When I moved into my condo a year ago, my parents commented that their Chicago based neighbors swore by a pizza restaurant near my new home. I've been to The Windy City probably between 7-10 times, and while I'm no expert on Chicago style pizza, I try a new pizza place each time I go and consider myself a semi-competent judge. I'm not proud that it took me a year and a half to finally stop in to put this pizza joint to the test, but boy am I glad I did!
Spinato's was started in AZ back in 1974 by two Chicago transplants and has grown to five locations valley wide. When my friend and I came in, there was about a 25 minute wait (which I was delighted about, you know my theory that a place without a wait on a weekend night might not be a place worth eating...) And the first thing you notice is the smell of the sweet tomato sauce. The atmosphere is a homey, family style feel with all the classical visual elements of a italian restaurant (the picture was taken at the end of our visit after the place had cleared out a bit, it really was packed when we arrived!).
I did my homework before my visit, and most reviews mentioned Mama's Signature Spinach pizza or the Spaghetti Calzone, and the waiter also recommended the Spicy Italian Pizza (along with everything else on the menu). Any pizza can be fully customized with either thick or thin crust, and all pizzas can be made as a calzone, which leads to an abundance of choices. We wound up doing half Signature Spinach and half Spicy Italian with a thin crust, and biting into it definitely took me back to the streets of Chicago! In fact Spinato's vs. Oregano's for AZ deep dish pizza eateries, I'd go Spinato's! Some of the things that make pizza unique in that region are a heavier feel with a sweeter sauce and a different crust than the more traditional New York style which is known for a thin, foldable crust with minimal toppings. The Chicago deep dish crust generally has a cornmeal base with a thick layer of dough that almost achieves a fried effect due to the heavy oil used in the pizza pan. The thin crust almost has a thicker feel than NYP because of it's noticeable crunch, layers of toppings and non-chunky sauce, and gets cut into squares (which is called "party style" as opposed to slices. Although it varies by pizza joint, I've also noticed that in Chicago I found the cheese is more often on top of or intermixed with the toppings, while NYP has the cheese as a base, with the toppings obviously sprinkled on top of it. The pizza debate will always have fans for both styles. I find that it depends on my mood, for a light, but tasty pie I'd go to Pizzeria Bianco, but if I'm in the mood for a heavier, hearty, meal of a pie, this is the closest thing to Chicago I've found in Arizona!
I want to try this out. Thanks.
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