Chicago Part 1

CHICAGO
Part 1: Burt’s Place
by
Walt and Paula


Day 1 in Chicago

Most places in Chicago don’t take reservations, Burt’s Place apparently does. We tried to call ahead several times, but the phone was always busy. So, we drove out anyway (from Ann Arbor), with a back up plan, just in case. When we got there at 9:00 pm, it looked pretty deserted. Not very impressive for a place that is supposed to be so popular. It was truly a neighborhood, joint, situated in the heart of a neighborhood with no other commercial establishments around. There were a few diners left and the hostess (who we later found out was the owner) told us they were closed. Walt asked if we could get something to take out. The hostess said, they were completely full tonight, but “if you call tomorrow I can get you in.” Walt muttered something about having driven all the way from the eastern side of Michigan and having tried to call several times, but that we couldn’t get through and then just walked out. She apparently went and talked to Burt (who we later found out she is married to), who told her to give us a free pie. We were sitting out in the car figuring out how to get to the next place on our list, when she came out and asked us if we wanted a free one. Walt went back in to choose one of the pies that had been ordered for takeout but not picked up. He offered to pay for it, but she wouldn’t let him. He thinks he should have taken the one for free and offered to pay for a second one so we could try another flavor (there were three that hadn’t been claimed). What we liked about the pizza for carry out was that they weren’t in boxes. They were on a heavy cardboard round, covered in foil and then a large paper bag that was stapled shut and was more like an envelope than a bag.

Burt’s Place has a pan pizza somewhere between a deep dish and a thin crust. It’s different from a typical Chicago pizza in that the crust is about 1" thick, with a little char on the ends of the crust. It was a little sweet tasting. The amount of sauce would have been too much for a thin crust pie, but it was just right for the thickness of the crust. We ate the first pieces stone cold, since they had been sitting there for awhile. The convenient flat top of a Honda’s four cylinder engine however, proved a nice warming device. We left it there to warm while we went in to have dinner at Portilla’s, our plan B (more on Portilla’s later). But even stone cold, you could tell it was a superb pizza. The sausage was very tangy, in flat clumps and complimented by strips of caramelized onions and strips of fresh green peppers. The toppings offered are pretty basic including cheese, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, black and green olives, tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, and banana peppers. You really don’t need or want anything more than that to muck up a really good pizza. It’s all about the crust, sauce and top quality ingredients.

Burt’s menu claims it is “Pizza for Grown-Ups” and “On Time Every Time”. It is located at 8541 N. Ferris Ave, in Morton Grove. They don’t take credit cards. The pies run from $11.25 to $19.25 and up to $2.50 per extra ingredient. They serve alcohol and a few appetizers. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays and their hours of operations vary, so call ahead (good luck getting through) at 847-965-7997.

On a subsequent trip to Chicago we returned to Burt’s Place, this time calling the day before to make a reservation. We felt like insiders this time knowing the protocol. It was very amusing to sit in this minuscule restaurant, at the very table Anthony Bourdain sat, and listening to the phone, which was right behind our table, ringing off the hook. Each time it was answered by Burt’s wife, she had to say, “No, we are full tonight” in a pretty harried tone. Finally, one irate caller let her have it, out of frustration no doubt. Hmmmmm, we could relate.