Approximately six weeks ago, Coal Fire Pizza opened their doors and ignited a fire not only in their oven, but in the local pizza-loving community. They were full of customers and put under intense scrutiny before the paint on the walls had barely dried.
I rarely like to visit a restaurant during it's first few weeks, let alone days, and some of the praise heaped on this place lit another fire under me to head over there. So, I finally gave into my desire and checked it out.
After trying two of their pizzas, I can say that Coal Fire is the most exciting thing to happen to Chicago's rapidly altering pizza landscape in a very long time.
The star of the show, like it should be with any quality pizza, is the crust. It has flavor and character, blister bubbles and char marks, chew and crunch. It's simply fantastic crust.
Sausage pizza
I love how the edges are inconsistent, with some parts maintaining a golden hue and nice chew and some edges giving way to hot-spots in the oven, creating dark char and brittle crunch.
White pizza, mozzarella and ricotta
This is thin pizza that doesn't fit into exactly any genre. It's not "NY-Style" or Neapolitan and it's definitely not a Chicago-style thin crust. It's a wood & coal fired pizza and it's got a terrific character all its own.
Coal Fire Pizza is located at 1321 W. Grand in Chicago (just west of Ogden), 312-226-2625, BYOB, street parking.
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