Pizza Lover Chicago

Pizzeria Serio

Felicia — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:15:18 +0000

The first time I ate at Serio was a few months after it opened in at the edge of the Roscoe Village neighborhood. After ~2 years, it was great to go back with Sara and Allison and learn a bit about the behind the scenes side of the pizzeria. One of my favorite takeaways was that the owner loves a simple margherita pizza! Gotta love people who believe in the basics. I’ll try to keep my review brief .

The classic Hobart mixer. Every home has its pricey & trustworthy kitchenaid mixer, Hobert is cream of the crop for restaurant kitchens.
Dough is covered while rising.

Dough and the date it was made

Fresh anacini sausage from the local Chicago vendor- doesn’t get better than that. They cook the sausage ¾ of the way and the rest is baked when the pizzas are in the oven.

Baked goat cheese- One of their popular appetizers. Easy to make and yummy to eat.

Wildly popular mini calzones. These little nuggets are perfect for sharing pre-pizza with a simple blend of mozzarella & ricotta cheeses.

DUH- Classic margherita. I think this is one of my favorite pies in Chitown. From the sauce to the cheese, to the crust, happy all-around
Serio has been tweaking the sauce method ever since they started… you can never put too much time into perfecting your recipe. Currently they use three different types of tomatoes with some salt, sugar, basil, oregano, etc.

More exciting toppings. Some spicy added as well.

Cinna stix! The staff invented this satisfying dessert when they were playing around in the kitchen one night.

Siena Tavern- Chicago

Felicia — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:05:28 +0000

One of the hottest restaurants in River North is the new Siena Tavern. My girlfriends and I were able to snag a seat on the early side and were excited to see what the hype was about.

The cocktails were cool: They are numbered cocktails. I had the No.2 which was fruity and Anna & Audrey had the No.1
Portions were great for sharing! Each dish was larger than expected
The whole restaurant was buzzing with energy. High top tables, bar seating, chic booths, etcetera
The grilled octopus was great! Although I didn’t try it, I trust the feedback from my friends.
We had the carne pizza. The fresh sausage, pepperoni, and bacon were great on top of the pizza.
- The thin & sturdy crust handled the toppings well, but had little to no flavor
- There wasn’t too much sauce or cheese to accompany the toppings
The gnocchi was AMAZING.
- It was heavy because it was baked in a truffle cream sauce
- Pillows of dough were hard to resist
Orchiette pasta special with sausage was great as well
- Not sure on the sauce but it was unique
Overall, I may have failed at ordering because we had so many heavy & carb-loaded dishes
- Would love to try their meat & cheeses next time

Coal Vines- Dallas

Felicia — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:52:14 +0000

I love working at a company where my friends & coworkers live in different cities. Troy and I spent a sunny Thursday evening (no really, it was sunny) on the patio at Coal Vines pizza & wine bar.

We ordered a large margherita pizza & bruschetta since we decided to ‘live a little,’ BUT it was insanity! At the end of the meal, I sent him home with a few slices .

Some key points about the meal:

If you order a glass of wine, they bring the bottle out to fill your glass. I love that special touch
The bruschetta had two different flavors: one had pesto & ricotta, and the other was simple mozzarella & tomato. Troy & I liked the simpler one
The coal oven char on the pizza was splendid. I was craving some good stuff and this hit the spot
Fresh cheese, fresh tomato sauce, great flavoring in the crust, and LOTS of basil
Loved the ‘condiment’ trio of crushed red pepper, parm, and oregano for each table

Bar Umbriago

Felicia — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:36:25 +0000

On one of my crazy short visits to Chicago, I met up with Corey & Sara in River North. We stumbled upon Bar Umbriago, which apparently is closing soon! The restaurant was busy, but we were immediately seated at a high-top table near the entrance. We shared a pizza and roasted peppers along with some Vino. The cold peppers were full of flavor and adorned with fresh garlic & oil. Sara and I put some of the peppers on our pizza as well.

We ordered a simple margherita pizza. Although it doesn’t have to be fancy, I expected more since they described the cheese as buffala mozzarella. Normally you would see dollops of fresh cheese, that was not the case. There was enough sauce, but the crust was quite bland. Either way, the ambiance was hip and inviting. Although the restaurant is going out of business, I’m sure another hot spot will open up here shortly.

Extreme Pizza

Felicia — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:52:56 +0000

Here is a handful of personal pizzas from Extreme Pizza, a restaurant we came across in breckenridge. The place was empty so we were guaranteed attentive service for our large group of 13.

The pricing on pies was weird, and it seemed more cost effective to order individual pies with preferred toppings. I think everyone was happy with their choices. The crust was thick enough with a buttery flavor. Nothing too special but the variety of toppings was a plus.

We had a great time along with some great beers!