Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
Nancy has been experiencing a slow leak for months now. No, it is not what you think. We have one of those “numbers” beds that is pumped up with air to the firmness of your liking. Every few days it must be pumped up, and since Nancy is not known for suffering in silence, it’s time for a new mattress after 16 years. On to the nearest store where we were treated to more videos than a timeshare sales meeting. This mattress even has an app to tell you how well you are sleeping. Seriously??? You need an app for that? Anyway, after a couple of hours, the deal was done, and so was our bank account. We were starving and remembered a recommendation from our hair dresser Christy, aka, “the Oracle of Algonquin”, for a great little pizza place. We made a beeline to Pizza Pushers in Algonquin.
Pizza Pushers
844 S. Main Street
Algonquin 60102
(779)247-9958
www.pizzapushers.pizza
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin Road, East to Rte. 31, South to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 22 minutes
This strip mall restaurant is easy to miss, so when your GPS tells you to turn now, do it.
This unassuming pizza parlor actually has six booths and three tables inside and is expanding to the next unit over to handle the booming business and future gaming room.
We walked in and went up to a counter and were greeted by the friendly owner. He explained to us that the pizzas are Detroit Style which means it has a thicker dough and is baked in a 6” by 9” rectangular pan. The pizzas only come in one size and feeds about one and a half people on average. He suggested if we wanted to split a pizza, we could try his Caesar salad to go along with it. However, Nancy saw the Tiramisu on the menu and said, “forget the salad, let’s go for dessert instead.”
They offer nine pizza combinations to choose from and we went with the Hellraiser ($21). This consisted of a cheese blend, sauce, pickled jalapenos, charred pepperoni drizzled with hot honey and oregano. Be forewarned, it takes approximately 20 minutes to prepare.
The drinks were in a glass door cooler behind the counter with lots of choices to choose from. There were a variety of soft drinks (in cans), flavored carbonated waters, and a large selection of beers.
We were handed the finest Styrofoam China and seated ourselves. Now for the waiting and the anticipation. The aroma coming from the kitchen was making our mouths water and driving us crazy. Finally, our pizza arrived and was worth the wait.
One bite of this “habit forming” pizza and we were hooked!!! The crust of the pizza was crunchy on the bottom topped with a soft airy bread like dough. We’ve never had anything like this before. It was perfectly cooked even to the crispy cheese edges. Boy, I wish we had leftovers…
On to our dessert. They serve Isabella’s Tiramisu ($5.50). The owner said we shouldn’t pass it up and he was right. It is now on the Top 10 of Tiramisu’s that we have ever had. We are hooked on this “habit forming” dessert too!
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
Nancy was inquiring about the crust and tried wrangling the secret from the owner. He finally hinted to us what it was. We could tell you, but then we would have to kill you.
This pizza is totally different from what us Chicagoan’s would expect, but give it a try and you’ll be hooked too.
The price for our “habit forming” meal was $32.40. Not ordering enough for leftovers, bummer…
Jim’s take: The Hellraiser was not overly spicy and the sweet hot honey was awesome.
Nancy’s take: I would have liked my pepperoni charred more and I will order it that way next time. The hot honey was the crowning touch.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
