Post Lockdown Dream Fulfilled? Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago

Deep Dish Chicago is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement and outflank COVID, at least for now.

On March 11th, 2020, I was watching an NBA game at Revolution Pizza in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. That day they announced that the season would be suspended. Who knew that life would turn upside down and I would not have a real trip until 17 months later.

During the days of lock-down, I contemplated which American city I would go to first as a launching point for a serious international trip and what I would eat when I got there. Since Michigan was playfking Wisconsin in Madison (see Formerly Camp Randall Stadium Review), Chicago was the winner. That, of course, meant stopping at my favorite Chicago pizza shop, Lou Malnati’s (see The World’s Best Pizza: Chicago Deep Dish Edition). Since life as I knew it came to a crashing halt while eating pizza, what better way to put it back in gear than by doing the same?

Perhaps I had romanticized my first deep dish experience, but the “Holy bleep! This is the best pizza in the world,” reaction did not happen. The top-end wine was fantastic, but the pizza was not as great as I remembered it to be.

Maybe I was isolated for too long and set my standards too high for what I expected from a pizza. Maybe, post-COVID, it will take time for the world (and Lous) to get that swagger back. I hope it’s the latter because a world without yummy pizza is not a world I want to live in.

TPOL’s Tip: Order a medium pizza. Even if the small is more than enough for two, I contend that a medium is required for the synthesis of the deep dish crust, mounds of cheese, and pepperoni to come together perfectly.