 Photos: Michael Zajakowski |
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| Connie’s Classic Thin Crust Cheese |
Home Run Inn Ultra Thin Sausage & Uncured Pepperoni |
| FLAGSHIP LOCATION | |
| 2373 S. Archer Ave., Bridgeport | 4254 W. 31st St., Little Village |
| CLAIMS TO GREATNESS | |
| A hundred percent real mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses. Presumably because they know that ersatz Italian cheese is just sad. | All-natural ingredients, including uncured pepperoni and rBST-free milk (look it up). |
| CRUST | |
| Crisp and pebbly with cornmeal. You’ll be on your second slice before you sit down. | Points for the rich flavor, but it’s way too thick and doughy to qualify as thin, let alone “ultra thin.” A couple of slices and you’ll be ready to move on to that pint of Jeni’s in the freezer. |
| SAUCE | |
| Sufficiently tomatoey, if a bit on the thin side. | Ditto, so let’s call this one a wash. |
| TOPPINGS | |
| The cheese is appealingly stretchy, while the Parmesan added the sharp bite of, well, actual Parmesan. You can really taste the basil and oregano — maybe because they use so much of it. | Something strange is up with this cheese, which has no elasticity and delivers only a faint hint of cheesy flavor. The sausage pellets are bland, so the well-spiced pepperoni has to do all the heavy lifting. |
| AFTER A NIGHT IN THE FRIDGE | |
| An acceptable cold breakfast, but give it a brunchy touch with a zap in the microwave and a fried egg on top. |
Kind of like a pizza-flavored protein bar. I don’t mean that as a dis. |
Winner: Connie’s
Because if you squint, you can convince yourself it’s not from the freezer case.