Coalfire
Margherita with Mortadella
Chicago Cupcakes – Red Velvet, Turtle, Cookie Dough, Pumpkin
Unable to fathom a trip to Chicago without pizza but realistic enough to know deep dish was not a logical option for a snack with family following Fat Rice it was at the suggestion of my sister’s fiancé that we found ourselves at well-regarded West Side staple Coalfire just prior to 10pm on Black Friday for a late night pie. Decidedly dark and expectedly trendy with a straight forward menu and smiling service it was without much effort that we agreed on a simple Margherita topped with house cured Mortadella and watching each step of the process from stretching of the dough to a final drizzle of olive oil from our seats I had little doubt the results would shine, the end product supple and lightly charred with a slightly open crumb more than capable of holding up to the ample toppings with a slight fold and outperforming any New York slice I’ve encountered to date, coal fired or not. Clearly a ‘do one thing and do it well’ sort of place with a focus on the pizzas while sweets are outsourced it was admittedly with caution that we placed trust in our waitress that the $4 cupcakes from locally owned “Chicago Cupcakes” were worth the price and selected four of the six daily options but true to her word each filled and frosted choice was excellent, the cookie dough particularly impressive with top notes of vanilla and cinnamon plus dark chocolate chips adding a bitter, crunchy finish.