Great American Bites: Deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's in Chicago

— -- The scene: In 1943, Ike Sewell made pizza history when his Chicago restaurant, Pizzeria Uno, introduced "deep dish." It was the most novel form of pizza seen in this country since the original thin crust Neapolitan-style arrived from Italy in the early 20th century. The concept was so successful that he opened a second nearby location, Pizzeria Due, and then sold the brand, which became a nationwide chain, first called Pizzeria Uno and today Uno Chicago Grill. As far as chain fast-food restaurants go, Uno is pretty good, and satisfies the deep-dish urge in a pinch. But if you want great Chicago-style deep dish pizza, you have to go to Chicago - or at least near Chicago, where countless deep dish choices proliferate. I have eaten repeatedly at all the major players, including the original and still largely authentic Uno and Due locations, Giordano's and Gino's East, but my favorite is Lou Malnati's.

While deep dish almost certainly debuted at Uno's, its creator is disputed, and according to mid-1950s reports in the Chicago Daily News, the unique recipe was actually invented by Sewell's head chef, one Rudy Malnati. Rudy in turn passed the tradition on to his son Lou, who opened the original Lou Malnati's in 1971 in the Lincolnwood neighborhood, and today the company is run by his sons, Marc and Rick. The family-owned group has 33 locations around greater Chicago. I hesitate to use the word "chain," since every Lou Malnati's is a bit unique, and each feels like a standalone restaurant, and in every case the pizzas are still handmade on the premises from scratch with little of the factory preparation and drop shipments common to the chain methodology.

But there is a commonality to the feel of a Lou Malnati's, and each is sort of a neighborhood pizza tavern. Most have a full bar you can eat at, table service and simple decor, accented by lots of Chicago sports memorabilia including framed jerseys, hockey sticks, footballs and the like. A few have outdoor seating, and most are great places to watch sports on television. The welcome is warm and the pizza is always hot and fresh, made to order. I have been to a few, but my favorite is the downtown River North location.

Reason to visit: Deep-dish pizza, chocolate-chip pizza

The food: Chicago-style deep dish pizza is a combination of traditional pizza, pie, and casserole. A cast-iron pan, usually about 2 inches deep, is lined with dough, forming vertical outside edges, and then filled with tomato sauce, cheese and whatever toppings are desired. By tradition, Chicago is a meat-centric former-stockyard city, and all forms of meat rule here, but especially sausage. Unlike pizzerias elsewhere, link-style sausage is uncommon, and the ground-patty form much more prevalent, including at Lou Malnati's where the best sellers are the Chicago Classic, with sausage and cheese, and the Lou, a 4-cheese blend of mozzarella, cheddar, parmigiana, and romano with spinach and mushrooms. Pizzas come in four sizes: an individual serves one; a small, one hungry person or two having salads or apps; a medium feeds two very comfortably, and the large up to four.