Chicago "Stuffed" Pizza Is the Best Single Style

Now, I don't really believe this. I don't have a favorite style, and I would put regular deep dish without the top layer of crust above stuffed myself.

Consider, this, though: Which city in America is known to have an extremely diverse, sophisticated dining scene, with very picky and astute eaters, easy access to the best raw ingredients, a food culture that is democratic and not so split between the high-end "haves" and the ethnic "have nots," as regards worthwhile dining experiences, the way that Chicago, LA and NYC arguably are, but also has no native pizza culture to speak of, and thus no "pizza baggage?" That's right, Omaha. No, wait, San Francisco.

How, then, is it possible that the diners of the Bay Area, lousy with wood burning ovens, artisnal cheeses and salume, almost uniformly (from Zagat's to the "alternative" papers to the best single board on CH) agree that the temple to Chicago tourist pizza called Zachary's is the best by far? Not just quality, but also form, style. A pound of melted cheese in a buttery crust with crushed tomatoes on top: Genius!

A Chicago pizza in San Francisco is Josephine Baker in Paris.

(Or is it Jerry Lewis?)

The SF raves for Zachary's are even more amazing considering Zachary's is in Oakland!

Right. "Best Pizza, San Francisco" according to CitySearch (and East Bay, too). SF seems willing to accept the East Bay as its own when it comes to pizza and BBQ.

On a visit to the Bay area four years ago, I happened upon a slice of "Chicago-style" deep dish pizza (though I can't remember if it was stuffed) while visiting some folks in Berkeley. I wasn't too impressed -- of course, I was quite ill at the time -- but, then again, I'm also probably more a fan of thin crust pizza myself. (One of these days, Candlelite, one of these days!) I did find it puzzling at the time that pizzas from the Chicago school of cooking were so highly thought of over there. It was interesting to try fries with ranch dressing, though.

Having eaten at Zachary's twice, it is a very tasty product. I've tried many of the chicago standards- including Gino's East, the original Uno's, Lou Malnati's, Giordanos, and Edwardo's and I must say Zachary's stacks up well.

One caveat, I don't have any special insight of what chicago style pizza is suppose to taste like (i.e. cornmeal crust, stuffed vs. deep dish) as I am a recent Chicago transplant from Dallas. But as far as just taste, I enjoyed Zachary's as much as any of the above chicago originals (and in some cases, Zachary's was better.)

best,

veeral

My point wasn't so much whether good Chicago style pizza is available in Oakland, but the idea that Bay Area diners would rave over this style of pizza and, faced with choosing a "best" pizza place, chose a deep dish purveyor.

JeffB wrote:My point wasn't so much whether good Chicago style pizza is available in Oakland, but the idea that Bay Area diners would rave over this style of pizza and, faced with choosing a "best" pizza place, chose a deep dish purveyor.

That is rather surprising... Maybe there is a backlash against the Puckification of pizza in the west...

A

I lived in the East Bay for several years and when first in Chicago travelled back for visits quite a bit. I usually stayed with friends in Rockridge, around the corner from Zachary's. Zachary's was always suggested as a dining option, and I would always reply, "Are you nuts? Why would I travel 2000 miles away from Chicago to eat Chicago-style pizza? Let's go to the Burmese (or Cambodian, etc etc) place instead!" But yes, everyone there seems to be crazy for Zachary's.

For what it's worth, my favorite Bay Area pizza was the goat cheese calzone at Chez Panisse Cafe...