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Evanston Lunch Group™ - Lefty's, Wed 6/19, 12:30 pm

Evanston Lunch Group™ - Lefty's, Wed 6/19, 12:30 pm
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  • Evanston Lunch Group™ - Lefty's, Wed 6/19, 12:30 pm

    Post #1 - May 22nd, 2019, 6:14 am
    Post #1 - May 22nd, 2019, 6:14 am Post #1 - May 22nd, 2019, 6:14 am
    Basically, Steve Dolinsky explains it all. So the Evanston Lunch Group™ will convene at a venue in the town to our north, Lefty’s, for John Munao’s version of Burt’s Pizza 2.0.

    As usual, all are welcome — just let me know ahead of time so I can give Lefty’s a heads up.

    Lefty's Pizza Kitchen
    1156 Central Ave
    Wilmette, IL 60091
    (847) 920-5401

    Wednesday, June 19
    12:30 pm
    Last edited by nr706 on May 27th, 2019, 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #2 - May 22nd, 2019, 6:45 am
    Post #2 - May 22nd, 2019, 6:45 am Post #2 - May 22nd, 2019, 6:45 am
    In

    EC
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #3 - May 22nd, 2019, 8:08 am
    Post #3 - May 22nd, 2019, 8:08 am Post #3 - May 22nd, 2019, 8:08 am
    Yes. I’ll be there.
  • Post #4 - May 22nd, 2019, 8:26 am
    Post #4 - May 22nd, 2019, 8:26 am Post #4 - May 22nd, 2019, 8:26 am
    I've been wanting to try Lefty's. Count me in!
  • Post #5 - May 22nd, 2019, 7:26 pm
    Post #5 - May 22nd, 2019, 7:26 pm Post #5 - May 22nd, 2019, 7:26 pm
    Hi,

    I will pencil this in, but I may have to drop out just before. Day time is sometimes complicated around here.

    Regards,
    CAthy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #6 - May 23rd, 2019, 7:54 am
    Post #6 - May 23rd, 2019, 7:54 am Post #6 - May 23rd, 2019, 7:54 am
    OH, I'm in. Put me down for 1, maybe 2.
  • Post #7 - May 26th, 2019, 6:42 am
    Post #7 - May 26th, 2019, 6:42 am Post #7 - May 26th, 2019, 6:42 am
    I’m in.
  • Post #8 - June 12th, 2019, 9:33 am
    Post #8 - June 12th, 2019, 9:33 am Post #8 - June 12th, 2019, 9:33 am
    Dave148 wrote:In

    EC

    Out
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #9 - June 12th, 2019, 10:56 am
    Post #9 - June 12th, 2019, 10:56 am Post #9 - June 12th, 2019, 10:56 am
    I will take Dave's place.

    -Will
  • Post #10 - June 12th, 2019, 11:04 am
    Post #10 - June 12th, 2019, 11:04 am Post #10 - June 12th, 2019, 11:04 am
    Cya soon!
  • Post #11 - June 12th, 2019, 11:33 am
    Post #11 - June 12th, 2019, 11:33 am Post #11 - June 12th, 2019, 11:33 am
    nr706 wrote:Cya soon!

    This is next Wednesday, right? ;-)
    -Mary
  • Post #12 - June 12th, 2019, 12:13 pm
    Post #12 - June 12th, 2019, 12:13 pm Post #12 - June 12th, 2019, 12:13 pm
    The GP wrote:This is next Wednesday, right? ;-)

    Brain Fart x 2 … will explain later.
  • Post #13 - June 12th, 2019, 9:43 pm
    Post #13 - June 12th, 2019, 9:43 pm Post #13 - June 12th, 2019, 9:43 pm
    The GP wrote:This is next Wednesday, right? ;-)

    C2 and I were discussing the lunch at Lefty's at the Small Household Food Exchange last Sunday, and for some reason we ended up talking about it as if it were this week. As a result, we both showed up at Lefty's today. We didn't realize our mistake until we saw Mary's post.

    As a result, we got a preview of what the group could experience next week.

    LeftyThin.jpg Lefty's Thin Crust

    The thin crust, available by the slice, was a good as any cracker-crust style I've had. Crisp, with fresh toppings.

    LeftyPan.jpg Lefty's Pan Pizza

    The pan pizza, ordered with sausage, mushroom, and mixed bell peppers, reminded me very much of Burt's 1.0 — maybe not quite as thick a crust, but again, lively, fresh toppings. Note the caramelization on the crust's edge.

    LeftyJuice.jpg "Juice"

    Slight downside — the fresh ingredients (I'm primarily blaming the peppers) gave off some liquid. The first slice was great, bottom of the crust crisp, but a second slice, after sitting in the juice for a while, lost some of that crispness.

    That's nitpicking. Overall, it was definitely top-tier pizza, and a great experience. Also, it didn't hurt that I could get Sketchbook beer (Snowy Owl Red Rye Ale) on tap.

    See y'all next Wednesday.
  • Post #14 - June 13th, 2019, 1:20 pm
    Post #14 - June 13th, 2019, 1:20 pm Post #14 - June 13th, 2019, 1:20 pm
    And it looks like I will never get to attend an event. I need to take my mom to her eye surgery! Catch y'all on the next, I suppose.
  • Post #15 - June 14th, 2019, 11:42 am
    Post #15 - June 14th, 2019, 11:42 am Post #15 - June 14th, 2019, 11:42 am
    We will be there.
    Robert and Catherine
  • Post #16 - June 16th, 2019, 9:18 pm
    Post #16 - June 16th, 2019, 9:18 pm Post #16 - June 16th, 2019, 9:18 pm
    Hi,

    I had my lunch at Lefty's last week, so I will not be attending this time around.

    Have fun!

    Regards,
    CAthy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #17 - June 17th, 2019, 8:05 pm
    Post #17 - June 17th, 2019, 8:05 pm Post #17 - June 17th, 2019, 8:05 pm
    Happy to say that I'll be able to attend.

    George
    Where there’s smoke, there may be salmon.
  • Post #18 - June 18th, 2019, 3:55 pm
    Post #18 - June 18th, 2019, 3:55 pm Post #18 - June 18th, 2019, 3:55 pm
    In with a +1.
  • Post #19 - June 18th, 2019, 5:28 pm
    Post #19 - June 18th, 2019, 5:28 pm Post #19 - June 18th, 2019, 5:28 pm
    Did I preview and not hit post? I plan to come, slight chance +1.
    --Carey aka underdog
  • Post #20 - June 19th, 2019, 1:18 pm
    Post #20 - June 19th, 2019, 1:18 pm Post #20 - June 19th, 2019, 1:18 pm
    We thought the pizza was okay - not terrible, not great. The biggest deficiency, in our view, was the crust, which seemed to lack flavor. The sauce and ingredients were just okay; the onions were too sparse, and the bell peppers should have been cut up smaller. We both greatly prefer Lou Malnati's for pan pizza as well as for thin crust; for our fan of the charred crust type pizza, Pequod's wins her vote.

    Here's what we had.

    Extra large thin crust with sausage and mushrooms:
    Image
    Large pan pizza with all pepperoni, half onions, the other half mushrooms:
    Image
    Extra large pan pizza with sausage and bell peppers:
    Image
  • Post #21 - June 19th, 2019, 7:29 pm
    Post #21 - June 19th, 2019, 7:29 pm Post #21 - June 19th, 2019, 7:29 pm
    Hi,

    When Tom and I shared a pan pizza during the pre-lunch, I thought there was too much sauce and the crust was undercooked (or affected by the sauce).

    From posts on LTH over the years, I have come to appreciate a light touch with the ingredients.

    I liked our thin crust pizza with sausage much more. The fennel in the sausage was very apparent, which was fine with me.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #22 - June 19th, 2019, 7:51 pm
    Post #22 - June 19th, 2019, 7:51 pm Post #22 - June 19th, 2019, 7:51 pm
    We ordered the pan pizzas well done this time. It made a difference — no issue with juice affecting the crust. A little strange that the sausage pan pizza we ordered was a little short on sausage, but the pepperoni pan pizza had a generous topping of pepperoni.

    I liked the pan pizzas in general, especially the caramelized crust, which I thought had pretty good flavor (respectfully disagreeing with Ken).

    But I do think the real strength is the thin crust. I brought home two by-the-slices for Moetchandon. Good flavor, a little bit gooey cheese. Remarkably, (to me, at least), even though Moetchandon didn't retreat the pizza slices on the pizza stone in the over (she microwaved them), the crust was still crisp. (Pizzas by the slice are typical wedges; our thin crust for the group was tavern/square cut.)

    I should also note the group's ordering prowess — only two pan pizza slices left, I think all were adequately sated, and the tab was $12 pp.
  • Post #23 - June 20th, 2019, 9:32 am
    Post #23 - June 20th, 2019, 9:32 am Post #23 - June 20th, 2019, 9:32 am
    I liked both styles, though I would prefer the deep with about 25% less dough. I agree that the sausage was top notch. I brought one home that we will reheat tonight. I have found the best way to reheat by the slice is on a panini press. Gets the crust nice and crisp. Since I have a whole uncut one, I will probably do it in the oven straight on the rack.

    -Will
  • Post #24 - June 20th, 2019, 2:01 pm
    Post #24 - June 20th, 2019, 2:01 pm Post #24 - June 20th, 2019, 2:01 pm
    My favorite also was the thin crust with sausage / mushrooms. Good, well-balanced pizza.

    As nr706 noted, ordering well done fixed the too-much-juice problem on the pan pizzas. However, the crust became hard. Cutting the pan pieces was a bit of a job -- someone suggested bring a reciprocating saw!

    Also, the large chunks of pepper were irksome though they did look pretty. When you got a piece of pepper it felt like eating salad. A finer dice would have distributed the flavor better.

    Even though the thin didn't have as much caramelized crust as the pan, based on this experience I would go for the thin crust for its better overall flavor.
    Where there’s smoke, there may be salmon.
  • Post #25 - June 20th, 2019, 2:43 pm
    Post #25 - June 20th, 2019, 2:43 pm Post #25 - June 20th, 2019, 2:43 pm
    George R wrote:My favorite also was the thin crust with sausage / mushrooms. Good, well-balanced pizza.

    Odd you should say that, because we both thought the big problem with the thin crust pizza was its LACK of balance. Good pizza should strike a good balance among the crust, the tomato sauce, the cheese, and the toppings. On the thin crust, was there ANY tomato sauce? We tasted none. And the cheese overwhelmed everything else there. It was like a big, gloppy, gooey piece of melted cheese. Our least favorite of the three pizzas. À chacun son goût...
  • Post #26 - June 21st, 2019, 8:01 am
    Post #26 - June 21st, 2019, 8:01 am Post #26 - June 21st, 2019, 8:01 am
    We enjoy the thin crust as well, though we have noted a heavier hand with the cheese of late. We ordered earlier in the week through their website. On the web order form there is a "Special Instructions" section which includes, among other options, "Light Cheese" and "Cooked-Well Done". We opted for "Well Done". We may give "Light Cheese" a try next time as well.
    "I live on good soup, not on fine words." -Moliere
  • Post #27 - June 21st, 2019, 11:01 am
    Post #27 - June 21st, 2019, 11:01 am Post #27 - June 21st, 2019, 11:01 am
    reheated my uncut deep dish sausage right on the oven rack last night and it didnt leak at all which kind of surprised me. It crisped up nicely and I thought it was better than when served there. I still think that there is too much dough, but the sausage is great. Wife and daughter didnt love it though.....wife not a fan of deep dish and daughter said not nearly as good as malnatis.

    -Will
  • Post #28 - June 22nd, 2019, 6:26 pm
    Post #28 - June 22nd, 2019, 6:26 pm Post #28 - June 22nd, 2019, 6:26 pm
    great reviews. Sorry I was not able to join you, maybe one day - in my retirement years.
    The pizza has been uneven recently, but still heads above anything else in my neck of the woods.

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