A subject near and dear to my heart as a lifelong Chicago suburban brat! LOL I live between a Gino's East location and a Lou Malnati's location. I like them both, but find myself going to Lou's more often! I vote for Lou's. Marc Malnati has demonstrated how to put together a pizza on a bunch of shows on both Travel Channel and Food Network. If you see the reruns some great tips there. Malnati's has a butter crust available that I just love and have been trying to find a recipe for it for years! Don't miss it while you're here. If you want to do a bit of research you can actually have Lou Malnati's pizza sent to you, anywhere in the country. (no I don't work for them LOL) www.tasteofchicago.com. When you come, save yourself some time. Call the restaurant before you get there and place your pizza order. It will shorten the wait time at the table! All the menus are online! No need to par bake the crust first. The crust isn't actually thick like most people imagine. It's just a bit thicker than thin crust. The difference is the depth of the pan and the ability to pile on the fillings! A bit of oil in the pan helps you stretch the dough and as Mr. Malnati said on TV it sort of helps crisply fry the crust as the pizza cooks. Blistering hot oven helps too! Like cast iron pans, Chicago pizza pans are seasoned over time. No soap and water. A new pan might stick a bit. But keep making the pizza and they won't ever stick. Treat the pan as you would a cast iron skillet. Scrape out the bits and lightly clean with a scrubby pad. But don't take off the seasoned finish! Welcome to Chicago! Come and enjoy our pizza and our city! Have fun baking! You won't regret it! Good stuff! P.S. Try the leftovers for breakfast! Guilty little pleasure. I like it cold from the fridge, but you might want to heat it in an oven first..LOL

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