Gino's East

After three tries this year, I finally made it to Chicago! Actually, I have been to this city numerous times, if changing flights at O'Hare counts, but this was my first time stepping foot on Chicago soil...and it was thrilling. And freezing. Mark and I are starting a tradition of visiting fantastic American cities at the most uncomfortable times - New York in December, Chicago in November, Savannah in an oppressive heat wave. Poor planning at its best.

But that's not the point of this post. This one is all about pizza! Earlier in the year we saw Gino's East featured on the Food Channel and as soon as we entered the city last Wednesday, we made a beeline for this pizza paradise. Chicago is home to the deep-dish pizza, which can easily be compared to a casserole. The pizza's at Gino's are no joke. I felt like I was eating a half-foot of bread, sauce, and cheese - it's definitely elastic-waistband material. Pathetically, one slice in, I had to wave the white flag. So disappointing.

Mark waved the white flag at slice number three. Here he is regretting that last slice, or maybe it was the $50 bill. Gino's isn't cheap, unless you split a pie for a party of four, which is completely doable. On a positive note, the American Heart Association was spending time at our hotel. We commented several times, while chewing on a pile of cheese, that those conference attendees may come in quite useful.

And in exciting news, this meal completed my pizza trifecta - eating New York style in Manhattan, deep dish in Chicago, and Neapolitan in Naples, Italy. The favorite: Neapolitan by far.