like a rowdy bar-restaurant at night.
Nutrition - most likely high in sodium, fat, and calories. It's tummy heaven!
Demand - There has to be a demand for this pizza. They even FedEx!
Appeal - It's like love on first bite.
Gino's East on Higgins. Conveniently close to the airport. Just in case you ... you know ? ... decide to go to Chicago just for a pizza on a whim.
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