Why Lou Malnati's Is Chicago's Favorite Deep Dish Pizza | Legendary Eats

Taryn Varricchio: This meaty, cheesy

deep

dish

pizza

is from Lou Malnati's in Chicago, where we filmed in September 2019. Sources like Food Network and Zagat continue to rank it above the rest for a reason. There are actually four reasons: the buttermilk crust that holds the

pizza

together; mozzarella cheese, always sliced, never grated; their signature sausage blend, loaded into every inch of the pie; and the lengths they will go to get perfectly ripe California tomatoes. Hina: I think the way they construct their pizza makes each ingredient shine. Every bite is so filling. It's like nothing you've ever experienced.

It's so good. Sarah: They are known for their bark. And it's the perfect amount of, a little crunchy, a little crunchy, but still buttery and doughy. Taryn: Right now, most restaurants and bars rely solely on delivery and takeout, including Malnati's. So I spoke to its owner, Marc Malnati, about how the restaurant continues to deliver its famous pies, even during these really difficult times. Did you do it yourself? How did you do that? Marc Malnati: I did. I'll teach you if you want. Alright, now I'm at one of our restaurants. Taryn: So obviously we're talking to you over Zoom instead of being in the restaurant with you.

Can you tell us a little about what your restaurant is facing right now and how you are handling the changes due to the coronavirus shutdown? Marc: Yes, in this new environment we are doing the best we can to deliver pizza curbside and deliver it in cars. You know, people want comfort food at a time like this. Taryn: That comfort food starts with their signature Buttercrust. So the way you curve it, can you explain again why you do it? To hold it, you said? Marc: So we'll pat the crust along the bottom of the pan and then lift it up to the sides, so the cheese or tomato sauce doesn't leak over the top.

Because if you do, it will start burning under the crust. That's why we want the crust to be tall enough to be a solid container for all the toppings we put on top of the pizza. Taryn: Next come the layers of mozzarella cheese, made from the same Wisconsin dairy for the past 50 years. Hina: You can really tell that this is a good local Wisconsin cheese, and it's not something they randomly bought at the supermarket. Taryn: Is there a way to add it to pizza? Is there any particular reason you do it that way, with the slices layered that way?

Marc: The reason we use slices is because we use a lot of sausage on the pizza and it's easier to place the sausage on a flat base of cheese than if it were grated. It just wouldn't stay in place. And we want to have plenty of sausages. So that's the main reason. Taryn: It's that sausage that makes the Chicago Classic pie at Lou Malnati's so popular. Sarah: There's something about their sausage, it just tastes great. And I think what I love about it is that there's a sausage in every bite that you get. They use a lot of sausage.

And they really take advantage of the surface of the pizza and just load it up. Taryn: The seasoning is a mixture of garlic, salt and pepper, loaded a little at a time until no more mozzarella cheese is visible. Is there a reason for that technique? Marc: I want the cheese to bubble through the sausage. It cannot be a flat layer. So there's a prodigious amount of sausage, but the cheese spills everywhere. Again, I want to taste every ingredient in every bite. Taryn: And to top it off, a sweet and spicy sauce made with California tomatoes. Marc: We use a plum tomato with a whole skin.

And when they can that tomato, they wait until the tomato reaches its zenith, when it's reddest, fattest, you know, the most sugar jumps out of that skin. And we will wait until then. We send a group of guys out and they keep an eye on the tomatoes until they have exactly the right profile for us. Taryn: The pies are cooked for about 30 minutes each at 550 degrees. But since the closure, Malnati's has brought many of its pies straight from the oven to customers' doors. You can pick it up or have it delivered if you live in Chicago, or if they have frozen pies that ship nationwide.

Marc: We freeze those pizzas so they freeze in seconds. And when we ship them, and we ship them within a week of being made, they arrive to you all over the country in excellent shape. Sarah: My mom just sent me two frozen pizzas from Lou Malnati. It was like the best day of quarantine when she arrived in the mail. So, she sent one cheese and one sausage. And honestly, that was the first time she had frozen it and, you know, not fresh. And it was amazing. She knew the same as having it in the restaurant or simply how to receive it at home.

Taryn: Because Malnati's now relies on orders like these instead of dine-in service, Marc was forced to lay off much of his wait staff. Marc: Most of our wait staff, our bartenders, our waitresses, our waiters, our busboys, are not working. Some have worked as drivers, but we have had to lay off a few hundred people. Taryn: To help offset this, Marc increased employee discounts to 75% and started a staff fund for workers in need. Marc: Our team can write to us and say, "Hey, we're struggling to make ends meet right now. I'm home because my mom has COVID.

Could you help us right now?" And we're sending checks to our team. And I hope we can continue like this and I hope this ends faster. Taryn: And as for the rest of the locations, for the most part they promise to stay open? This is the plan? Marc: Yes, we will stay open for sure. I mean, as long as we can. But it's not the easiest thing in the world to manage a busy kitchen on a Friday night and maintain social distancing. So my team is getting better and better and we've been healthy up to this point.

And I hope it continues like this. But it is a terrifying moment. It's a crazy time. Sarah: Lou Malnati really has a part of my heart. So my hope for them is that they can weather this crisis and move forward. And I'm willing to keep ordering frozen pizzas if that helps in any way.