Report from Meeting #30

PCOC’s Meeting #30 convened last Thursday at the Four Treys bar on North Damen Avenue. Those in the know are certainly well aware that the Four Treys does not serve pizza, or any other food, but it does provide menus for nearby pizza joints that deliver to the bar for its hungry patrons. By choosing the Four Treys as the location for Meeting #30, member Matt Dine challenged PCOC to adapt its pizza-eating and beer-drinking habits. With this choice, Mr. Dine asked whether PCOC could properly order, eat, and appreciate delivery pizza in a bar setting. While this may not sound like a tough task, especially considering PCOC’s members’ incredible talents in the bar and pizza joint settings respectively, it was a task that could have caused some problems. Without getting into the details just yet, I am happy to report that the Meeting was a success on every level, even in the face of all challenges.

Before reporting on the Meeting’s events and pizza, there are a couple events and issues that require reporting.

First, PCOC would like to extend its xtra-large pizza congratulations to members John Dine and Jillian O’Brien on their recent engagement. As those of us lucky enough to consider John and Jill as friends well know, their relationship is one firmly built upon their love of each other, their friends and family (including Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie), and pizza. We all surely hope with sincere conviction that pizza and PCOC play an important role in John and Jill’s future. Judging upon their past pizza endeavors, I think our hope is well-founded. Congrats John and Jill.

Turning to a less happy subejct, as the members were well aware, Meeting #30 was a mandatory voting meeting – one at which important decisions were to be made for PCOC’s future. While attendance was good, there were some noted absences, both excusable and inexcusable. Particularly absent was member Kevin Collins. Initial reports on his absence were scattered and confusing to those that know Kevin, as his absence was being reported as due to the season premiere of the TV show “The O.C.” While several PCOC members that survived four (to six) years of Marquette with the Deuce were all aware of his occasional penchant for a good episode of 90210 or Melrose Place, none polled on Thursday could recall the Deuce passing up a night of boozing and chowing pizza with his boys in favor of a night in front of the tube watching high schoolers complain about their love life. While there is concern among the membership about the Deuce’s commitment to PCOC (especially considering that the Deuce has TIVO and could have watched that crap anytime he wants), and while PCOC’s new il Commandante Bryan Brisch declared that his absence Thursday was his second strike (this rule to be explained below), the President would like to give the Deuce the benefit of the doubt. I simply ask, Who among us can forget the Deuce’s eating prowess? Or his love of beer? Or pizza? An eater and drinker of his skill is one that PCOC must treasure and always make every effort to keep in the fold. The President is confident that the Deuce will shape up and prove his loyalty to PCOC and his love of pizza, and beer.

Enough of that talk – let’s get to the pizza ordered for Meeting #30. Matt Dine chose to order pizza from Pompeii Bakery located at Sheffield and Wellington in Lakeview. This spot is the lone surviving branch of the former Taylor Street Pompeii Bakery that gained fame for its meat and cheese stuffed strudels and pizza.

Pompeii’s pizza comes in two styles: Sicilian crust (regular) or stuffed crust. The first variety consists of a medium, doughy crust and comes in a rectangular shape with rectangular pieces. The stuffed variety is very similar to the strudels that made Pompeii famous and consists of a pastry shell stuffed with a variety of ingredients and also comes in a rectangular shape and with sauce to dip it in on the side.

For our 15 members on Thursday, we had 4 Sicilian pizzas and one stuffed pie. I had pieces from three of the four regular crust pizzas and a small slice from the stuffed pie and can report that everything was pretty tasty. In particular, I thought that the sausage and tomato pizza was the best and highlighted the flavorful sausage and fresh-tasting tomatoes that Pompeii was putting out that night. Overall, it seemed that PCOC liked the pizza, with a couple rave reviews for the stuffed/strudel pizza and a couple grumblers. The crust style of the regular pizzas also seemed to have a couple detractors who may prefer the cracker-thin or pan variety and don’t see much room for anything in the middle. Personally, while I do prefer the cracker-thin crust of some of Chicago’s pizza, I do occasionally get a taste for a medium, doughy crust like Pompeii’s regular pies, and thought that Pompeii did make a fine pizza of this variety.

As for the stuffed pie, it seemed that, like PCOC as a whole, I had mixed feelings. Some members, notably the new il Commandante, couldn’t get enough of the meat and ricotta-stuffed pastry crust and put it away like beers a ballgame, while others really rejected the taste, and even the concept. Ms. Jillian O’Brien, after discarding her barely-touched piece of this pie, asked with obvious contempt, “If they give you sauce to dip it in, why don’t they just put the sauce inside? Can someone explain that to me?” Ms. Megan Collins noted that she thought that it wasn’t really pizza, but more of a calzone. While those who liked the stuffed pie did not respond directly to these comments, there were audible grunts and translatable facial expressions coming from B that made it clear that he thought anybody who didn’t like the stuffed pie was stupid and didn’t deserve to eat anymore. Regardless of the actual scientific classification of this pie, PCOC again impressed with this conversation as it highlighted PCOC’s members’ adaptability and broad range of eating experience.

As for procedural matters, it was decided that November 11, 2005 PCOC will take its first “Flying PCOC” trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will visit the fine pizza joint Zaffiro’s and then proceed to check the taps at several of Miltown’s finest adult beverage establishments.

As mentioned above, founding member Bryan “B” Brisch was unanimously voted to become PCOC’s first Il Commandante di Presenza del PCOC. As his first action in office, il Commandante established the “3 Strikes Rule” to help determine appropriate sanctions for misconduct by a PCOC member. Once it is determined by il Commandate that a member has gained three strikes on his record, a meeting between il Commandante, the President and General Counsel will occur, at which the appropriate punishment will be determined. There is no review of this process.

In closing, I would like to commend all PCOC members, especially Ms. Bridget Kelly, on our first donation to the Westside community center. Our small donation has apparently made a real difference in the lives of a family who needed a hand. Good work all and let’s make sure to maintain and grow our charitable efforts.

Former President Bridget Kelly will make the pick for Meeting #31 to be held on Tuesday, September 20.