PCOC Meeting #27 - Tomato Head Pizza Kitchen

The Pizza Club of Chicago convened last night for its 27th meeting at Tomato Head Pizza Kitchen at the corner of Webster and Sheffield in Lincoln Park. New President Barry C. Owen made the pick after revealing that Tomato Head beat out several better-known spots (Uno's, Due's, Papa Milano's, Marie's) on the basis that it was a bit of a wild card while many of the other spots mentioned are firmly established in Chicago's pizza landscape.

The turnout last night was light, only eight members compared to our more typical 12-15. This low turnout is understandable considering that various PCOC members are traveling to and from various exotic locales during the summer months. But the low turnout was actually a blessing in disguise last night as T. Head's dining area would have been dominated and tested to the breaking point by a turnout of 15 PCOC members killing beers and running around the tables chowing pizza. (That we were just a small group did not prevent us from raising a bit of hell in the place anyway. T. Head is BYOB, so, as a group, we brought approximately 50 cold, cold beers to the place only to discover that they did not have a cooler, or other way to keep our beer cold. After learning this, B's eyes glazed back in his head, and he sprung into action like a man possessed, grabbing an empty tub from the guys in the kitchen and then hijacking the coke machine's ice dispenser to fill his tub full of ice, all while some poor woman cowered behind him hoping to get a cup of ice for her daughter's coke. In spite of the many possible tragic outcomes of this situation, all worked out well in the end as the little girl got her coke and our beer stayed cold till the last drop. Well done B.)

To explain the dine-in situation at T. Head a bit further, it is important to note that, judging from the steady stream of people coming in and out of the place, it looks like T. Head makes its bread and butter on delivery and takeout, and, as a result, has a fairly small and very informal dining (i.e. pizza-eating) area. They also do not have any waitstaff leaving eat-in patrons to order off of the chalkboard menu above the counter. All of this seems to make Tomato Head a place that is focused on one thing and one thing only: turning out good pizzas, and a lot of them. As a pizza freak, this is good enough for me as I don't need an attentive waitress or a white table cloth when I go out for pizza. I just want some quality pizza and somewhere to put down my beer when my hands are greasy and full of pie. Now let's talk about Tomato Head's pizza.

T. Head's pies are thin crust and thin crust only. For our group of eight, we ordered four large (14-in) pizzas. Initially, we thought that three pizzas would cut the mustard, but upon deep reflection and some slobbering "I'm starving" comments from our group, it was decided to up the order to four. This turns out to have been the right move as, when the dust settled, we had maybe a quarter of a pizza left. This works out to the following pizza equation:

• 1 pizza-eating male + 1 pizza-eating female = 1 large Tomato Head pizza

I don't care what the menu or the people at the place tell you, follow this equation when ordering from T. Head or risk going home hungry, or worse, going home hungry and without leftovers to kill on the way.

We ordered all four of our pizzas well-done as a scouting mission by another table before we ordered indicated that the guys in the kitchen were possibly rushing some of the pies out of the oven. As for toppings on the four pies, we got a spinach and tomato, a sausage, a "Belt-Buster," and a sausage and pepperoni. The "Belt-Buster" was a house specialty and consisted of sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms and black olives. While I did not try this pie, judging from the speed at which Turtle and B were taking it down, it seems to have been a solid combination of toppings. I tried all three of the other pizzas but focused on the sausage and the spinach and tomato varieties. I thought the sauce and crust were both very good and the ratio of sauce to crust was good as well. I also thought that the toppings seemed pretty fresh and all had good flavor. Overall, I thought the pizzas were damn good and I am sure that I will visit and get delivery from this place in the near future.

As for PCOC developments, Maggie informed those present that she is still brainstorming ideas for PCOC's first charity event preliminarily set to take place in late Fall or early Winter. Also, Ms. Nora Couri announced that she will be investigating the possibility of incorporating PCOC, with the hopes of turning PCOC into a worldwide conglomerate. These talks just make one wonder about the future PCOC empire. Some of the many ventures that must be discussed at future meetings include The PCOC Guide to Chicago Pizza, PCOC Pizzaland, PCOC Tour Company, PCOC Clothing Company, and The PCOC Annual Games. Finally, The Honorable Bridget Kelly suggested that PCOC members and leaders print out business cards to impress upon those we meet the importance that we place upon our club, beer, and the world of pizza. Ms. Kelly also won the honor of picking the location for PCOC meeting #28, set to take place on August 9.

In a related story, the planning for Ford, Turtle and Barry's Fourth Annual Lobster Boil on August 27 is in full swing. Early reports from anonymous sources from the LB's Executive Planning Committee indicate that this summer Boil promises to launch the Lobster Boil franchise into a whole new world with hopes that a traveling Lobster Boil Party Bus takes shape for its first nationwide tour to take place in Summer 2006.

PCOC Meeting #26 - Pat's Pizzeria

Pizza Club of Chicago convened last night for its 26th meeting at the new Pat's Pizzeria location on North Lincoln Avenue. Pat's Sheffield pizza joint has long been a standby for the northside's thin crust pizza lovers. Recently though, the Sheffield spot has closed and a new shop opened on Lincoln just south of Diversey. I can't really recall what the old place was like, but the new joint on Lincoln is new and "cute" according to the female members of PCOC. Presumably due to the newness of the place, it is currently BYOB. While the location, ambiance and current brew situation has changed from the old place on Sheffield, many will surely be happy to know that the pizza seems to have stayed the same: thin as hell and addictive once you get in a groove.

We had 10 people last night (with a couple possible late arrivals) and decided to play it safe by ordering 5 large pizzas. While the waiter opined that a large pizza would feed 3-4, we thought that it would be more like 2-3, and while we had some left, if we had ordered 3 or 4 according to the waiter's suggestion, we likely would have been a bit light. As for the pies themselves, we had a couple meat, a couple veggie, and a special. I thought that the straight sausage was the best of the bunch, but I also thought the cheese and tomato was pretty good too. Mr. Mike "Turtle" Carr developed a new way to eat Pat's pizza last night when he slapped two pieces of similar size cheese side together and started putting it back. What Turtle ended up with was kinda like a thin stuffed pizza without the extra layer of sauce on top, and looked like a damn good way to get a bunch of Pat's in your mouth as quickly as possible. With this move, Turtle further added to his reputation of being one serious f*n eater. Kudos Tortoise.

Things at Pat's weren't all aces though. There were some grumbles at the table regarding one of the veggie pizzas that had sun-dried tomatoes on it, as the tomatoes overpowered everything else and were not that tasty. There was also some talk about whether the pizzas were cooked enough. PCOC generally likes to order its thin pizzas well-done or easy well-done, but last night we just went with what the kitchen gave us as there were some fears that ordering Pat's really thin crust pies well-done could be dangerous. After much reflection, if I made the order again, I would have ordered the meat pizzas well-done and left the veggies pies to the expertise of the pizza makers. So there it is, you heard it here, from the experts, Pat's new joint is "cute," and the pizzas are still feature the same tasty ingredients and very thin crust. Overall, an above average spot that I am sure I will visit again or at least get delivery from.

As for PCOC developments, there was some Farm Report storytelling, and some further talk about the First Annual PCOC Games and PCOC charity efforts but no new action was taken on either front. The President won the "picker" raffle and will choose the location for PCOC meeting #27 currently scheduled for July 26.

In other news, The Office of the President is pleased to announce that preliminary talks have begun with various real estate developers of establishing a PCOC PizzaLand Funpark. This pizza heaven will follow along the lines of Disneyland, except instead of focusing on stupid little cartoon characters, the focus will be on big, beautiful pizzas. The hope is that PCOC Pizzaland will open the pizza world to new generations of American kids in a three-dimensional, interactive way by having the following activities:

• pizza workshops for kids,
• pizza slides (like a waterslide but you slide on greazy cheese and you fall into pizza sauce),
• pizza eating contests for kids,
• pizza fights,
• education about the importance of ovens in pizza making,
• daily pizza fireworks displays,
• history of pizza films,
• a pizza themed video arcade (where you win tickets to be redeemed for prizes like free pizza), and
• other exciting pizza-themed entertainment for kids.

For the adults, PCOC Pizzaland will offer the following:

• free beer and other adult beverages in an adults only area featuring bars with countless flat screen TVs that will be able to tune in any conceivable sporting event,
• spa and salon services for the ladies,
• many varieties of PCOC's favorite pizza for free,
• vigilant, paramedic/martial arts-trained chaperones to follow the little ones around all day,
• designated drivers providing door-to-door service to make the ride home after a long day of pizza and beer one of sweet slumber for both parent and child.

Preliminary plans call for PCOC Pizzaland to open by the summer of 2015.

PCOC Farm Report

An exploratory committee of PCOC members convened this past weekend at Jill's Farm in the budding hotspot of Marengo, Illinois. Right off the bat, on behalf of those present this past weekend, the President would like to thank Ms. Jillian "Shotgun" O'Brien for providing the PCOC committee with the type of hospitality generally reserved for world leaders, celebrities and other dignitaries.

There were several purposes for the PCOC gathering at The Farm this past weekend. First, it was to be a scouting mission of sorts for the First Annual PCOC Pig Roast to be scheduled for later this summer. It also proved to be a testing ground for plans for the "Flying PCOC" concept. In addition, it allowed the hardworking and overburdened PCOC members an opportunity to let loose and direct their creative energies towards PCOC and its future.

Some highlights and developments from the Farm weekend:

• PCOC members Mr. Bryan "I killed a 40 pack" Brisch and Mr. Matt "Zoomie" Couri won a water balloon toss and were granted a free ride at the next PCOC meeting,
• Whitey Whitehead is dead
• Ms. Bridget "Chunks" Kelly and Ms. Maggie "Flipper" Matthews officially certified the Farm's picnic table as a suitable venue for flipcup competition,
• Mr. Kevin "Early to Bed Early to Rise" Collins determined that it was OK to bring a beer to bed while at the Farm.

There were also some interesting discussions held regarding future PCOC activities this weekend. Mr. Brian "Rod is God" Collins proposed that PCOC begin a charitable donation program. It was determined that this topic will be further investigated and discussed at future meetings. Duece also suggested establishing an annual PCOC vacation to some exotic locale. This topic will also be discussed further at future meetings.

After reflecting upon the weekend's activities, the Office of the President is proud to announce its plans for the establishment of the Annual PCOC Games. The idea behind the PCOC games is to provide a stage for world-class competition in the sporting, boozing, and eating events that are important to PCOC and are not given enough attention elsewhere. Like the Olympic Games, the PCOC games will focus on excellence and will be a true reflection of the diversity of talents present in the PCOC membership. At this early stage in planning, the following events are proposed for the First PCOC Games:

• bags
• flip cup
• 80's music trivia
• beer shotgun contest
• water balloon toss
• eating/cooking contests involving pizza and/or grilled meats and chip dips

The when, how and what regarding the First Annual PCOC Games have not been determined and will be discussed over the next several weeks.

The location for the next PCOC meeting, scheduled for July 12, 2005, was announced this morning. Ms. Megan Collins has chosen the new Pat's Pizzeria on Lincoln Avenue as the location for the 26th PCOC meeting. See everyone there.