I was born in Chicago, IL. If you’ve never been there it’s really an amazing city and not to mention one of the food capitals of the world. Granted you freeze your ass off 8 months out of the year, but Illinois offers what I like to call “Hibernation foods” to alleviate the bitter chills. Foods like this are found in any place that has legitimate winter, but Chicago is a gold mine for comfort food.
When I was about seven I moved to Florida, and ever since then I have been on a quest to find the comfort foods of my homeland. Of course the family and I make the occasional visit to Chicago for the holidays and turn into ravenous wolves eating at all our favorite restaurants from our past, but the ravenous eating only lasts a couple of days. What happens when were back on the peninsula? A few years ago, I finally found a restaurant in Florida that serves real imported Chicago food. The restaurant is called Pusateri’s Chicago Pizza.
Settled in downtown Stuart, FL, Pusateri’s is a small restaurant that pulls you in like a lerking insect to a pizza-making bug zapper with its welcoming glowing window signs and Christmas lights that are lit year-round. It’s cozy inside with a few tables all smushed together and a nice outside deck to lounge on. The walls are absolutely covered with Chicago memorabilia. You can’t help but feel connected to people eating there because they all know the same “secret” that you do. Familiar Midwest accents chime in and out as you take in the scene.
The menu isn’t too overwhelmingly large and contains pure Chicago food classics. The ingredients are shipped into the restaurant directly from Windy City. One of the interesting aspects of Pusateri’s is that it doesn’t serve the usual Chi-town deep dish pizza. It does ,however, serve traditional Chicago thin crust pizza. You can tell that Pusateri’s serves real Chicago thin crust pizza because under the thick cheese layer and square-cut pieces lies a bubbling pizza sauce that is slightly sweet. The sweetness is what sets apart Chi-town pizza from any other contender in the world, and Pusateri’s hit it right on the nose. The sauce is slightly sugary, yet thick. There are so many styles of pizza at Pusateri’s to choose from: The Magnificent Meat ( 4 types of meat), the Hawaiian, the John Hancock (6 toppings), the Veggie for all you health nuts, and my favorite, which is the Signature Sausage. I would recommend sausage as a topping in this scenario because it is crumbly, plump and juicy. Plus sausage is almost like a staple food for people in Illinois. It may cause heart attacks, but lets face it-We don't care. Sausage or war!
Now, I can’t forget one of the most important things on the menu: The Hot Dogs. Pusateri’s sells hot dogs in a push cart found right inside the restaurant which is a real novelty. Thankfully there is no sweaty fat man in an undershirt trying to sell you them. Its just a cool addition, and I don't think that the dogs would taste the same without it. However, these aren’t your typical Oscar Meyer wieners. These are hotdogs made with special beef that is unique only to the Chicago land area. Its called Vienna Beef (read more about it at http://www.viennabeef.com/). The casing has a slight crunch and the hot dog itself is made with 100% beef. Now surrounding the dog is a steamed poppyseed bun and on top lies the notoriously crazy toppings. People refer to Chicago Hot Dogs are being “dragged through the garden”. Get ready for this. A full maximum Chi-town hot dog has yellow mustard (no ketchup), chopped onions, two tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, ELECTRIC green relish, and sprinkled with celery salt. Trust me I know this sounds like you are going to have to unhinge your jaw like a snake to eat this, but trust me the taste combinations are worth it. Its a taste explosion and the way a Chicago hot dog should taste.
Moving onto more beef (a staple of Chicagoans), Pusateri’s offers delicious hot sandwiches. Take on the Italian Beef Sandwich for instance. This consists of hot roast Italian beef on French bread and soaked in Au Jus so that it starts to disintegrate when your tongue hits it. They also serve a Sausage Sandwich. But you know what? SCREW IT. SCREW IT ALL! Who should have to decide between sausage or italian beef? That decision is way too cruel for any normal Chicago eater and could cause a head trauma to decide between the two. Order the Chi-town combo instead and get both sausage and roast beef stacked sky high in the same way. Pure satisfaction.
Just for some little additives, I recommend getting an appetizer of Gimm’e Garlic with Cheese. It’s a garlic bread dish in which you can see the strings of cheese stretching across like a bridge to your mouth.
The staff is very friendly and makes a definite effort to remember the orders of returning customers. However, the hours at Pusateri’s are a little strange so check their website to be sure. They also do carryout and local delivery. I recommend this place to all my friends because the prices are reasonable (about $3.00 to $20.00) and those unfamiliar with Chicago get a little idea of what’s waiting for them in the real city.
If there is one thing I know about people from Chicago, it’s that their eyes really are as big as their stomach. If you are from Chicago, have a big appetite, or are curious about what Chicago tastes like, then try Pusateri’s.
