We've been back in the Chicagoland area for a year and a half now. Blogging has definitely taken a backseat over the past few years, but I thought I would start documenting some of our local pizza adventures. We had started a Pizzanati series back in Cincinnati because Francisco freaking loves pizza, and that is about all we would eat if it were up to him. I, too, am a fan of pizza, but also a fan of trying new things and working toward a goal, so combining our interests to work toward a common objective of trying local restaurants that serve a food we both enjoy seems like a solid idea.
House of Pizza has been serving Northwest Indiana Italian cuisine and homemade pizza since 1954. Dante Zunica opened the restaurant, and his daughter Becky and her son Dan now own the restaurant. They originally just focused on pizza, but they now have a large menu with everything from sandwiches to salads and pasta. It has been a while since I've been inside the restaurant, but their website notes that they have a spacious, private party room, so they are great for hosting celebrations - and they have a full bar as well!
We placed a carryout order that consisted of a small cheese and mushroom pizza, the Combo Trio, and a slice of Homemade Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce. I'm not sure if they partner with any third party services to make ordering more convenient, but their website directs you to call in your order and there doesn't seem to be an online ordering option.
The online menu states that a small pizza is $9.35 for a 10" + $1.55 per topping. We paid $10.90.
It looks appetizing, but the presentation was a bit sloppy. The pizza is fairly strongly seasoned with some Italian spices coming through.
The Combo Trio includes Mozzarella Sticks, Zucchini, and Mushrooms along with a side of Marinara sauce. The online menu states that this is $9, but we paid $11.50. It's a decent size, and everything looks well-fried but not greasy. While I appreciate the inclusion of the marinara sauce, I would love to see this defaultly come with ranch sauce as well, especially for the mushrooms and zucchini. The mozzarella sticks have good flavor and consistency. I found the marinara sauce to be pretty strongly flavored; with the addition of the herbs, it almost seems like a little bowl of tomato soup. The zucchini is cut into discs and has a darker fry than the other appetizers. It seems like maybe a bit more salt could be used to enhance the flavor. The mushrooms were fine and the most plentiful appetizer included in the combo. It seems a bit thin on mozzarella sticks considering there was only 4 compared to 9 zucchini and 16 mushrooms.
Honestly, my favorite part of the meal just may have been the Homemade Cheesecake With Strawberry Sauce [$5.75]. I often find myself disappointed in the dessert selection at pizza restaurants, but this is a really solid option.
The strawberry topping pairs perfectly with the cheesecake base, and this was a great ending to our House of Pizza dinner.
Verdict: I don't LOVE the pizza, but it's fine, and I would eat it again without issue. Francisco likes the flavor and the texture of the crust and would get it again. I'm going to try adopting this rating system:
1-Disliked it
2-Kind of wish I hadn't tried it
3-It was okay
4-Enjoyed it
5-Really enjoyed it
I would give it a 3.5, leaning towards 4 because of that cheesecake!
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