Comments on Chicago Pizza Club: Ranalli's [Meeting #60]

It's hard for me to assess this pizza, given that ...

2008-06-30T10:20:00.000-05:00

It's hard for me to assess this pizza, given that it took so long for them to bring it out, I was basically starving when I took my first bite. I started with the double-decker, which had great texture and some very fresh toppings, though slightly rubbery cheese. The crust was too bulky, almost like a stale croissant. Pretty flavorful, though. After eating that huge slice, I was in my right mind again and able to assess quality. The stuffed meat pizza was just OK. The meats were salty, but the sauce tasted like the dipping sauce you get when you order Little Caesar's crazy bread. The Mexican was terrible, so jalapeno-centric that I couldn't taste anything. I enjoyed the veggie pan pizza, nice fresh tomatoes, though again rubbery cheese and french bread-thick crust. The four-cheese was tasty, but not good enough to draw me back to this place. The outdoor seating area was nice and the place has a good vibe. But I give the pizza itself a 5.

I agree with the general sentiment that the sauce ...

2008-06-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

I agree with the general sentiment that the sauce was too sweet and one dimensional. The crust on the pan pizza fared better. Despite not having much flavor, the semi- dry biscuit consistency of the crust was enhanced by its warm pizza sauce filling. The sweet sauce with its chunks of garlic transformed an otherwise bland crust, into a sufficiently moist and satisfyingly wholesome, inside/out breadstick experience. Another classic example of two losers making a winner.

A 5, courtesy of this awkward, yet successful, pas de deux.

I should have known when I first bit into my pizza...

2008-06-28T19:22:00.000-05:00

I should have known when I first bit into my pizza and burned the roof of my mouth that it was going to go downhill from there. But I was so hungry after waiting about an hour I would've eaten anything...

As the vegetarian of the group, I partook in the mozzarella, tomato and basil (caprese) pizza and the four cheese pizza with cheddar, swiss, provolone and mozzarella. The combination of those four cheeses on a pizza made for something unique and interesting on the palette. The strong cheese flavor with tomato and crispy thin crust felt like a big open faced grilled cheese sandwich.
I have to admit, the four cheese pizza tasted good until I realized that it was low quality cheese and nothing special. After two pieces, I began to feel sick.

The "caprese" pizza we ordered was a pan version. It had a rather pretty and thick crust, the Ranalli's famous folded one, but it left very little room for pizza. The crust lacked character and flavor. If you're going to have so much crust, why not make it really good?

Overall, my rating is a solid 4. It was tolerable and wouldn't eat it again unless I was hungry.

First of all, no one yells at El Presidente!On to ...

2008-06-28T19:03:00.000-05:00

First of all, no one yells at El Presidente!

On to the pizza, put me in the group that's slightly surprised by some of the lower scores. Ranalli's is not world class pizza but it's decent.

The double decker pizza, with two layers of crust, was my favorite pie. The layers of crust were distinct and gave it a nice crunchiness in the middle with plenty of cheese. We took advantage of their offer to give you free ingredients after the fourth one. We lacked the courage to just flat out order an"everything" pizza, but looking back at it it would have tasted horribly.

The thin pizzas were fine - average. The four cheese was tangy and I'm not really sure where that came from. The mexican pizza was dominated by the jalapenos to its detriment.

The mortadella, capicolla, salami stuffed pie was just an orgy of meat. I disagree with some members that felt they could not distinguish the different meats. They were easily distinguishable, of mediocre quality, and pig products makes any pizza better. It had a lot of cheese, but that's what you expect from a stuffed pie.

Overall, it's above average. My final score is 5.5

I'm surprised by the low ratings too. I liked the ...

2008-06-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised by the low ratings too. I liked the sauce, and although the crust wasn't amazing, the thin crusts did not get soggy, even in the middle. I liked the Italian meats on the stuffed pizza. The I <3 Mexico pizza had a nice kick to it, thanks to the jalapenos. I give this place a 6.0.

I'm kinda suprised by the low scores so far (but o...

2008-06-26T09:46:00.000-05:00

I'm kinda suprised by the low scores so far (but on the other hand, Dan does make out with dogs, so there's no accounting for his tastes...), I, for one, enjoyed this pizza. The Double Decker pizza was a nice concept and the ingredients were all tasty, the thin crust pizza was average but the four cheese combination was quite tangy and delicious. I also enjoyed the stuffed and pan pizzas, the crust was (as noted elsewhere) a little bland and the cheese was average (except on the four cheese pizza) but the sauce and toppings were pretty solid in my opinion. I give this place a 6.

Most people associate Ranalli's with late-night de...

2008-06-26T03:17:00.000-05:00

Most people associate Ranalli's with late-night delivery and the pizza would've definitely tasted better being drunk at 3am. What stood out was that each pizza lacked enough sauce or the sauce had dried. The crust was typical low-grade--heavy, dry, and a cardboard-like texture. The meats in the genoa salami, capiocolla and bologna deep dish were indistinguishable. The mexican pizza as usual disappoints, this time because there was scant salsa and the spicy jalepenos dominated. The double decker had a better texture but I was unable to notice two pizzas in it. I suppose they get some points for being better late-night pizza than Pizza Metro. Ranalli's is yet another example why you shouldn't expect a place that offers everything from chicken fajita omelets to baby-back ribs to have high quality pizza.

4.0

I hadn't been to Ranalli's since high school and t...

2008-06-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

I hadn't been to Ranalli's since high school and tonight's meal reminded me why. The crust was dry and devoid of flavor and the sauce was way too sweet. The toppings were fine, though the sausage had a bit too much fennel for my liking. I did like the texture of the double decker. We overloaded it with toppings and the moisture from the toppings and sauce actually balanced the dry crust well. The four cheese pizza was good, but that's because it had a lot of cheese and a thin crust and little to no sauce.

I give it a 4 thanks to the toppings.