4624 W. 103rd StreetIf you follow baseball at all, you know the Chicago White Sox are not a very good team this year. That doesn’t take away much of the fun of going to games, but it also makes it hard to stick around until the very end.
My dad and I had already spent close to eight hours at US Cellular Field last Saturday. We had to get their early to park then wait in line for over an hour and a half to get in the gates to make sure we got the giveaway that day…plus the Paul Konerko number retirement ceremony went long and the game started late. By the bottom of the 8th with the the Sox down, we decided to call it quits and get out of the parking lot and back on to the Dan Ryan before the sold out crowd made a rush for the highway.
Leaving early had another advantage. The Blackhawks Western Conference Final Game 3 started at 7:00 and we were leaving the park at 6:00. It was about a half hour drive back to my in-laws where I was staying for the night, so I was going to make it home in time for puck drop.
When I got to the house, I asked if everyone else had eaten already. They had, so I was on my own. That’s fine because I really like to explore around their house and there is a pizza place right around the corner that we never order from because it’s so damn hard to go anywhere other than Palermo’s 95th when we’re in Oak Lawn.
Clancy’s Pizza Pub is in a small shopping center on 103rd Street just to the east of Cicero Avenue. I ordered a pizza and decided to just go pick it up since it was right around the corner instead of making someone deliver, but when I walked in to pick it up, I was really surprised by the size. It’s quite small. My in-laws say the place is usually full and I can see why that would be. The hostess stand is back near the bar and even the bar itself isn’t that big. There are a few tables and booths in that area and there’s a dining room off to the right when you enter with more tables. Not sure why, but I thought the place was bigger than it was. Instead of a cavernous Irish pub, it’s actually quite cozy and intimate. It will be loud when the place is full, but that just adds to the charm.
As I sat on the couch contemplating what to order, I noticed they online ordering through GrubHub. I somehow remembered by GrubHub password and put in an order for a 12″ called The Southsider.
Pizza on the south side of Chicago is much different than pizza on the north side. I like both styles, but when someone says Chicago-style pizza, you think of the deep dish. Don’t lie..I know you’re thinking about Giordano’s right now.
South side pizza is almost the exact opposite. It’s a cracker-like thin crust that cooks just a hair short of too far. It’s cut in to small squares and usually has a sweet tomato sauce. Unlike a New York Style thin crust, Chicago thin crust pizzas are crispy all the way through.
The pizza I ordered is similar to the one I usually order at Palermo’s. The Southsider has that delicious, delicious giardiniera in addition to pot roast and sausage.
The pizza cost me a little over $14 and it was ready by the time I walked in to the door to pick it up. In a half hour, I was able to order my pizza, drive to the restaurant, pick it up, and still get back to my in-laws in time to catch the first face-off between the Ducks and the Hawks.
I was very happy when I opened the box to see the thin crust pizza since it didn’t specify on the menu. The 12″ pizza was loaded with the spicy giardiniera as well as a generous portion of the pot roast. I didn’t notice the sausage as much, but the giardiniera and the pot roast are such strong players that the sausage just kind of did it’s thing in the background.
The pizza was delicious although I do have to admit not quite as good as Palermo’s. I still loved it and really liked the use of pot roast instead of sliced beef on the pizza. It gave it a much meatier flavor that really does wonders bringing out the tanginess of the vinegar in the giardiniera.
When I decided to order a pizza from Clancy’s, I was just hoping for a tasty pizza to munch on while watching some hockey. I got much better than tasty and in fact, got a pizza I really enjoyed.
12″ The Southsider
The Southsider
