What happened to Pequod's Pizza... [+ Burt's Place]

What happened to Pequod's Pizza joint... I walked by a week ago and it was closed. What's the story? Anyone know... I heard maybe a fire..? Man! That's my fav pan pizza in the city. Good bunch of guys ( and gal ) to.



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Yes - I was wondering the same thing. I drove by the other day and noticed the dreaded "closed for remodeling" sign on the door.

pequod's ... my first love. i will miss you, pie of delicious awesomeness. :(

The original location, of course, is still open.

Pequod's
8520 Fernald Ave
Morton Grove, IL
847-470-9161

Yes, the Pequod's on Fernald is still there in Morton Grove, along with Burt's Place a couple blocks west, on Ferris between Lincoln & Dempster.
Burt was the original owner of Pequod's and Gulliver's (in the 1960's) on Howard St. in the city, and is still doing his thing strong!

stevez wrote:The original location, of course, is still open.

Pequod's
8520 Fernald Ave
Morton Grove, IL
847-470-9161

there are two pequod's?! do you think they'll deliver from morton grove to old town?

Rumor has it they are closed a few weeks for remodeling/expansion, but will be open at the same location in due time. Hope so!!

Went to the Morton Grove Pequod's for lunch with my wife and a few friends. Very quaint and of the beaten path. About half the size of the Chicago location. I was happy to see that they had the same beer list. My wife and I always get the Tucher Weiss (Cloudy of course). It was nice to see that their Chicago location is true to their roots, the pizza is just as amazing in both locations.

I did have a chance to speak to the Manager (who I think is the owner) of Pequod’s and he confirmed that they did have a kitchen fire and that they hoped to back up and running in a few months...

When I expressed my condolences for our fair city’s loss he laughed and said to fear not... "If we can help it, we'll never close that place down"...

shakezula wrote:pequod's ... my first love. i will miss you, pie of delicious awesomeness.

Am I missing something, or is that pizza horribly burnt?

You're missing something. The brown around the edges is by design -- the outer crust is coated with cheese, which turns crispy and browns while cooking. I wouldn't call it burnt, but others might. It's something that people who love pequod's absoltely adore, and it's the main thing that causes others to not love pequods.

I love pequod's, and that pizza looks fantastic to me.

I wouldn't call that BROWN on the edge.

Mmm, crispy burnt edge...

There must be work going on all the buildings (or storefronts within the building) on that block, since we already had the conversation about whether Filippo's or one of the others was closed or just had scaffolding in front, too. Glad to hear Pequod's is not closing (hopefully) for good.

HI,

Is the crispy edge really that burnt? There is a fine line between tasty char and eating a mouthful of carbon. I'm guess from the reaction it is a tasty char, but those pictures don't cause me to grab the keys and go.

Regards,

My tastebuds vote that the cheese on the edge crust is delighfully caramalized.

I don't eat their pizza much [not convenient or something, I dunno] but I can speak to the art that must go into them get the crust just the right ammount of browned. I've had pizzas there separated by 10 or so years, and they tasted exactly the same. Clearly design, not accident.

Giovanna

Yeah, it's blackened just right.

But then everyone has different tastes. For instance, this morning my kids dipped their home-cured bacon in black currant water buffalo yogurt.

On our recent visit, one friend who loves both cooking and chemistry remarked with the first bite (and with authority) that the delicious crust was cooked with cornmeal. And apparently the ethanol or something in corn will convert to a form of sugar when heated to a high temperature. That's why the crispy edges on the pan crust are so tasty.

shakezula wrote:
there are two pequod's?! do you think they'll deliver from morton grove to old town?

They said they will deliver to Chicago from Morton Grove until they re-open the Chicago location.
Just give them some extra time.

It is definitely carmelized. I agree it looks burnt and I am always sure it will be everytime I order at Pequods, but it's not.

Carmalized, definitely carmalized. It gives the top rim of the crust an unusually crisp texture.

Lucky me, I grew up about four blocks from the MG location and have been enjoying Pequod's for as long as I can remember. Love the wooden whale-shaped hot pads and the old radio collection scattered around the room. Dark, homey, and neighborhood-y atmosphere.

Diannie

I've always wondered, although the pizza bears little resemblance to something from New Haven, is the whaling and Moby Dick theme intended to convey a Connecticut connection?

The crust is carmalized, not burnt, and is the most amazing thing i have ever come across. They will definetly deliver to Chicago as I just had a pie last Sunday and I live in Lakeview. It will take about an hour in a half so be sure to call accordingly. It arrived hot and as good as it should be.

That pic Shakezula posted is making me hungry!

Dangit! Now I gotta order a pie!

Anyone have news on when the Chicago location is reopening?

pequodsgirl wrote:They will definetly deliver to Chicago as I just had a pie last Sunday and I live in Lakeview. It will take about an hour in a half so be sure to call accordingly. It arrived hot and as good as it should be.

I hope you gave a GENEROUS tip to the driver.

By the way, I noticed a large banner on the outside of Pequod's yesterday when I drove by. It appeared to provide additional information and/or an update on their situation. Unfortunately, I couldn't read it since I was driving. Does anyone have ant additional info.?

i just called the lincoln park number for delivery and they're bringing it over! i drove by last weekend and the sign said they're open for carryout and delivery! woohoo! my pizza's on it's way!

JeffB wrote: is the whaling and Moby Dick theme intended to convey a Connecticut connection?

I doubt it. At the place in Morton Grove they had an inflatable whale with a pair of panties on its head. In fact, that became their logo, a whale on a motorcyle with panties on its head. Weird, huh? The first time I was there with a friend, years ago, we ordered a large pizza for the two of us. The owner took our order and said "you'll have a nice bowel movement tomorrow morning". I have to say, I had never been told that before in a restaurant, or ever again.

Anyhow, they line the sides of the pan with slices of mozarrella before they put the dough in. That's where the carmelization comes from.

I'm pretty sure it's cheddar and not mozzarella on the outside, but I'll remind myself to ask next time I order.

If you saw them put white cheese in the pan, it could have been a white cheddar.

** Update - Nope. I was wrong. not cheddar. It's whole milk mozzarella

edheller wrote:If you saw them put white cheese in the pan, it could have been a white cheddar.

It may very well have been cheddar, or it may have even been provolone or some other cheese. I never actually asked. I just assumed it was mozzarella. Cheddar makes sense because it is more oily.

Now that I think about it, the cheese may actually have been yellow. I seem to remember commenting on it because I was surprised. It was so long ago.

When the location on Clybourn first opened, I didn't like it as well as the original. Since I live far north, I always go to the MG restaurant. I hate dealing with the traffic in the Clybourn corridor. Anyhow, from what I now understand, the pizza is pretty identical at both locations. Can anyone who has eaten at both Pequod's attest to this?

d4v3 wrote:When the location on Clybourn first opened, I didn't like it as well as the original. Since I live far north, I always go to the MG restaurant. I hate dealing with the traffic in the Clybourn corridor. Anyhow, from what I now understand, the pizza is pretty identical at both locations. Can anyone who has eaten at both Pequod's attest to this?

I've had delivery from both. I've eaten at the Chicago location and have picked up pizzas from the Original location. They taste the same, by which I mean AWESOME!

i just called the lincoln park number for delivery and they're bringing it over! i drove by last weekend and the sign said they're open for carryout and delivery! woohoo! my pizza's on it's way!

Has anyone else successfully gotten delivery from the Clybourn location recently? I was at the Matchbox on Monday night (Feb 27th), and told the bartender that Pequods had reopened--he was very dejected when he called and they said they weren't open for delivery yet! And I really want to stay on the good side of the Matchbox bartenders.

Has anyone else successfully gotten delivery from the Clybourn location recently?

You know, that's a good question. I ordered a pan pizza from the Clybourn number on Monday and was told the order would take an hour and a half. So I assumed that they would be coming from Morton Grove... God bless'um, it took a little over two hours. When the delivery boy came we talked a bit and he told me that they're working hard to clean the place up and hope to be up and running in about 6 weeks. So keep your eyes open mid April. The pie was pretty soggy and cold but I still gave him the best tip I've ever given a delivery boy! The truth is I'll keep buying soggy-cold pies for as long as it takes to support these guys. Sounds crazy I know, but only a foodie would understand what I'm saying. They're without a doubt my favorite pizza joint ever.

Oh I forgot to mention, the latest signage on their boarded up windows on Clybourn reads:

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY! THE PEQUOD IS SINKING. HELP US SAVE THE PEQUOD...

On Monday, January 9th, disaster struck our beloved location at Clybourn and Webster. Fire consumed the building and forced us to temporarily close our doors. We are rebuilding this location as fast as we can. Currently all your pizza will be rushed to you from the Original location. We need your support and loyalty to ensure that THE PEQUOD WILL RISE AGAIN!"