Tucked away on the Southwest side in Alsip is strip mall on Pulaski. It has seen it’s better days for sure, and there is a little take out pizza place named Russo’s in it. I say take out, but there is a couple of tables among the stacked pizza boxes, cases of soda and other supplies. A big American flag hangs on the wall and a small table with a TV on it with some newspapers. The scene is right out of the 1970’s. No beer or wine is sold, but you can get an ice cold RC Cola to go with your pizza.
It’s a beautiful Sunday night and the Chicago pizza guys are converging at Russo’s for some good pizza and conversation. I was the first to arrive, I was startled at how small it was, and how old it looked. I said to myself “this is exactly the kind of place I love, a little dive hole in the wall that serves up some killer old school Chicago pizza! I have had Russo’s before, in fact my Nephew buys their frozen pizzas to cook up on the outdoor pizza oven.
Anyway we meet up and ordered two medium pizzas one sausage and the other pepperoni, and their special called “The Fritz” and of course a few liters of RC Cola. The pizzas came out piping hot and looking absolutely delicious, their medium although 14” looked like a large.
And was way more than all of us was able to eat.
It’s the sausage that’s the star of this pizza, large chunks, perfectly seasoned, just the right amount of fat content to give it a great flavor. The sauce is the co star, balanced between fresh Italian seasonings and not too tangy or sweet. We all loved it. The pepperoni was in the true Chicago style, under the cheese. I know a lot of people disagree with that and me being one of them would rather have it on top, baking it into little crisp cups. The crust was crispy and very good, with a good sauce ring and what I call love handles (just enough crust at the end to hold the piece) but they cut their slices so large that there is no way that it can support all their toppings. Still it was a very good pie and we were all very satisfied and I might add, full after devouring a few pieces.
What was next I wasn’t ready for! The Fritz, a huge calzone that’s stuffed to the hilt with sauce cheese and sausage, then deep fried to a golden brown. We were so filled by the pizza that I only had a small piece of it, but it was very good it had a crisp outer shell but kept the doughiness. The flavor and texture worked very well and it could feed 2 to 3 people!
I would recommend the pizza in a heartbeat if you are going to pick it up. We all left satisfied and full and we needed to find a place to get a nightcap because you can’t have a night of pizza eating with out a beer to wash it down!