This column deals with two restaurants that specialize in pizzas—with one clearly ahead of the other ( at least at this point ).
Forno Rosso Pizza Napoletana ( 1048 W. Randolph St.; FornoRossoPizzeria.com ) is a new addition to Chicago's West Loop. ( Another more-established branch is at 3719 N. Harlem Ave. ) Owner Nick Nitti has even trained in Naples—and his education is our gain.
The restaurant ( which includes a repurposed barn ) is airy and welcoming—and echoes Italy down to its tile mosaic of Sophia Loren in the men's restroom.
Things started off with caponata della nonna ( a melange of eggplant, olives and capers salad on crostini )—and it says something when I ( not the biggest fan of olives ) find this tasty.
My dining companion was intrigued by the paunozzi ( items similar to paninis ) on the menu, and decided to go for the piccante, which contains mozzarella, sausage, spicy soppressata and housemade spicy oil. With my sensitive palate, I declined a slice—but the look on my friend's face said it all when he dove into it: He absolutely loved it.
Something we both loved was the pizza tartufo, which is topped with black truffle pate, sausage, basil, mozzarella and porcini mushrooms con panna. I would go back to Forno Rosso for this item alone; the taste is wonderfully complex, and it's one of the best pizzas I've had in quite some time.
We also enjoyed the carbonara pizza. ( My friend and I tried one white and one red pie. ) The carbonara contains tomatoes, mozzarella, pancetta, organic egg and cracked black pepper—and is absolutely delicious.
As for dessert, I have one thing to say: Don't skip it. We sampled the very satisfying spumoni bomba ( strawberry, pistacchio and chocolate gelato in a chocolate shell ) as well as the pizza con Nutella—and they had me at "Nutella," although it also contains bananas and is topped with powdered sugar.
Run—don't walk—to Forno Rosso.
Robert's Pizza Company
Like Nitti, Robert's Pizza Company ( 355 E. Ohio St.; RobertsPizzaCompany.com ) owner Robert Garvey said he has been schooled in Naples. A transplant from New York City who's lived in Chicago for two decades, Garvey describes the offerings at his restaurant as a combination as "a little bit Neapolitan, a little bit New York and a little bit Chicago."
Things started promisingly with the drinks. I had a Down Island Daiquiri, which contains rum, Martinique, lime juice, fresh grated lime and simple syrup; my friend had a 1972 Bonneville Sour ( CH Distillery vodka, simple syrup and fresh lemon juice ). Also, we really liked the artisinal beef and veal meatballs—and our server helpfully said we might want to save the meatball sauce as a dip for the crust of the pizza.
However, the pizzas did not exactly continue the winning streak that started the evening. The Brussels sprout-and-applewood smoked bacon pizza is an intriguing idea. Unfortunately, there was too much of the former and too little of the latter, although the sweetness of the sprouts came through during the meal as it continued its caramelization. When the server said that Garvey didn't want to overwhelm the pizza with bacon, I said, "For a Chicagoan, there's no such thing."
The carne asada pizza ( a special that day ) was a better choice, and my friend and I immediately gravitated toward this one, although we also both felt the radishes were unnecessary. Other choices include seafood ( clams, calamari, shrimp, mozzarella, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil ) and roasted duck breast pizza, which is accompanied with Bella Viva plums, scallions, pecorino, Szechuan peppercorns and hoisin. Patrons can also customize their own pies.
Also, Robert's Pizza Company might benefit from being open longer than 5-10 p.m. during the week. It's potentially missing out on a massive office crowd ( from Northwestern University and various commercial high-rises ) on the look for something different. I do wish Robert's Pizza Company the best; it's off to a solid start, and some of the offerings sound truly interesting.
