574023 Thu Nov 20 22:48:59 -0800 2008 13 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4190941 I found a couple of discussions on the Chicago board, but I'm hoping for a broader audience. I totally got the craving after seeing a pizza special on the travel channel tonight. Has anyone had luck with this? If so, where did you order from? I don't have a strong preference for the deep dish or stuffed, although I suspect that on the stuffed, the top crust would suffer and get soggy from the freezing and reheating process. Would that go for spinach too, due to it's high water content? [Aside: why do all these places charge more for a spinach pizza than sausage or pepperoni? The meat is more expensive for them, no?] I also noticed that Lou Malnati and Giordano's include shipping in their prices, and cost about 80 for 4, whereas Gino's adds shipping on top, taking the total to above 100. Ouch! If it's worth it though, let me know. thanks! Thu Nov 20 22:48:59 -0800 2008 12912 sasha1 1 4191086 I've ordered from Lou Malnati's. Never been to the restaurant, so I can't compare the quality, but I thought they were tasty. The crust bakes up nicely, the only problem I ever had was when some of the sauce got under the crust and caused the pizza to stick to the foil pan. Next time I think I'd stick a round of parchment paper in between to alleviate this. Fri Nov 21 03:51:30 -0800 2008 4190941 12947 gmm 1 4191359 I've ordered Lou Malnati's and thought it was pretty good. It is expensive, but an expense I definitely think is well worth it. To get around the $80 price tag, nowadays I just stock up on frozen pizzas whenever I'm in Chicago and bring them back home....even with some minor defrosting mid-flight, I have never had less than delicious results. Fri Nov 21 06:55:42 -0800 2008 4190941 68363 JungMann 1 4191842 Great! Two votes for LM. It is expensive, but when I'm mail ordering, I guess I'm in a different frame of mind. It isn't just dinner, it's a gift to myself. So $20/per doesn't seem too terrible. Once, I got a knish craving when I was pregnant, and spent $75 shipping myself a dozen. And they were absolutely awful. I couldn't give them away. Fri Nov 21 09:43:16 -0800 2008 4190941 12912 sasha1 1 4192380 My wife is from Chicago and she loves Giordano's. As a special treat and as a Valentines day gift to my wife, I ordered two pizzas from Giordano's. If I remember correctly, it cost about $100 with shipping. It took a couple days for the pizza to arrive from when I placed the order. There were no problems in terms of ordering, shipping, or delivery. They were yummy. Fri Nov 21 12:35:04 -0800 2008 4190941 47686 rbglaser 2 4192609 Just for sake of comparison (and justifying the steep price), have you tried mail order from any of the other Chicago pizza joints? Fri Nov 21 14:04:55 -0800 2008 4192380 12912 sasha1 3 4199106 Also, from the site you need to order 2 or more. The price of 2 or 3 is roughly $27 each. Mon Nov 24 15:50:31 -0800 2008 4192609 72668 phant0omx 2 4199101 Giordano's is good, but I think Gino's East is better. When I was in Chicago and did both pizzas Gino's East came out on top. Their crust was better, butterier, flakier and their crumbled sausage was sweeter tasting, not from adding sugar, but from the meat; you probably already knew what I meant. It seems like they ship also, <http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/c-GinoAns_East.shtml?E+scstore+ginos> Mon Nov 24 15:48:53 -0800 2008 4192380 72668 phant0omx 1 4192732 Discliamer: I have never had Chicago pizza in Chicago but we have been gifted some Lou Malnatis and it cooked up quite well so long as in the instructions were followed. I thought the crust was good but it was really all about the toppings for me. Fri Nov 21 14:54:25 -0800 2008 4190941 97258 pickychicky1979 2 4192837 Wow. Lou Malnati's by a landslide! What toppings did you get? I'm thinking some spinach and some sausage. Fri Nov 21 15:44:54 -0800 2008 4192732 12912 sasha1 1 4196165 Honestly, $20 per pie doesn't seem too bad. You won't spend much less going to an Uno's chain. Sun Nov 23 13:33:30 -0800 2008 4190941 15507 Rick 2 4196192 Hi! I'm a newbie here but not new to Giordano's (best stuffed pizza ever imo) or shipping them. I've ordered them many times for myself and as gifts for Chicago ex pat. friends & I have never had any problems and have had no complaints from recipients either; I always ask for feedback. I usually order the spinach for myself and it has always been just as good as at the restaurant. They are also VERY filling 1-2 slices does it for me. hth Happy Thanksgiving! Sun Nov 23 13:47:24 -0800 2008 4196165 242647 snarkywench 2 4196793 No, $20 isn't too much, except when you consider it is for a 9" pie. Basically 1-2 person serving. But, they need to ship it frozen, and they're heavy, so I know there's that substantial built in cost. I think I'll start w/ LM, and if that experiment goes well, I'll try some of the others. Thanks all. Sun Nov 23 18:32:55 -0800 2008 4196165 12912 sasha1 3 4198291 I think even then the $20 is about in the range. Like Rick mentioned, last time we got a pizza at Uno's, just tomato and cheese, it was over $16. The size, as I recall, is similar to the sizes mentioned here. And you'd be surprised, especially with some meat added, how many that "little" pizza will serve (or how much left over you might have with two people). If a 16" thinner pizza is a one-person serving to you, then yeah, maybe a 9" deep dish will be too ;-) (and I say this as someone who can be pretty bad at portion control). Mon Nov 24 11:17:40 -0800 2008 4196793 40162 CrazyOne