dak125 wrote:In my own defense, my friend tried three different homebrews and the face he made after each one just said it all. He wound up with a PBR too .

What does a "I don't like beer with flavor" face look like?

PBR has it's place in the world, just normally not at one of the best brewpubs in IL.

Jamieson22 wrote:

dak125 wrote:In my own defense, my friend tried three different homebrews and the face he made after each one just said it all. He wound up with a PBR too .

What does a "I don't like beer with flavor" face look like?

PBR has it's place in the world, just normally not at one of the best brewpubs in IL.

Oh Snap!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/119/2941 ... ecaddf.jpg

jimswside wrote:it could have been worse, you could have been drinking Miller Lite, or water(one in the same)..

If I were water, I'd be offended by that comment.

I like a good water every now and then.

nr706 wrote:

jimswside wrote:it could have been worse, you could have been drinking Miller Lite, or water(one in the same)..

If I were water, I'd be offended by that comment.

I like a good water every now and then.

You will have to forgive me.., I have just replaced my 2-3 cans of Pepsi a day diet a couple of months ago, and switched to water, and I am still begrudgingly trying to get used to the flavorless, non caffeinated beverage known as water.

I did just pass by Piece a couple weeks ago on my way to Taqueria Puebla, now that I know where it is I will effort a visit.

Santander wrote:
Oh Snap!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/119/2941 ... ecaddf.jpg

Don't encourage him Santander.... Piece makes a very good tomato pie and Cutler does indeed make my favorite craft beer in the city. In my mind Piece's biggest problem really is the "it is so crowded, nobody goes there anymore" syndrome.

I work less than a block away from Piece, so it's a reasonably frequent stop for a longer lunch or a lunch meeting. It's usually not too crowded during lunch, and I've never had a single problem with pizza consistency. Just had lunch there today, actually, and it was as good as ever.

So, try it for lunch sometime, if you can. The vibe is much more relaxed.



Yum.

I went with a group a few weeks ago, and after a two hour wait (I'm impatient and would have left, but I had some excited suburbanites with me) - we really, really enjoyed our 3 pizzas, especially the mashed potato/bacon/garlic.

My companion - shame of all shames- left some crusts behind, and after being chastised by the group, we were shocked to see a server grab one off of his plate when he rounded the corner. We were all smiles at the table, we couldn't believe what we were seeing! The server noticed us noticing him, and he made a fast exit to the kitchen.

I'll return, just not on a Saturday night. The crowd was a bit much - below zero temps and a line out the door!

Two pizzas tonight at Piece left me wondering what all the fuss is about. Tasteless, frozen-pizza-like crust and a multitude of toppings that are no different than the 100s of thin crust pizza joints in the city. Rare Three Floyds Alpha Klaus on tap saved the day though.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Stagger wrote:The reason to order a white pie there is the presence of *fresh* clams. If they are not fresh, the pie isn't made. No canned clams are used.

Never had this at Piece but I can see where canned clams -- in any rendition -- would greatly diminish the final product.

i've been ordering the white clam & bacon pizza at piece for awhile now... (ever since I had the "real deal" at Pepe's).

i'd say it's good, but nowhere near as good as the real deal.

my most noticeable objection has always been the quality of the clams. while i'm not certain they're canned, i am fairly certain the're not fresh. also, they're sometimes rubbery, perhaps the product of overcooking.

all in all though, if you've never had a white clam/bacon pizza from piece you're probably missing out. i usually order it in a small though, then a large plain pizza... (if there's at least 3 or 4 people to eat, that is!)

i will say it's QUITE expensive though. for a small clam/bacon and a large two topping it comes out to be $35-40. that's a lot of dough for a thin crust pizza IMO.

they definitely do have consistency issues too. i haven't noticed the difference between a large consumed in the restaurant and a large consumed from piece out though... i haven't found the crust to be overly thick. and even though the pizza is served on a pan in the restaurant, it isn't a sheet pizza, it's still some oblongish/round shape... they're boxes are pretty huge can't see how the pizza would be smaller. i find the service at piece and the atmosphere in general to be a bit horrid from time to time, so i prefer to take out usually. in general, it's nowhere near as good as it was back in...say 2001. the biggest inconsistency in a piece pizza i've noticed is often related to the sogginess of the crust... most often it's on the plain (red) pizza once in awhile it'll just be not crisp enough in the right places.

i'm pretty sure there's another thread on piece somewhere else (or maybe i'm thinking of another forum...), but my one major objection as of recently has been the price. they raised their toppings some time last year, which can easily turn an otherwise $13 pizza into a $20 pizza.

they did it in two ways (i think?). they raised the actual price--and all sizes are the same price... but also they have always had "regular" toppings and "premium" toppings. it used to be that the "premium" toppings category was reserved for things that actually cost more money (i.e., clams..). now it seems they've taken to just sticking it to the man... by adding the most popular toppings--and all meats--to the premium list. sausage and pepperoni are now somehow premium toppings. i think they kind of snuck that in there hoping people might not notice.

Was at Piece on Thursday evening with a few dudes. Beer, pizza, bad karaoke. It's quite the scene. And not in a good way. I'm not really sure why this place is so popular. We waited over an hour for our table. I love New Haven-style pizza, but this isn't really even that. The inclusion of a red pie does not singularly define NH-style pizza.

From a technical standpoint I had a few issues. First, the dough bakes up much too cracker-y. There's little to no pleasant chew here, just crispness. Also, the flavor of the dough is completely undeveloped. Both underseasoned and with no character. It's all rather one-dimensional in both texture and flavor. Great Lake's pies, for instance, assume a similarly crispy style but there's good oven spring--which contributes texture--and a distinct flavor to the dough.

The red pies seem to be oversauced, overwhelming the already rather anemic dough. The white pies are overtopped with gummy cheese and because the dough is, again, uninteresting, our pie came across as rather bland. We had decided to go with a couple meats and some green peppers and it just felt like fat-on-fat.

I wasn't drinking, so I can't speak to the quality of the beer. The selection seemed quite good.

The place is clealrly successful, I just don't quite get it. The product is good enough and the place is cheap, but I don't see how the pizza is that much more appealing than the corner slice shop.

I've been going to Piece since I moved back to Chicago three years ago as I live around the corner, I usually get white/sausage/mushroom. It's like crack for me. When I go there with the kids (5 and 7) I usually have to tell them to cook theirs light which they're usually very cool about. I rather like it when they overcook the edge a bit, but a charred bottom of the crust isn't good. The kids love the white/cheese. Consistency can be a problem lately though, but it seems much better to eat there when they're not slammed, and the eat-in pie is better than the take out.

Also recommend red/pepperoni/green pepper, and I like that overdone a bit as it makes the pepperoni nice and crispy on the edges.

Ref 3 wrote:Consistency can be a problem lately though,

If by "lately" you mean "always." BryanZ, maybe life's too short to ever re-try a place where you had one bad experience. Fair enough. I've been to Piece many times over the years and find I run into a clunker maybe one out of 5 times. When it's good, it's very good and doesn't suffer from the problems you describe. In addition to the "red pies" you've got your clams and rabe, great toppings that are typically NH and not often seen in these parts. Servers have told me point blank that certain of the kitchen teams don't nail the crust. Also, regarding the place's popularity, it's a cavernous, cheap, and lively place with a tremendous beer program. The beer must be mentioned in any assessment of Piece.

I also have to say that Piece pizza is one of my favorites and is even better the next day when it's reheated. It is like crack....no one gets to share my pizza. No one. I usually get the white pizza with clams and extra bacon and garlic. Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water............

Ref 3 wrote:I've been going to Piece since I moved back to Chicago three years ago as I live around the corner, I usually get white/sausage/mushroom. It's like crack for me. When I go there with the kids (5 and 7) I usually have to tell them to cook theirs light which they're usually very cool about. I rather like it when they overcook the edge a bit, but a charred bottom of the crust isn't good. The kids love the white/cheese. Consistency can be a problem lately though, but it seems much better to eat there when they're not slammed, and the eat-in pie is better than the take out.

Also recommend red/pepperoni/green pepper, and I like that overdone a bit as it makes the pepperoni nice and crispy on the edges.

From the dead, no report but instead looking for folks favorite tried and true Piece combos.

- I have found the bacon/mashed poatatoe/sometimes jalapeno on white to rock
- The clam white pizza when piping hot is amazing

What else are your favorites?

I've never made it past a red with bacon and banana peppers.

I'm not completely sold on Piece's pizza. The best one I've had their is the white clam pizza. I primarily go there for the beer, myself.

Recently, I've been ordering the pizza "well done" -- I like it, since you get a crisper crust overall. The outermost edge of the pizza does verge on being completely burnt, but it's a worthy trade-off for me.

Also, I rarely go with anything other than red/banana peppers/pepperoni. I did try a BBQ pizza before and it wasn't bad -- definitely sweet, but not bad. If I got it again, I'd go with red onions/bacon.

Their Sunday special remains one of the best in the city -- large pizza with a growler (carry-out only). When I was in the Piece Out section last weekend, it even looked like the growler comes with a branded growler koozie, which would make the deal that much better. I didn't think to inquire further, however.

Binko wrote:I'm not completely sold on Piece's pizza. The best one I've had their is the white clam pizza. I primarily go there for the beer, myself.

Add bacon to the clam pizza for a nice change of pace.

Sorry, should have been more specific. It was the bacon & clam that I tried and like.

lola wrote:I very much enjoy getting the cheese-pizza and their mixed green salad. After dressing the salad I use it to dress each individual slice of the pizza

I’ve got a place near me (Chatham Tap) that serves up a tasty salad-topped pizza: cappicola ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, banana peppers, mixed greens, with Italian dressing.

Jamieson22 wrote:I've never made it past a red with bacon and banana peppers.

We're stuck on pepperoni and banana peppers at work. Might have to try it your way.

I almost always go red with giardiniera and either sausage or pepperoni, sometimes with mushrooms or onions. I find it's consistently good and reheats well the next day.

-Dan

White pizza with garlic, fresh tomatoes and basil.

I made it back to Piece a couple months ago and I have to say that it's a very good pizza, but nothing special. I'm not a fan of the chewiness of the crust. I'd go back, but only after a few years when I forget what it was like. Then I'll go back and go, oh yeah, this was pretty good, but there are many better options. Beware the awful idea to have live karaoke night there. There is a band, and they play WAY too loud (trust me, I'm a musician) and it becomes intrusive to having an enjoyable meal. Because they'll let any hack up there sing, it makes it even more painful.

Favorite Piece combos:
pepperoni & mushroom
roasted red pepper, spinach & sausage (and sometimes goat cheese, but they charge a premium)

For some reason, the sausage versions aren't as well-done/crispy as the pepperoni-topped ones...so I'll order those well done for the desired effect.

I also find their delivery tastes better than dine-in...the oven next door must impart that inexplicable something that just agrees with me.

Have yet to try the white pies, will have to remedy that with a clam/bacon soon.

The Hot Doug's Atomic Sausage Pizza (add pepperoni) has been my go-to at Piece for the past few months. Stopped in recently for lunch and enjoyed it immensely once again . . .


Hot Doug's Atomic Sausage Pizza (add pepperoni) @ Piece

I love that they're open for lunch, which is a much mellower time to be in that part of the city.

=R=

1927 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 772-4422

We had the Atomic with pepperoni as a pickup from Piece last night. The crust was an abomination—like chewing a thick piece of cardboard.

Marija wrote:We had the Atomic with pepperoni as a pickup from Piece last night. The crust was an abomination—like chewing a thick piece of cardboard.

Their pizza does not travel nor age well. Fresh out of the oven, it's okay but every creeping second turns the bottom of the crust into a tough chewy chore to eat.

I love Piece but it's been a long time since I was there. Looking forward to getting back there sooner than later. I think their crust is definitely not tender (though, I've never come close to experiencing "cardboard" there) but there's a great trade-off for that because it's one of the most flavorful crusts in town. And that flavor expresses all the way through the chew. So the longer chew is part of what distginguishes it. But yeah, you do have to give it a tug, relative to a lot of other local crusts.

In any case, given what's currently going on in our world, I find it pretty easy to give a place a pass when they fall outside their normal parameters.

=R=

Just ordered a large with half pepperoni and green olives, and half cheese, through Piece's website. After a normal tip, the total cost came to just under $50...

... for 1 pizza. I'm not sure what just happened.