Chicago vs. New York pizza showdown

March 6, 2007 / Filed under: Competition, Food

Rachel Ray (the face of grocery stores everywhere) is hosting a New York vs. Chicago Pizza Throwdown, and I'm inspired to participate.

From the web site:

One winner will be chosen from each city to present their pizza (and represent their city) on the Rachel Ray show later this month.

Only thing is... I haven't tried all those places listed as options.

I guess I now have an excuse to go out and eat a lot of pizza!

I have tried a few of the options:

  • Home Run Inn
  • Connies Pizza
  • Ginos East of Chicago

Based on those three, Home Run Inn would get my early vote, but I should probably test some other places, to be sure.

I'll be in downtown Chicago this week and next, so there's a good opportunity to find some of those places.

Go Chicago!

Thanks Michelle for sending this in.

Comments/Mentions

# shell at 3/6/2007 9:20 am cst

You can write in your favorite. I put in Father and Son

# lulu at 3/11/2007 7:40 pm cst

Homemade Pizza Co is my favorite pizza!!!

# Mike at 3/14/2007 8:24 am cst

Rachael Ray is probably a transplanted New Yorker living in South Florida (As are most Southeast Floridians). I'm from Chicago but I did live there for a while. The first problem with her "contest" is you can't put Chicago deep dish and thin crust pizza in the same category. Comparing apples and oranges. New York thin crust is not even in the same ballpark or league as Chicago pizza (reason why Chicago is known for it's pizza, not New York). Chicago pizza (deep dish, thin crust, or stuffed) is in a class of it's own. New York's greasy thin crust pizza is good - if I'm drunk and it's 4 AM on a Saturday (but then again so is White Castle). Besides, any city that doesn't even know what deep dish or stuffed is, can't consider it's pizza great. Sorry New York, you're not even close on this one.

My choice: Original Pizza Uno or Due (Not the franchise in name only.) Gino's East is a very close 2nd.

# Matthom at 3/14/2007 9:32 am cst

Good thoughts Mike, thanks.

# Carol Adams at 3/14/2007 1:20 pm cst

I vote for CONNIE'S Deep Dish, that is the only pizza worth talking about. When we have our kids or other guests we usally order Connies Deep Dish by their requst, so it isn't only me! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

# Shell at 3/14/2007 6:21 pm cst

If you are a fan of Chicago pizza of any kind you should vote on Rachel Ray's site so we can prove that Chicago is city for pizza.

# carmen at 4/25/2007 5:01 pm cst

Does anyone actually know when the winners will be annouced on the show, I've been looking on her website, but she hasn't said anything about who won or when the show will be on having to do with the contest.

# Shell at 4/25/2007 7:38 pm cst

The show aired today and Chicago lost! Clearly the judges dont know anything, Chicago is the only place to get great pizza.

I have attached a link to the show.

# Carmen at 4/28/2007 9:51 pm cst

Clearly the judges were not impartial... I think someone should demand a rematch with more impartial judges.

# Gerry at 5/5/2007 11:11 pm cst

I got your thick, gummy, square cut Chicago pizza right here. New York pizza is the standard by which all other pizzas are judged. It won because it is simply better.

# Garraz at 6/30/2008 7:04 am cst

Both points of view are correct. Chicago is clearly the best place to get "Chicago-style pizza." The issue is that "Chicago-style pizza" is not "pizza"-- that is, it should never be called "pizza" without the "Chicago-style" modifier. Pizza originated in Naples, Italy, and has migrated to many other places in the world, and with one exception its variants retain most core attributes. But "Chicago-style pizza" would not be recognized as being a "pizza" anywhere else but Chicago. Comparing "Chicago-style pizza" with "pizza" is like comparing American football with soccer (called "football" everywhere but North America) just because the two have a common origin and name. They have evolved into two separate specifies and really defy direct comparisons.

P.S. I really love good Chicago-style pizza and sometimes even prefer it (depending on mood) but there is no way to equate it with NY pizza or others of that type.

# Frankiw at 6/30/2008 7:11 am cst

I would disagree with Mike on one point. The superior shape of the Chicago pizza does in fact support beer drinking better than NYC pizza. When sufficiently drunk, I can vomit into an empty Chicago pizza shell; this can then be baked to make a nicely representative Chicago pizza (depending on prior contents of my stomach of course). If I attempted to barf on a bare NYC crust, the contents would spill over, making an awful mess-- not pretty at all, and definitely something no NY pizzeria could ever serve to a customer. So there is no doubt in my mind that Chicago pizza does go much better with beer than NYC pizza.