PCOC Meeting #25 - 6/21/05 Exchequer Pub

The 25th meeting of PCOC was held last evening at the Exchequer Pub on South Wabash in the Loop. (I kind of made this meeting number up, but I think that we should just go with it.) The location was chosen by PCOC member Deuce after he reportedly conducted research personally and via several contacts (i.e. T. Ryan) and deemed the place worth a try.

Walking into Exchequer, it was clear that the place has been around for a good while and, judging from the crowds in the bar and the three dining areas, it looked like they must be pretty good at what they do. While I did not look closely at the menu, it looks like Exchequer has pretty much everything, but that they focus on their ribs and pizza. As for the pizza, let's get to it.

Exchequer offers three styles of pizza delineated by crust type. The first style, and the style that the menu states Exchequer is famous for, is pan pizza. For the uninitiated pizza eaters out there (including many citizens of the member countries of the E.U. and other European states; many people from Africa, Asia, and South America; many in Canada and Mexico; the people from the West Coast and East Coast, especially New Yorkers; those from the Southwest and the South, and many in the Midwest outside of Chicago) pan pizza consists of a deep pan crust with cheese on top and toppings and sauce between. In addition to its pan pizza, Exchequer offers what it refers to as "thin crust" and "crispy crust."

While PCOC has shown a bias in the past for thin crust pizza, as a group, we determined that we had to try the pan pizza and find out if it truly deserves the "famous" tag. For our group of 15, we ordered 2 pan pizzas, 2 thin crust pizzas and 2 crispy crust pizzas. This order was just about right for our 15 (and I stress our, because we PCOC members unapologetically eat pizza at a rate and volume that many would not believe until they see it).

As for the pies themselves, I can report that, overall, I thought that they were above average. I had a piece of the pan pizza and thought it was good, but I really focused on the thin crust and crispy varieties. I thought that the crust, sauce and toppings on the thin pizzas were all above average. In particular, I thought that the Meat-Eaters thin crust pizza was very good and was the best pizza we ordered and that the canadian bacon was a particularly good topping. I really was not sure what the difference between the thin crust and crispy crust styles was, but, as I thought the thin pizzas were all pretty good and very similar, I would not worry too much about it on another visit. The one thing that I thought would have made the thin crust pizzas better was a bit more sauce, especially on the edges of the pizza. I had a couple crust pieces that were a bit dry and that could have used a bit more sauce. On the whole, I thought Exchequer's pizza was above average and I will be back for a pizza or two in the future.

There were a couple important PCOC matters discussed at last night's meeting. July 8, 2005 was the date set for PCOC's First Annual Pig Roast to be held at Jill's farm. Personally, I am eagerly anticipating the Roast, and judging from Big D and Jill's past endeavors, I am certain that I will not be disappointed. That the event will focus on pork, bacon, beer and other adult beverages and will likely not involve pizza is a testament to PCOC's overall commitment to consumption of all kinds.

Jill O'B also updated PCOC on the status of the t-shirt situation. Famous artist (and excellent pickpocket) Mr. Clayton O'B has been commissioned to submit designs for the Club's first t-shirt. Clay's design, while still under wraps, promises to become an immediate sensation making the first PCOC t-shirt worth its weight in gold. Pre-order sales of the t-shirt are brisk and it is anticipated that the first run will quickly sell out.

Quote of the night: "Are there any extra Bud Lights?" Question asked by B to the table.

Additional comments and reviews to follow.

PCOC June 21, 2005 Meeting

The location for the June 21, 2005 meeting of PCOC was announced today. This week's lucky pizzeria is the Exchequer Pub on Wabash. The choice was made by off-again-on-again member Kevin C. (aka "Deuce," "Mini-dude," or, to PCOC members, "Giordano" or "Dano" for short) after he was chosen to be the honored selector at the previous PCOC meeting held at Fornello's.

From early discussions, it appears not much is known about Exchequer and its pizza by PCOC members. Long-time PCOC member and new President Barry O. (aka "Dingle") reports that he has heard that the pizza is good, but his word is sometimes questioned as it seems he says the same thing about every place he's never been. While PCOC members are eagerly anticipating chowing down on Exchequer's pizza, it is possible that PCOC's members are more interested in seeing if Deuce shows up to this week's meeting. It is true, that, as widely reported in Chicago media, Deuce failed to show to a PCOC meeting at Giordano's in Lakeview just a couple months ago, even after he chose Giordano's as the location of the meeting! After serving a suspension, Deuce has regained full PCOC membership privileges and has even been allowed the opportunity to redeem himself by the magnanimous PCOC members.

Reviews of Exchequer will follow.

Pizza Club of Chicago

Welcome to the the website of the Pizza Club of Chicago, a collection of Chicago's most dedicated and discerning pizza aficionados. We are a group of friends who get together for pizza and beer every other week at a new pizza place in Chicago.

SOON TO BE FOUND ON THIS SITE

• a list of all of the establishments visited by PCOC with ratings and short reviews of each place from various members
• certain other content created by PCOC members both related and unrelated to pizza and PCOC
• contact info for comments, etc.
• some pictures or something

HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF THE PIZZA CLUB OF CHICAGO

The Pizza Club of Chicago, or as it is more commonly referred to by its members, PCOC (pronounced "peacock"), was founded in the summer of 2004 by a group of pizza-hungry and beer-thirsty friends with the goal of broadening our Chicago pizza knowledge (and giving us an excuse every other week to get together, eat pizza and drink beer). The idea for the club was first developed and promoted by our legendary founder and first President, Ms. Bridget K. After 2004's Kentucky Derby, our President (aka "BK"), Mr. Thomas D. ("Creepy D" or "Diner"), Mr. John D. ("Big D"), Ms. Jillian O'B, Mr. Bryan B. ("B"), and Ms. Jen Mc. and several others decided that it was time for PCOC to stop simply being a fun topic of conversation and instead become a reality. Just two weeks later, PCOC had its first meeting at the original Lou Malnati's in Lincolnwood. At this first meeting, BK was confirmed as our first President while Diner, Big D, Jill, B and Jen were elected to the Board of Directors. Mr. Brian C. ("Bruz") was later appointed as the General Counsel of PCOC.

The mission of PCOC is to provide its members opportunities to try pizza from places they have never been before and to help us to truly appreciate the the number of great pizza places there are in Chicago (and how many beers B can drink in one sitting).


RULES OF PCOC

The more important rules of PCOC were established at the inaugural meeting at Lou Malnati's. While membership rules were not pinned down and remain relaxed, certain procedural rules for the frequency of meetings and the conduct in meetings were settled. As mentioned above, PCOC meets every other Tuesday at a pizza place chosen by a member present at the previous meeting. The member that is given the honor of choosing the location for a PCOC meeting is determined by a complex lottery that is supervised by the President and General Counsel. Another key element of a PCOC meeting is the "Price is Right" guessing game. This game requires each person present makes a guess as to what the total bill for the meeting will be, plus tax, but not including tip, and the person that is closest without going over gets a free pass on their share of the bill. Other rules (all somewhat flexible) include the ban of the ordering of any appetizers, salads or other entrees - this is a pizza club and we will order only pizza (and beer).

That's it for now.