In Praise of… Domino’s?
The Bratty, Contrarian Spirit Lurking Inside Me
The bratty, contrarian spirit lurking inside me has long wanted to set up a taste test between Domino’s Crunchy Thin Crust pizza and a standard bearer for Chicago tavern-style pie. Though this sounds like a stunt, I’ve been honestly curious to see how they would compare; I do really like tavern-style pizzas and, in a previous life, I really liked Domino’s. I like the same thing about both: the cut, the crunch, the corners.
The Term “Tavern Style” Has Been Around for Decades
The term broke big last year when New York Times food columnist J. Kenji Lopez-Alt wrote a widely circulated piece about Chicago’s best tavern-style pizzas and devised a recipe based to some degree on the one used at Kim’s Uncle Pizza in Westmont. Because pizza is the most obsessed-over food, the obsessives went wild.
A Taste Test with Domino’s and Pat’s Pizzeria
So the time came for my taste test, which I’ve conveniently left to the end of this article to avoid the pitchforks. The most-loved and most-iconic tavern style closest to my house is from Pat’s Pizzeria. I ordered a medium pie, half cheese/half pepperoni, from both Pat’s and Domino’s, set them up side by side and invited people in my orbit to try both.
I found that Pat’s pizza had milkier cheese and tomato-ier sauce, both of which easily detached themselves from the crust when we tried to pry pieces apart. The crust was spotted black from the oven and crunchy in the way of, say, the corner of a flour tortilla quesadilla or a pita chip. I liked it. The Domino’s pizza on the other hand was blander but better constructed, with a uniformly golden brown crust and a sheer cheese topping that melded into it. It tasted like it had more fat in the dough, so it was both super thin and super flaky, like the bottom of a buttery croissant. Our group, none of us native Chicagoans, all liked the Domino’s better. We kept eating it, little square by little square, until it was no more and then made inroads into the Pat’s pie.
A Conclusion
I’m not saying that Domino’s has better pizza but perhaps it does belong in the conversation as an example of a certain kind of short crust style now that tavern style is gearing up as a huge trend. Please take every opinion I make with a grain of salt, though. After all, I’ve admitted that I sometimes crave Mellow Mushroom. Opinions are all personal and should be shared.
Soft Serve Surprises
If you love soft serve ice cream, then check out two new spots bringing some flavor swag. LTO, a.k.a. “Limited Time Only” on the patio at Avondale’s Guild Row through the summer. Chef Jamie Davis has been devising flavors such as caramelized white chocolate and goat cheese, blackberry, rhubarb, and black sesame. Over at the new Bar Parisette, where Madalyn Durrant is chef, the flavors have included salted vanilla and blueberry/lavender. During happy hour the “shake frites” snack combines crisp fries with a sidecar of vanilla soft serve.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Pat’s Pizzeria serves a delicious tavern-style pizza, Domino’s Crunchy Thin Crust pizza also deserves recognition as an example of a certain kind of short crust style. Taste is subjective, and it’s okay to have personal preferences when it comes to pizza.
FAQs
Q: Why did you compare Domino’s to Pat’s Pizzeria?
A: I wanted to see how a well-known tavern-style pizza joint compared to a chain pizza place with a similar style.
Q: Do you think Domino’s has better pizza?
A: No, I don’t think Domino’s has inherently better pizza. However, its Crunchy Thin Crust pizza is a worthy contender in the tavern-style pizza conversation.
Q: Why do you mention Mellow Mushroom?
A: I mentioned Mellow Mushroom as a comparison to Domino’s and to show that personal opinions on pizza are subjective and can vary greatly.
