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I wanted to report on a successful Burt's dinner. My grandmother recently turned 93 and the family wanted to throw her a small party. Going out to a restaurant can be tough on her, so we decided to order in. I convinced my mother that there are better options in the Skokie area for takeout than Maggiano's. Mom enjoyed her visit to Burt's and agreed that my Burt's suggestion was a good one. Fortunately, my grandmother loves pizza.

We needed to get the pizzas for an early Sunday dinner (as some members of the family needed to leave by 6pm). I noticed that Burt's doesn't open until 4:30 on Sundays. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to have our pizzas done early enough. I called and talked to Sharon, who assured me that they could have our five large pizzas ready to go at 4:30 when they open. She thanked me several times for thinking of them - - and for calling ahead. We also chatted about how much her grandmother would have enjoyed a pizza birthday party.

When I called the day before the party to put the order in, Burt answered the phone and confirmed that he'd be able to take care of us. He repeated the order back to me, and sure enough, got every one of the five pizzas right.

The pizzas were ready at exactly 4:30 p.m. on Sunday and were being happily consumed by 4:45 p.m. If I had to have a single negative thought, though, it would be that the pizzas weren't as good as they are when you eat in. But, that's true of most pizzas.

One man's trash.... Those sausage frisbees at Malnati's and Gino's East friggin' gag me out. They are so gross I can't even think of a situation where I could stomach them. It seems like a concession to speed and mass-production at the expense of good taste.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

I'm not a fan of the frisbee sausage but I don't think it is a any quicker or cheaper to make.

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i used to milk cows

Are you equally grossed out by a Freddie?

That looks like it could run a close second.

It's got to be a lot faster to whip one of those meat disks on top of a crust than to individually plunk down a couple dozen chunks.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

A Freddy doesn't bother me because some of the fat that renders out of the sausage has a place to go. With a deep-dish pie, that isn't usually the case.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

yes. it renders in an oh so delicious way, ending up on the ever growing waistline, maybe lining some of the arteries as well

Actually having watched a Malnatti's sausage disk pizza put together, it would appear it is actually more time consuming and more expensive to put together. Don't remember which "food show" I saw the demo on, but when applying the disk they work the sausage to an even thickness over the entirety of the pizza. Tossing random bits of sausage on a pizza seems about as easy as it gets.

They "work" the sausage to an even thickness? The ones I've seen have been preformed like frozen hamburger patties. Wham, bam, and it's done.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

In the demo I saw, it was actually Malnatti himself making the pizza and he used pieces of sausage to create the final disk shape. In actuality I don't know if it is done on a daily basis that way (probably not), but I'm a pepperoni guy anyway.

What does any of the recently foregoing have to do with Burt's? Please advise - or perhaps stick to the subject at hand.

Please see this post (upthread) for an understanding of where the naturally-occurring tangent started.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Sigh ... can we once in a blue moon give Burt's a little less love?

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"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

I hope so . . . sort of but I'm not sure I understand exactly what you mean. I know it's not always easy to criticize a place that's widely appreciated around here but I sincerely hope that if people go to Burt's (or anywhere, for that matter) and don't enjoy themselves, they'll post about it here. I think the discussion on this very thread confirms that differing views are not trampled-over or belittled here.

OTOH, if you're suggesting that people post less emphatically about the places about which they feel strongly, that's a concept that seems completely contrary to the nature of these forums and not one I could comfortably endorse.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Absolutely not. I've seen it done a number of times. Their sausage is raw and pressed into the dough by hand in little balls to form a cover.

Maybe the mass-produced frozen pies sold for shipment and in the coolers use a pre-formed patty in some other processing plant, but in the kitchen the guys put them together by hand.

To be clear, I was referring to GE in my comment. The last time I ate there, their sausage disk was perfectly flat, round, and of the exact same thickness throughout. I don't see anyway it could have been made by hand. I have not examined Malnatti's, but assumed it was similar due to the other comments.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

Well, that makes a little more sense. The last time I ate a Gino's pizza, I swore I never would again.

I fear you'll be disappointed by this post!

We went with friends on Saturday 11/15. It was great to meet Buddy, who did an awesome job keeping plates spinning. (Not literally, but he had his hands full--and that, I mean literally--taking care of everyone in the room by himself with impressive aplomb.) Our X-large with sausage, mushrooms and spinach was probably the best of all three times we've been to Burt's, and that's saying something.

The call-ahead system worked well. Buddy advised on the phone that pizzas come out of Burt's oven on the half-hour only. So for a six-ish arrival, to allow us time for salad and a beer or two, our pizza would be on the table at 6:30. Which it was. The whole thing is down to a science.

We had a demonstration that the system applies to everyone, too. When we arrived, there was a group of four in the little vestibule already waiting. Buddy asked if they had called an order ahead, and they said they hadn't. But it seemed they were long-time regulars (albeit regulars who haven't been there for awhile), because one of them said, "Well, let me go back and say hi to Burt anyway." And Buddy said, sure, so the guy went back. Then he rejoined his group at the front, and they left, disappointed, but not miffed. So there's no "squeezing you in," at least on a Saturday night, no matter who you are! While I felt bad for that group, it was good to see that the system is applied fairly and impartially.

To clarify, I don't mind people loving Burt's. I thought that someone getting chastised for introducing a temporary tangent to this thread was a little too, well, protective. Just my impression, probably wrong.

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"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

I agree. Tangents happen.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Everyone loves Burt's Pizza, even a Hungry Detective.

Burt, Chris Cognac, Sharon

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Caption This Picture:

"Great, more #&@*ing national press."

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Tweetyspacing @karlklockars.
Writing about craft beer at GuysDrinkingBeer.com
"You don't realize it, but we're at dinner right now." ~Ebert

haha, I was more thinking...

"Why's this guy touching me?"

If Burt had Chris' rosy cheeks, he'd look like Santa.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

My 4 year old loves Burt for this exact reason.

So last night my buddies and I picked up a large sausage and pepperoni pizza and appetizer sampler from Burt's. I was excited as can be due to all the great things I've read here.

I'm sad to say that I was a little dissapointed. While waiting to pay I spotted a homemade sign boasting how Malnotti's pizza is too doughy and Burt's is just right. When we open the pizza up (my buddy lives 5 minutes away), I was surprised how doughey the pizza was! The bottom crust was easily an inch thick and actually the same height as the outer crust. The pizza had a nice fresh taste, but seemed to be lacking in ingredients. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought we asked for easy everything. The pizza had very little sauce and sausauge but a fair amount of pepperoni and cheese. The best part of the pizza was the caramalized crust, but it was very minimal. Not a bad pizza by any means, but I honestly preffer Pequod's over Burt's due to more generous toppings and a much higher outer crust.

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http://www.hungryz.com

Uh-0h. HungryZ, you have just sinned. Prepare to meet the fate of those who dare bash one of our sacred cows in the pizza, hotdog, italian beef, or BBQ threads. You will be publically reduced to a snivelling child in a matter of mere hours.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

I'm sure you guys are gonna get on me, but remember, I didn't say I didn't like it. Rather it didn't meet the expectations I developed. I preffer Pequod's better, since they are similar styles they are perfect to compare. I'm prepared for the backlash though.

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http://www.hungryz.com

Far from it, I imagine. Hungry stated his opinion and provided plenty of detail to explain how he arrived at it. It's the kind of post that I imagine even the most ardent Burt's supporter would respect. It's the "This place sucks!" posts with no useful data that tend to meet deserved backlash. Hungry can't help it if he has bad taste in pizza

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

I usually order "double sausage" for this exact reason. It's a fair amount, but put on in large chunks. Then I cut them up like a pizza surgeon for equal sausage to bite ratio.

As for the sauce amount, I believe that's by design. It's just how Burt makes his pizza, which is why it's so unique.