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Ballo
449 N Dearborn St
Chicago,
IL 60610
312 832-7700
We sent correspondent Jarrod of "The Pizza Fans" to Chi-Town...what did he have to say about the pie? Read on...
I had the fortune of making a drive out to
Chicago to meet up with my friend Ben from San Jose, California. As you all know, Chicago is celebrated for it's pizza. And for good reason. The pizza I had while visiting is some
of the best pizza I have ever had.
I'll start with my visit to Ballo Italian Restaurant. It has traditional Italian
food, but a rather untraditional dining environment. The dining area has a disco ball and Elvis, as well as other tunes
of the 60's and 70's play throughout the place. The staff here treat you like royalty. I half wondered if they
thought Ben was a powerful mob boss with as much as they were catering to us. The first thing they do is bring out this
incredible Italian bread with oil and fresh ground mozzarella.
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| Heavenly bread |
It was simply divine! Then the pizza
came. I ordered the "Boscaiola". Which was mozzarella, tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, cream cheese and parmesan.
Talk about my pizza heaven!
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| The doctor says too much cheese is bad...but he's wrong. This is so GOOD!! |
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| Just look at the blended cheese on this heavenly slice! It was bursting with creamy cheese flavour! |
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| And look at this perfectly baked bottom. It was wonderfully crispy. Yet hot, moist and melty on to |
Ben's pizza was fantastic as well.
He ordered the "Margherita". Which was simply mozzarella, tomato sauce, and fresh basil. He also ordered pepperoni
for extra measure. His tasted completely different from mine. More zesty and salty. It was delicious.
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| I wish I was there for this pie. - Dan |
The pepperoni was very thinly sliced, but
high quality. It didn't burn from the flame. And you can see the juices from the pepperoni bleeding off into the
crust on the right. Adding that flavourful touch to the crust.
The slice stays firm even though there is
a wealth of sauce, cheese and pepperoni topping. And just look and this wonderful crispy crust!
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| Slightly burnt crust with a wonderful smoky flavour |
Burnt on the edge and giving it a wonderful
crunch. I was very pleased with this brick oven pizza.
My favorite thing about my pie was the cream cheese.
It added a very original flavour to the pizza I was not used to and made it extra tasty.
Chicago Menu Pages - Ballo
Gino's East of Chicago
633 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60610
312-943-1124
We sent correspondent Jarrod of "The Pizza Fans" to Chi-Town...what did he have to say about the pie? Read on...
This is my second review from the Windy City. The next morning, Ben and I decided to go to a Chicago pizza treasure. Rated as one of the best pizza places in
town. And after eating here, I understand why.
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| Gino's East...even the architecture looks like pizza slices. |
The inside of this place is rather interesting.
It almost looks dirty. The walls are gloss black and everyone writes on the wall with white paint pens. It's rather
unusual. But the staff is very friendly and kept our drink cups full. That is always a great way to get a tip
increase from me. Anyway, Ben and I ordered a simple double cheese and pepperoni deep dish pizza. And it arrived
very quickly in all of its splendor.
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| Real, Authentic Chicago Deep Dish |
It looked so good, I had a hard time holding
back. Ben was in the washroom, and I wanted to wait until he got back before taking my first bite. First off,
we needed a fork and knife to eat this, as it was so loaded with cheese and sauce. Just look at this incredible
slice of pizza!
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| Incredible slice of Chicago pie! |
The cheese is literally thick and sliding
off the slice. But most importantly, words cannot express how fantastic this pizza tasted. The flavour tantalized
my taste buds with heavenly zesty goodness. The sauce was zingy and oh so wonderful! Possibly the best
I ever had! The pepperoni was perfect. Just the right thickness and texture. The cheese was oh so gooey
and thick. While it was hot, it strung up to your mouth. You had to bite it to break it. It streched perfectly.
And it was browned to perfection.
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| Deep. Real deep! |
The crust, which was more like apple pie
crust, was flaky and really crunchy. It was full of yeast goodness and really laid your stomach to rest. After
just one slice of this pizza, you are pretty much done for. Ben and I of course each had two and a half pieces.
Two slices of this incredible pizza is more than enough for any normal person.
Do not visit Chicago without stopping at this place. It is some of the best pizza I ever had. Ben stated that it
is the best pizza he ever had. He may be right, but those are some serious words. Especially in the contemplative
world of pizza.
I would be hard pressed to find my favorite thing about this pizza. Everything was perfect!!
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