LTHForum.com

I would definitely be interested in attending an LTH event here--and a Saturday at five works out great for me because I can continue on to Grandma's house afterwards!

_________________
Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."

We stopped here for dinner yesterday on our way back to Chicago from a rubber stamping conference in Michigan. It was completely worth the side trip.

First up was the appetizer sampler that was recommended in a previous post. The bread sticks that came with the appetizer provided a wonderful initial crunch followed by a perfect slightly chewy quality. If possible, the sticks were the pizza dough version of al dente. The roasted veggies had little crunchy charred bits that offered contrast to the overall smoky tenderness of the zucchinis and asparagus. The stuffed peppers had both mild heat and crunch. Mighty tasty. Drvstygrl's Grl though got to most of it before her. The slightly chunky marinara which was offered on top of the peppers and as a bread dipper was, as mentioned earlier, light and simply prepared. I could actually taste tomato. Not canned. Not processed paste- but good honest tomato. He should keep his suppliers because I would not have expected such fresh veggie goodness in early March. Overall the sampler provided a nice textural and flavor mix.

We debated over which pizza to get. Since she drove, Dvrstygrl's Grl got to choose and we ended up with Wild Mushroom. The flavor was good and I especially liked the fresh oregano on top. The challenge though, as with many mushroom loaded pizzas, is that the mushroom liquid made for a limper last few slices. Not that I didn't just use my crust to mop up the juice though. While the flavor was good, it wasn’t what I was expecting. I am not sure what the mushroom mix was. To the eye and palette, it seemed to be primarily criminis, which I don't consider wild. It didn't have the smell or taste of earthiness that I expect in a wild mushroom mix. Next trip I will ask the owner what the mix is.

I spoke with the owner at the end of our visit and he recommended we try the proscuitto pizza next time. The pistachios he tops it with sound like a worthy taste adventure. Is this combo new to anyone else?

We finished up sharing a scoop of house made pistachio gelato. Mmmmm. It was rich and creamy. The place has a nice attention to detail. For example, the whole pistachios sprinkled on top provided some great crunch to contrast with the gelatos smoothness.

Looking forward to returning. We hope to make the LTH event here this spring and finally meet a few of you.

My husband and I stopped in on Saturday night. We have a place in Beverly Shores, IN and it is so great to know that such a place is close. We had the appetizer sampler and I thought the stuffed peppers were good and piques my interest in trying their sausage pizza next time. The only veggie offered was zucchini, but that was good and the bread sticks (slices of the pizza crust) were great. My only complaint on that was that the marinara sauce was cold. That was kind of a bummer. We shared a margherita pizza and I must say that it was spot on. It was recommended that we share the pizza, but I could have eaten most of a pizza on my own, next time I will. The gelato was good, although I didn't get pistaschios on top. I thought the flavor was right and the texture was good, but the gelato is kept a little too cold so that the texture was a little hard but the mouth-feel was right.
I definitely plan on spending more time there this summer.
As a side note, when we got there my husband commented to me that they had gelato. I said that I assumed that they would. And he thought I was being snobby about it. But wouldn't you expect a wood-fired pizza place to have gelato? What I didn't expect was for them to make their own gelato. I was expecting our waitress to say that they served ciao bella gelato. In that case, I was planning on stopping at Culver's after dinner, but we didn't have to since they do in fact make their own gelato.

Had another great meal Sunday night at Stop 50. What a friendly, comfortable respite. The host, noticing the Illinois plates on the car, was especially welcoming and attentive, knowing that we were on our way "home."

Here is the "Prosciutto" pizza, which includes, prosciutto, pistachios, rosemary and mozzarella:



The pistachios seemed somewhat odd at first but were a nice addition to the overall flavor profile and I loved that the prosciutto was lightly crisped from the oven.

There hasn't been much mention about the gelato here, but the taste and texture of the pistachio (made that day) was excellent. (I guess I was in a pistachio mood.) I didn't have any textural issues as the above poster did; it was creamy and smooth. A perfect harbinger of summer during Sunday's summer-like weather.

I didn't have texture issues per se. It was more of a temperature issue. Gelato should be kept at a higher temp IMO. But I loved the flavor and mouth-feel of the gelato.
I am always in a pistashio mood. You might say I am a pistachio nut! HA! I am intrigued by the prosciutto pizza, as I do love pistachios. But sometimes I get groosed out by cooked proscuitto that become grayish and greasy, but your pic and description refute that worry. Was the rosemary overpowering? I find that with rosemary sometimes. Thanks for the pic!
I plan on spending a lot of time at Stop 50 this summer and trying more of their pizzas and gelatos.

Either you caught them on a bad day or adjustments were made, but the gelato was served at a higher temp than what you described. Not melting in the least, but yielding easily under a spoon.

The rosemary was very judiciously used and not overpowering at all. A smidgen more and I think it would have been. Oh, and no grayish, greasy prosciutto here!

Went to Stop 50 Saturday night and Tuesday night. Another great time and meals. Saturday night pizza was a margherita pizza which was great as usual. We got very lucky and was able to get the last piece of creme brulee' cheesecake which I have to say was the best tasting dessert I have ever had. Rich, sweet, light, and just perfect.

Tuesday night Chris had clam and prosciutto with a sprinkling of rosemary. I hope he keeps it as a regular on the menu. Fresh clams, rosemary, and thinly sliced prosciutto, mmmm. We chose a great key lime pie for dessert.

While the pizzas are well worth the drive, the desserts definitely compete. The choices all sound and look wonderful.

_________________
Bruce
Plenipotentiary
bruce@bdbbq.com

Raw meat should NOT have an ingredients list!!

I live in the South West suburbs of Chicago, so I have a good 90 miles each way to Stop 50. As soon as I heard it was compared to Pizzeria Bianco, I made reservations.

Do you know if you are able to buy an appetizer of bread and olive oil like you can at Pizzeria Bianco? The bread is the most important thing to me... and I plan on eating as much as possible while on this trip.

Is it silly to plan an entire day around pizza?



I will post pictures and my reviews after I get back home.

_________________
Having lived in NYC and Chicago I never thought I would find the best pizza back in the state of my Alma Mater; Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix changed my life.

They do have an appetizer of bread with tomato sauce and I think oil. I usually get some of there roasted vegetables for an appetizer. I'm sure they will fix you up with some olive oil if you ask.

No it is not silly to plan an entire day around pizza. Cathy2 and mypalwill flew to KC to spend the day eating BBQ. A small group went to NYC for a weekend for pizza binge.

_________________
Bruce
Plenipotentiary
bruce@bdbbq.com

Raw meat should NOT have an ingredients list!!

Keep in mind that the "bread" at Stop 50 is actually housemade in the oven and it's strips of their pizza dough. While very good, it's probably not what you would consider bread in the traditional sense.


Stop 50 Pizza - Veggie Appetizer W/Bread

_________________
Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

To chime in on a familiar theme, we went to Stop 50 this weekend and were quite pleased with everything. We shared the veggie appetizer - same as mentioned above but this time with asparagus instead of zuchinni. We shared a half-prosciutto, half wild-mushroom pizza. The consensus was that the prosciutto half was better. Mushrooms only didn't offer quite enough flavor. Despite being a very thin crusted pizza, it was crispy all the way through. The toppings did not overwhelm the crust at all, even to the last bite. Not even a hint of sogginess. Based on the sausage stuffed pepper from the veggie platter I would definitley try a sausage pizza next time. It was a great experience and we will certainly go back.

On a side note, I also stopped by the Calphalon outlet in Michigan City and got a 4 qt stainless steel/aluminum core pot with lid for $55, which I thought was a great deal. The outlet mall also has a Le Creuset outlet where I have had great deals in the past, and a Corning Ware outlet that fulfilled my Casserol/Baking Dish needs last year.

The sausage stuffed pepper on the veggie platter is the best dish in the restaurant bar none, IMO. I'm glad it was available when you visited. Evidently it was not served last winter when a bunch of LTHers visited (as posted up thread). I'd be terribly dissapointed if I schlepped all the way to Stop 50 and couldn't get the sausage stuffed pepper. For me, that would be an even bigger dissapointment than if they ran out of pizza dough.

_________________
Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

My wife and I had a disappointing experience at the Stop 50 Pizzeria this past week. We were on our way to the new Four Winds Casino near New Buffalo, MI, when the thought hit us that we should try a pizza from Stop 50 before we visited the casino as we had heard so much about it on this site. It was a little hard to find, as some have attested, but we finally found the restaurant. It was a nice, modern place with a friendly staff and a lot of light pouring through the windows to give it an airy, bright feel. We ordered just a sausage pizza.

Our biggest complaint about the pizza, however, was that is was super soggy. I think the crust of the pizza is one of the most important things and I would give the crust of the pizza we had a big failing grade as it was wet and limp. Bear in mind that besides the cheese and sauce, which wasn't very much, all we ordered was sausage and that came in very small slices (like gyro slices, which we weren't wild about), so there weren't many toppings on the pizza. The cheese and sauce were fine, the sausage was a little disappointing, and the crust was bland and soggy. Only the outer rim of the pizza was a little crispy. Most pizzas that I've experienced from hot wood or coal ovens come out very crispy throughout and only gets soggy as the pizza gets cold. This one was soggy from the onset. Maybe we hit it on a bad day, who knows. I would suggest some sort of rack to serve the pizza on so it doesn't get so soft and soggy so quickly, rather than the plain plate it was served on.

I just mention our experience so that others who are thinking of taking the long trek to this place will know of someone who didn't think their pizza was as great as some others have expressed, but realize maybe that was just one bad experience. For the adventurous, maybe the trek or travel to the restaurant will prove worthwhile.

BTB-

Stop 50 serves pizza that is in the vein of Neapolitan style, which is very different from Chicago style thin crust. Typically, it has a wetter center and crunchier collar, a texture that many enjoy, and very few toppings. Have you tried Spacca Napoli, and if so, how would you rate your Stop 50 pizza as compared to that?

_________________
Local Beet

aschie30-

No, we had not tried Spacca Napoli. When we visited Chicago a couple of weeks ago we had it on our list of possible pizza places to try, but based on recommendations of others we went to Marie's on Lawrence on one day and Pizano's on State Street on another. Both of those pizzas -- very different from one another -- were absolutely outstanding.

The only other pizza that we've had recently that was cooked in a nearly identical type of oven to Stop 50's (or so it seemed) was at Alessi's in Tampa, Florida. Their pizza -- with large chunks of sausage, not slices -- turned out remarkably crispy, but you have to eat it there because after 10 or 15 minutes the crust becomes much softer. It has become one of our favorites (along with the great deep dish pizzas at Malnati's and Pizzeria Due's and the thin crust pizzas at Aurelio's, Fox's, Villa Nova, Vito and Nicks, Home Run Inn, et al). I'm not saying a pizza need be entirely crispy or that we favor just a cracker crust, but I think it would be nice to lift and maybe even fold the pieces of pizza pie for eating. It was not possible with our Stop 50 pizza to do that. Way too wet and limp.

If Neapolitan style means "super soggy" style, then I guess such would not be to my liking. But if others enjoy it, that's a good thing. From one or two pictures of Stop 50's crust above, I got the impression that their crust had more body to it and was crispier, but it certainly wasn't on the day we tried it. And the description that someone gave above saying that the crust "had an audible crispness" to it I think was very misleading. I would estimate that 95% of the pizza was of the soggy variety with no hint of "audible crispness."

It seemed to be a very nice restaurant with a very upbeat and polite staff. I have to be honest in my assessment, however, and hope for the best for their business.

I’m not sure why you have the need to say that the above poster (full disclosure: I just happen to live with the above poster.) was “misleading” you by saying the crust was crispy. I don’t doubt yours was soggy (that day). For you to say that it was “very misleading” also tells me that you haven’t considered the possibility that maybe Chris Bardol is making pizzas differently this year than last (or next). He is a relative neophyte, you know, only trying to define the personality of his pizza like most other great pizza men have already done through many years of trial and error.

“very misleading”….pfft.

We’re these people in this thread also being "very misleading"?

“Crispy, flavorful crust.”

“Pizza margherita was perfect, the crust with just the right chew.”

“…a cross between Euro style and traditional Chicago thin crust, in that it was somewhat crispy, but still had the blistered spots that Neapolitan lovers cherish so much.”

“Despite being a very thin crusted pizza, it was crispy all the way through. The toppings did not overwhelm the crust at all, even to the last bite. Not even a hint of sogginess.”

_________________
It's spelled "PIGMON" - but it's pronounced "PIG-MIN."

This weekend I was at Stop 50 both Friday night for my first visit, and a return visit Saturday for lunch. I love this place! As I am not a fervent fan of Spacca Napoli, I was a bit leery of the pizza being served up at Stop 50. However, I found Stop 50 to be a superior pie in every way: crispy crust, not soggy in the middle, fresh ingredients, and a tomato sauce that complemented the ingredients. Add to that the very engaging owner, Chris, and it's a place I hope to return to very often.

As for some of the variance in crust crispiness, that may be attributed to the wood-burning oven. My dining companion and I were asking Chris about cooking using the wood-burning oven and he explained that it needs lots of time to heat up (about two weeks) if the temp. is brought completely down to zero, and that as one is adjusting for temperature, the crust might be affected.

Pigmon-

Recalling the characteristics of the pizza at Stop 50 expressed on this thread, it is hard not to remember that one statement about "audible crispness." That expression especially lead me to believe that that would be the pizza product I would experience at the Stop 50 Pizzeria. That stands out much more than any of the other expressions . . . at least it did to me. "Audible crispness" is not a term or phrase you hear everyday (well, based on your full disclosure, Pigmon, maybe you do). No one, of course, intentionally mislead and I may have not expressed it quite accurately. But if some others experienced a non-soggy product, then they have a consistency issue that I think would be wise for the owner to address.

Needless to say, when I was driving near New Buffalo (and considering the many good restaurants in the area) I recalled the positive reports about Stop 50 pizza in general, but only the "audible crispness" remark in particular. Based upon this, the pizza did not live up to my expectations. What else can I say? And based upon KatyK's remarks above, maybe upon ordering one should inquire if the oven is hot enough to ensure a crispy, or at least a non-soggy, pizza. I will leave it at that.

BTB-

By your own admission, the outside crust was at least a little crispy. Now perhaps, your pizza was a little underdone and a request to put it back in the oven for a minute or two would not be out of order. But based upon all of your above statements, if a crispy middle and a crispy outside crust is what you were after, you were barking up the wrong tree with Stop 50 because all-round "audible" crispiness is not a hallmark of Neapolitan style pizza. (Although a crispy outer crust is, which is what it sounds like you got, in some respect.) If you're also after heavily topped pizza, this style is not for you either. While I haven't been to Stop 50 since the spring, each time I was presented with a crispier version of Neapolitan style, so maybe you caught a bad pizza. But if you need your entire pizza to be entirely crispy, then you're likely to be disappointed by Stop 50, Spacca Napoli, and even Coalfire.

_________________
Local Beet

I went to Stop 50 Saturday night. I noticed that Chris has a lot more staff on hand. I did notice that at the time I was there Chris was not cooking pizzas, but there were others who were. I'm pretty sure that business has improved so much over the past year that he has a need for there to be a backup and he is probably training 1-2 of his staff to cook pizzas. I'm sure that during the busiest times of the day Chris is cooking all of the pizzas, but at other times when it is a slower such as mid-afternoon or late evening he may be letting others cook. This is just a theory

Our pizza was very good as usual. I did order a creme brulee cheesecake for my birthday cake next weekend. I'll go eat pizza, pick up the cake, and decorate with a candle so holes don't get poked and wax dripped all over this sublime creation.

_________________
Bruce
Plenipotentiary
bruce@bdbbq.com

Raw meat should NOT have an ingredients list!!

So just to reiterate, when I went to Stop 50 earlier this summer, the pizza was crispy. Very thin and crispy. With a capital C. Unlike anything I had hoped for. Too bad that BTB did not have that same experience, but in my case it was a quite wonderful meal. The toppings weren't overbearing, but not particularly light either, so I had expected a little sogginess in the middle, but that was not the case. In fact, we ordered two pizzas and both came out the same. So I'd recommend a second trip back, because when those guys are on top of their game, its outstanding.

On the other hand I was at Spacca Napoli a couple weeks back, and although I was quite a fan of the toppings (I had the prosciutto and arugala), I was not a fan of the crust. The taste was fine, but it was quite chewy and a little tough. In fact so chewy that our table seemed to spend most of the night sawing through the pizzas. Maybe just not to my taste, although I would happloy go back for another test, but for an exceptionally crisp and well made food fired pizza, Stop 50 is still at the top of my list.

We took my parents to Stop 50 last night to celebrate our wedding anniversaries. I am not sure they knew what to expect from our rapturous descriptions of the meal we had with other LTHers last spring, but I think they will be back (as will we).

We started our meal with a capresse salad and a local salad. The cheese on the capresse salad was excellent -- every bite was bursting with flavor. The local salad was also delicious. My father commented that my aunt would love this place since she judges restaurants on their salad selections and this salad certainly had a wide variety of greens.

We ordered three pizzas -- the special of the week, a wild mushroom pizza and a marguerita pizza. Unfortunately, our waiter made an error and brought a sausage pizza instead of the marguerita. We told him not to worry, we would be happy to eat that instead. My husband was glad we kept it because while he liked the marguerita pizza on our last meal, he thought the sausage tasted even better.

The special was a red potato, sausage and cheese with rosemary. The potatoes had been sliced thin and cooked before being placed on the pizza. It was a real standout. The owner's wife told us that last week's special was a pear and gorgonzola pizza, probably much like the appetizer portion we had at our LTH dinner. He is now working on a walnut apple pesto pizza which will probably be featured in the next week or two.

When I mentioned that it would be nice if they had a website so we could see what specials were planned for the future, she told me their webmaster has been ill and they should be online some time this week. I neglected to ask for the web address.

To finish our meal, we ordered a slice of the creme brulee cheesecake and two gelatos, coffee and pistachio. The restaurant was full when we arrived, but by the time we left there were people spilling out the door waiting for tables. They were keeping themselves busy playing with the Etch-a-sketches kept on a table near the front door for that very purpose.

My folks were very impressed and agreed they would like to go back again soon. I would like to warn people that there is a detour on Highway 212 which took a few extra minutes to reach our destination. When we asked about an alternate route, we were told to take Meer Road. I don't think they were aware that Meer Road is also blocked off and has an even longer detour. We did eventually end up on 20, right at the entrance to 94, and think this will be a faster way to get there than by using Mapquest's directions once the detour at the railroad tracks is completed.

Suzy

_________________
" There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
- Frank Zappa

I was there for an early dinner en route from Michigan last night. Fantastic as usual, but that detour got me as well.

I had the appetizer sampler, with wood-roasted zucchini and summer squash, and the sausage-stuffed peppers. Delicious. For pizzas, we split the prosciutto, pistachio and rosemary pizza and the sausage pizza. The sausage was thin sliced, so parts crisped up nicely in the oven, adding another textural dimension.

I noticed that this place is beginning to operate less under the radar than prior visits. The patrons at my first few Sunday visits were apparently comprised mostly of traveling Illinoisans judging by the license plates in the parking lot. (Probably people who read about Stop 50 on LTH.) This time, the server commented that all of his regulars were "coming home from the weekend," and sure enough, the place was filling up with locals. Yes, Redamak's down the street is still packed, but it's nice to see such hearty local support of an establishment that goes against the grain and makes artisinal pizza.

Mary and I dined at Stop 50 last night. Mary chose the signature panino which featured sausage, beef, and vegetables. I had an margherita pizza with anchovies, which was the single best pizza that I have had in recent memory. Chris said he change anchovies and he sure found a winning brand. We also had some fresh quince gelato for dessert which was very good. A nice palate cleanser to wrap up the meal.

I was talking to Chris and he told me that within the last day or so a couple from Atlanta stopped by after learning about them from LTH. LTH is certainly getting around the world.

_________________
Bruce
Plenipotentiary
bruce@bdbbq.com

Raw meat should NOT have an ingredients list!!

We had lunch there labor day weekend. I had the mushroom pizza, hubby had the prosciutto, pistachio pizza. His was better, on my pizza the mushrooms were a bit bland, but overall I love the style of pizza. The owner is very friendly and very nice. I can't wait to go back and would get the sausage this time.
LO

I'm not sure I have much significant to add to the Stop 50 discussion, but I'm enthusiastic enough to add my voice to the chorus of praise.

Cookie and I were pleased to meet up with Bruce and Mary at Stop 50 this past Friday. We tried three different pizzas, all of which were excellent in their own way. The Margherita was excellent in texture and flavor (a premium mozz. would have lifted it even higher). I also enjoyed the flavor of the prosciutto and pistachio pizza.

But, I think the star of the evening was the special sausage, potato, red onion, and rosemary pizza. It was cooked crisper than the others, purposefully, I believe. I will not soon forget the taste of this pizza:


Stop 50 is a delightful place that is already at the center of it's community. They take care in their preparations, buy local ingredients, make their own (excellent) gelato, and apply a lot of creativity.

Speaking of creativity, they have a simple way of using their pizza oven to throw together a terrific dessert. Rammekin + graham cracker + chocolate + marshmallow + oven = S'mores:



It's a great place that's worth the drive from the city if you have the time.

Best,
Michael

Michael, we also loved that special pizza with the sausage, potatoes, onion and rosemary. My girls didn't care for it, but Randy and I thought it was terrific. More for us. . .

The s'mores dessert was not an option when we went last month, but I foresee another trip in the near future. I just love s'mores and the picture made me want to jump in the car and head straight there.

Suzy

_________________
" There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
- Frank Zappa

We had an early dinner at Stop 50 yesterday after an afternoon of apple picking. Sorry no pictures but, most of what we ordered has already been shown on the thread.

Started off with the bisque which was very nice. The appetizer sampler as people have already have discussed had those remarkable stuffed peppers. I can't wait to try the sausage pizza, if that sausage is used.

For pizzas, we got the margherita and the wild mushroom. The mushroom pizza had wonderful flavor, and was crisp on the collar, but did get a little soupy in the center. The margherita was fresh, simple, crispy, an fantastic.

For dessert, I had the creme brulee cheesecake, which likely is the best dessert I have had all year. A friend of Chris makes those for him. I need have friends like that.

Chris came and spent a fair amount of time at our table and was a gracious host. When I mentioned that I was an LTHer, he smiled and told me that he hears that often and needs to visit the site more. We need to visit Stop 50 more.

Glenn

Stop 50 Woodfired Pizzeria has opened after their winter hiatus. The pizzas and paninos are are still as good as they were last year. Mary and I went tonight and had a great meal of the fresh greens salad, clam & prosciutto pizza, and the beef and sausage panino. The clams were as fresh as I expected with a nice briny flavor that only fresh clams have. Very busy with a steady crowd. I guess I wasn't the only one who was glad they have opened back up from their winter vacation.

_________________
Bruce
Plenipotentiary
bruce@bdbbq.com

Raw meat should NOT have an ingredients list!!

I'll admit it, we're addicted to this place http://www.stop50woodfiredpizzeria.com/. They serve Neapolitan style (thin crust) pizzas which we prefer, and we've have never had better anywhere. And this year they're getting more adventurous with their special/featured pizzas with the recent "Garden" and "Waldorf" pies. They've probably been around for a long time, but we had not seen these pies with toppings added after cooking until this past year. And the first time we saw one we weren't sure what we thought, but they are a nice alternative to more conventional pies.

I can't remember all the ingredients so what follows is probably not accurate, but the "Garden" had (no longer featured) several tasty toppings cooked on and then was covered with fresh arugula after cooking. Yummy. The "Waldorf" has Gorgonzola, walnuts, sliced apples, Parmesan cooked on and then topped with sliced grapes and mixed greens. Sounded iffy to us, but was even more yummy!

The place just gets better and better, we have been going once a week since they returned to summer hours...can't help it even though we live almost 40 miles away.