November: Chicago Dough Company

The Chicago Dough Company has been "dishing it out for forty years." Well when it comes to pizza, we definitely can take it, so we rendezvoused at the Chicago Dough Company to get served! Here's what we ate for November and how we liked it:

The Chicago Dough Company is located a hop, skip, and a jump away from Pizza Pan. Unlike Pizza Pan, CDC has cleverly substituted a zen (?) gravel garden for more parking spaces. With innovation like that, we knew we were in for a real treat. The exterior of the building needed a little more landscaping to be really attractive, but it still looked good with its brick facade, columns, and black lanterns. We also enjoyed their tribute to fall outside the main entrance (pumpkins, and hay bales, and flowers - oh my!).

Our readers will be disappointed to learn that CDC is the only pizza place in Bourbonnais (so far) that does not play contemporary Christian music. This is really a sad commentary on our society, demonstrating the extent to which religious syncretism has invaded even our most hallowed of deep-dish eateries. Anywho, the interior of this place is really classy: stained-glass style lights hang over individual wooden booths with checkered tablecloths and knick-knacks scattered about. The feel was somewhere between "let's make romantic googly eyes across the table" and "let's speak in Italian accents and talk about sending Johnny to sleep with the fishes." Bonus: we sat under a street sign that read "N Campbell Ave," which provides a nice segue for our shout-out to Tyler and Rachel Campbell for their gift of a sleek binder for our Pizza Season Blog outings. We'd also really like to thank Ken and Shirley Carr for their generous donation to our project. We're dedicating this one to all of you!

Back to the future, er, pizza. Our server, whose name was Sydney (and not Cindy or Cynthany like Andrew thought), greeted and seated us quickly. She even asked if our booth was to our liking and was great about checking in on us and bringing us our refills. Sydney also brought us Parmesan cheese (which is yummy) and drew a smiley-face on our bill (which is happy). Note: In past posts we have kept our server's name a secret as to protect their identities; but we are making an exception in Sydney's case due to her great service.

The dining area was relatively clean. Nothing fantastic, though, and the mens' bathroom was kinda grody. Get this, though: their vacuum cleaner sucks (in a dis way, not a functional way)! We overheard two of the servers talking about it, so it must be true. We also eavesdropped on a conversation between a server and a woman, the latter of whom was complaining about how cold it was inside. She was close, but cold is not the right word. Frigid would be more apt. Or perhaps Greenland-ic (Greenland is the icy one; Iceland is the green one; Ireland is the lucky one; Graceland is the Elvis one). For those of you who are concerned about the polar ice caps melting, just ship them down to CDC and they'll be fine.

There's not a whole lot to say about the menu at CDC, either good or bad. They have a buffet option for lunch (and Tuesday dinners) and have a few interesting specialty pizzas (like honey mustard chicken). Individual toppings are a bit steep, but specialty pizzas are a good value. We ordered a 10" deep dish pizza with Canadian bacon and pineapple ($12.27) and a Dr. Pepper ($2.19). Our food came in good time. It was delicious! For starters, the cheese was excellent (the menu said it comes from Wisconsin). The sauce was more tomato-y-esque-ish. It was cooked well and was not too greasy. Overall, this was probably the highest quality and freshest of ingredients we have had so far on the Pizza Season Blog. Amber also said it was the best-tasting pizza so far (and Amber is always right).

So how did the Chicago Dough Company fare according to our incredibly accurate and well-thought-out rating system? Here's how:

Atmosphere (location, theme, vibe): 4/5
Cleanliness (bathrooms, table settings, furnishings): 3/5
Menu (variety, dining options, cost): 4/5
Food (taste, quality, value): 5/5
Service (friendliness, efficiency, helpfulness): 5/5

Total: 21/25 - Recommended!

Winner, winner, pizza dinner! CDC is our highest-rated pizza place yet. What really put them over the top was great food and great service. At the same time, we wish they were a lot warmer, a bit cleaner, and more creative with fun ways to spend a dollar. Will  CDC reign supreme as we enter winter and survey more locations? Keep checking back each month to find out. Until next time - YOEPOAM!

If you would like more information about the Chicago Dough Company or want to write your own review, here's some helpful stuff:

Chicago Dough Company
545 S Main St
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
815-935-0300

Website: Chicago Dough Company

Extra Cheese: Last month we asked you what states have Aurelio's (Is Pizza) in them. The answer? Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Minnesota, and Nevada (and we think maybe Georgia now, too...hmm, peach pizza?). This month we'd like to thank our special student correspondent, Caleb Carr, for getting us a slice of the college pizza scene. Next time you're hard up for cash, try digging in the dumpster outside Little Caesar's just after midnight. If you manage to beat the grouchy hobos and the diseased rats there, you can enjoy yourself a delicious, lightly-used hot-n-ready!