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I was discussing Brown & Koppel with someone who used to frequent the place. He suggested it resembled Gold’s more than Manny’s. That sent me to my copy of John Drury’s Dining in Chicago where Gold’s (810 W Roosevelt) is referred to as “The Rector’s of the Ghetto.”

Which begs the question... what was Rector's?

A New York restaurant which was featured in a 1904 movie and apparently holds a place in history as the first restaurant to pay ASCAP royalties. But there's got to be more than that....

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I’m pretty sure Drury was referring to Rector’s in Chicago, not New York. Whether the two were related I don’t know. Rector’s opened at Clark and Monroe sometime in the 19th century and closed in the 1920s (I think). With places like Henrici’s, Kuntz-Remmler and De Jonghe’s, it was one of Chicago’s notable restaurants around the turn of the century as the following passage makes clear.

I'm pretty sure they were related, although the Chicago restaurant may have belonged to George Rector, son of Charles Rector, who owned the New York establishment. Here's another reference to the Chicago restaurant:

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

What's with using nuts as a sizing guide?

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When I grow up, I'm going to Bovine University!

Incidentally, Friday night I went to see Buster Keaton in The Three Ages at the Portage Theater, and in one scene, Buster goes to a fancy nightspot... called Rector's.

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Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.

Damn, that is some evocative writing.
It brings a smile to my face,
and captures that thrill of new
experiences that drives me,
and probably most of you
other foodies.

I know the info is probably buried somewhere in this thread, but I can't find it. Can anyone tell me what time Burt's opens on Friday and Saturdays?

I am pretty sure it is 4:30 pm.

Thanks, sounds like lunch is out of the question.

Burt IS open for lunch on Friday from 11:00-1:30. Sorry, I thought you were asking about dinner

Burt's complete hours are:

Lunch Wed, Thu, Fri 11:00am-1:30pm
Dinner Sun,Wed,Thu 4:30pm-9:00pm
Dinner Fri, Sat 4:30pm-10:00pm
CLOSED Mon, Tue

8541 N. Ferris
Morton Grove, IL
(847) 965-7997

Thanks again, that really is a big help.

Went to Burt's last night for the first time. I loved it right when I walked in. I didn't expect them to be so accommodating to kids, but Burt (and I think it was his wife) were awesome. Reminds me of a dumpy bar that I go to in Sandwich, MA (Cape Cod) called the The Whaleback.

I met Aaron Deacon last night. First LTHer I've met. Really nice guy with a nice family.

I thought the pizza was great. I had mine with sausage and jalapeno's. I asked if they had any hot sauce. The sauce they brought me was tabasco, and I dumped it on like usual. It was particularly hot.

After the second piece, I finally looked at the label on the bottle. It was a habanero sauce.

It's certainly not a pizza that weighs you down. If you are looking for tons of gloppy cheese, you won't find it here. The crust and the bottom of the pizza are good enough that they could stand on their own without cheese or sauce. My kids had cheese pizza. My 12 year old liked it, the 8 and 5 year old didn't- but you have to understand that my 8 year old takes all of the cheese and sauce off of his pizza. We took them to McDonald's afterwards.

I ate two more pieces when I got home.

I'll definitely be back.

Yep, we made it out last night as well. And it was as terrific as advertised. We split a sausage and pepperoni, both sides were good, I particularly liked the sausage. I asked where it came from, and Burt's wife couldn't recall but said he worked hard to get the sausage he wanted, and is equally diligent with all the ingredients.

One thing that has been bemoaned by some is the lack of an "artisan" pieman tradition in Chicago pizzerias. Judging from my one-time sample, and the other accolades of fellow LTHers, I'd say Burt proves the exception to the rule. No, he's not Chris Bianco, but he obviously cares deeply about what he's doing, both as a pizza-maker and a host, and it makes a ton of difference.

The pizza itself has been described pretty thoroughly. Definitely a bread-like rather than cracker-like crust. Quite dissimilar in style to Chicago deep dish or stuffed. A bit soft and doughy underneath with a barely contrasted bit of crispy greasiness on the bottom, burned bits at the edges of course. It struck me as what Pizza Hut's pan pizza wishes it was.

It was a pleasure to meet saps and family, who I likely would not have met if I hadn't heard him tell Burt or Sharon. He is correct that Burt's was very family friendly, and my kids left the crispy pizza crust for me to boot. My four-year old was especially tickled by the IHOP plates and glassware.

Perhaps the most revelatory moment of the evening was how close Morton Grove actually is. Less than 15 minutes, door-to-door, from our Albany Park condo to Burt's on an early Sunday summer evening. When I first read this thread, I thought, sounds great, I'll probably never get to the far flung suburb of Morton Grove, wherever that is. Turns out, it's a trip I'm likely to repeat.

Cheers,

Aaron

That is a fortunate thingfor all of us!

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

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

I got a pizza to go from Burt's tonight and I was happy to see the place nearly full when I arrived to pick it up. This is the first time I have seen more than one or two other patrons at Burt's while I ate there. I don't know if it's a Friday night thing, or if Burt's is turning into a more popular destination. In any event, it was nice to see the joint jumpin'!

In terms of the pizza, while there was a marked difference between a pizza held long enough to get it home and one consumed at the restaurant fresh from the oven, it was a mighty fine pizza none the less.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

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

It's the LTH effect!

Jeff,

Just watched you and Penny Pollack on the History Channel's American Eats series, Pizza. Very interesting, both you, Penny and the show in general. So much so I ordered your book

Enjoy,
Gary

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

Low & Slow

Apologies if this has been posted previously: Does anyone know how far north Pequod's delivers? I'm In North Center, just shy of montrose on Ashland. On a rainy day like this, it seems like a good night to try out Pequod's.

Thanks.

Why not call them and ask? Probably easier and more reliable than asking here.

Pequod's
2207 N. Clybourn Ave.
Tel: (773) 327-1512

Best,
Michael

Sometimes, the obvious, isn't so obvious. Such is my reliance on the internet these days... *sigh*.

Thanks Michael.

EDIT: They do!

Enjoy your pizza!

LTH,

Was in the mood for a Burt's pizza Monday, but Burt is closed Monday and Tuesday, so went to the original Pequod's instead. Been quite a few years since I've had Pequod's so it was good to be able to compare the two on a current basis.

It's surprising, though I guess given the history it should not be, just how similar Burt's and Pequod's are, the feel of the physical space is much the same as is menu, presentation of the pizza and the pizza itself. Count me among those who find Pequod's a half step behind Burt's in all regards. This is not to say Pequod's isn't good, it's just fine, but it seems more Burt's lite than an equal.

Pizza wise, I found the sauce leaning toward sweet with a slight foamy mouthfeel, the crust lacked a certain density, leaning toward bready, though the crisp, caramelized, burnt crust on the edge was delicious. The real key to this type of pizza.

Service was quite good, efficient and friendly, pizza was fine, atmosphere fine as well, I simply prefer Burt's overall package to Pequod's.

We also ordered a thin, just for comparison sake. It's made from the same dough as the thick crust, which yields a slightly puffy pie, but no flavor boost from the delicious edging of caramelized cheese. I recommend sticking to thick, unless you don't like the burnt edging of crisp cheese. And then why would you be going to Pequod's anyway.

Enjoy,
Gary

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

Low & Slow

Hi,

When Josephine and I did our all-in-one-night back-to-back taste-off, it was clear the better, more skilled pizza came from Burt's oven.

While Pequods comes from the same gene pool, it is clear those who learned from Burt are long gone. Those who make the Burt originated Pequod pizza go through the ritual paces by rote without discerning how each ingrediant was chosen or why they perform each step. While each Pizza at Burt's is very well thought out both in ingrediants and execution.

Interestingly, Burt's does not offer a thin crust pizza. He offers one style only.

Sorry I couldn't make it to Burt's GNR award this evening. Did anyone invite Burt to the picnic?

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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By any chance, would Burt's sell any pizza by the slice, at lunchtime or whenever? (That's just me hoping against hope.)

Thanks in advance,
Dan

Burt will make you a thinner version of the original pizza in the pan; removing a good amount of dough with all other factors remaining the same, including the caramelized crust. In fact, when I'm working there on the weekends and want to make a pizza for myself, I will usually use this method.

As for the award, did anyone invite Burt? Why didn't anyone invite me? Without my initial posts none of you would have even known Burt's existed.

Forgivingly yours,

Buddy

Buddy,

Everyone was invited. It was posted on the Events Page. In fact, I was a littel surprised that you weren't there.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

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

That sir, is because I am an idiot. I don't regularly visit the "Events" Forum, so missed out on that bit of information. That, and I was previously engaged Wednesday night. Sounds like you all had a fine time. I'll see the award on Saturday night when I'm working.

Also, because of my lack of contact with the Events Forum, I missed out on the picnic info for Sunday. Not sure what my schedule is like for Sunday; would a contribution of a condimentary nature be acceptable? Say, a couple of cases of Roadhouse Bar-B-Que Sauces, assorted flavors? I'll need to check and see what the wife has planned for Sunday, but if the sauce is a good enough offering, I'll try to stop by.

Buddy

You don't need to bring anyting to the picinc to attend. If you can make it, just show up there's plenty of food (and home made sauce) to go around.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

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

Yeah. What she said.


I did not think to invite Burt and Sharon to the picnic when last I visited Burt's Place ':oops:'

However, I did think to invite us all back to their place.':wink:'
An LTH Halloween event is in the works. (It's a Wednesday evening.) Look for it soon on the Events Board. Burt thought costumes would be a nice idea. I tend to agree. . .

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Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.