In some neighborhoods, traditional outdoor dining is once again beginning to pop. With temperatures floating in the low 70’s a few days ago, tables along Sunnyside at Ravenswood were nearly full and surrounded by relaxed contented faces. Health officials continue to tell us we’re not exactly where we need to be with diminished infection rates and that caution should drive all decisions involving social interaction. The conscientiously cautious among us, including those already vaccinated, still choose to forego any on-site dining experience; indoor or out. For them, take out continues its necessary reign. That doesn’t’ mean curiosity about who’s doing what in the city’s culinary spaces has atrophied. On the contrary, the hunger for discovering and sampling what’s new and what’s best continues unabated.
The Chicago Tribune, one of the two city newspapers still around, routinely rolls out a best of list featuring restaurants who excel in the preparation of fast casual mainstays. Leaning heavy on the hand-held variety, they’ve told us who makes the best pastrami on rye, where to find exceptional Italian beef sandwiches and who has the most delectable tacos. Their periodic installments have proven a hit. Floating out the most recent hot list just last week; pizza, for the third time, was back in the spotlight. There were a few not so familiar names but most of the restaurants profiled are well known simply because they’ve been making noteworthy savory pies for an impressively long time.
It’s fine to view these lists with some skepticism since how we respond to food is as subjective as anything else. The credibility of the reporters matters, too. Plenty of journalists on the food beat have years of experience refining their palette and sharpening their abilities to convincingly describe what tastes good and why. Having the time and the wherewithal to mount an active search for all the places excelling at what they serve is also hugely advantageous. In the end, their assessments are opinions subject to a degree of fallibility.
Ravenwood’s Spacca Napoli ended up in the paper’s latest roundup of praiseworthy pizzerias. Because of its reasonably close proximity and the many previous accolades the restaurant’s amassed for its Neapolitan style pizza, the ten-year-old restaurant became the weekend’s take-out indulgence.
Two things stand out about Spacca Napoli. First, they approach the pie from a very traditional Old World stance. Simplicity of preparation and quality ingredients rule to roost. Second, the value is unquestionable. Averaging $16 for each pie, the prices are exceptional for the high bar they set for with their ingredients. Over a dozen pizza combinations are available on the standard menu and the restaurant doesn’t discourage customization. Additions and alterations tend to be the exception because the pizzas seem to hold their own kind of self-contained purity. Best known for their take on the classically simple Margherita pizza, there’re plenty of other options to satisfy a range of flavor or spice cravings. The Puttanesca with its anchovies and briny olives sport a surprisingly brawny brine punch. On the flip side, the Funghi e Salsiccia (mushroom and sausage) is so understated you’d think it might be putting on airs. Its reserve turns out to be a plus because the toppings don’t overwhelm the flavor of the pizza’s patent worthy crust. Surrounded by its thick necklace of charred blisters, Spacca Napoli pizzas must have one of the best tasting crusts in town. The chew is noteworthy, too. Diners sometimes ask that their pie stay under the flames a little longer until the crust is “well done”. Not necessarily a bad idea if you’re doing take out and want to insure a sturdy foundation by the time you get home.
The cheeses the restaurant chooses to accompany each pizza are also quietly spectacular. Mild and often complex, you’ll get the most pleasure from them if your approach is unhurried and open to savoring something special.
Salads are substantial, don’t have the appearance of the generic and don’t deceive by placing a thin layer of the good stuff on top of a mountain of lettuce. Wonderful and delicious callipo tuna makes the Insalate Eoliana a standout. Joined by fingerling potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, capers and caper berries scattered on a bed of arugula, you might be tempted to only order salad at Spacca Napoli. But even though the tuna was generous, the other embellishments weren’t quite as well-proportioned which cast a small shadow on the green part of the meal. Also impressive, the Insalate Mista, which probably counts as the house salad, would have been even more satisfying if the mesclun had gone through another water rinse. That precaution would have avoided the slightly off aftertaste left by the salad on day two.
Desserts and cocktails are also available.
Spacca Napoli Pizzeria
1759 W. Sunnyside Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
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