Leftys Chicago Pizzeria- North Park

Do you like pizza?  I have to be in the mood for it actually but I'm a fan.  I prefer a thicker crust than thin, heavy on the sauce, easy on the cheese and toppings like sausage, tomatoes, basil, artichoke, blah blah blah.  Always with crushed red peppers.  So a friend of mine told me Lefty's was worth a try so try I did...twice.  This post will have pics from both visits.  For those who havent been, its off 30th near Upas.  Seating is very limited, 2 small tables inside with a few counter seats and 3 outside tables for 4. I am impressed with my seating observations this time... Parking is street parking and varies based on dinner/ bar crowd rush times.  Staff has been super friendly both times in case you care about that kind of stuff.  Their website: http://www.leftyspizza.com/index.htm.  Food next:

Here we go.  We did a deep dish which is 16" in size and did half and half of 2 specialty pies- the Gold Coast and Monster of the Midway.  The Gold Coast is the half with the basil chiffonade over the top and has the following ingredients-grilled chicken, artichoke, sun-dried tomato, basil, elephant garlic. The Monster comes with a spicy mix of peppers and cauliflower which we asked for on the side as we had anticipated a 2 year old to share in the pizza eating.  It is topped with sausage, pepperoni, hot giardiniera, elephant garlic.  Doesnt the picture look scrumptious?  Here is my humble opinion.  Decent pie, although I cant vouch for authenticity as I have never been to Chi town, never lived there, have no pizza making gene in my Korean blood, etc.  There was certainly alot of cheese.  This is either a good or bad depending on how much you love cheese.  I prefer a delicate balance so it was a bit too much for me.  The crust is very dense.  It wasnt airy as I would have liked.  I couldnt eat more than 3/4 a slice, although I didnt think I would eat more than a slice of a deep dish pizza...sad face.  Crusts are my favorite. 

Loaded fries.  Ingredients: sharp cheddar or bleu cheese, bacon, sour cream, scallions.  We got half and half cheese.  The fries are very good but decadent.  They remind me of fat In and Out fries...YUM.  The cheese is a mix of melted cheese with some sauciness.  Like a mix of shredded cheese and Velveeta.  Portion is pretty big...can easily feed 3 hungry adults as an appetizer or side item. 

Chicago Hot Dog: steamed & served on a poppy seed bun w/ mustard, onion, pickle, relish, sport peppers,

celery salt, tomato & fresh cut fries.  This was my first taste of this acclaimed regional dog.  Average size, could have been larger in my opinion but again, I'm no expert.  It was tasty how everything kind of balanced each other out.  Despite having ingredients that could potentially overwhelm on its own, I enjoyed my bite and found that it actually mixed very well.  Bun was softly steamed and didnt fall apart either. 

Homemade meatball sandwich.  This was the surprise of the 2nd night actually.  Bread was crusty and  nicely toasted.  The meatballs were very tender and had built in spice which broke up the meatiness of the meat.  After all, its meat, bread and sauce only.  The size of the meatballs made it hard to take a bite so I ended up breaking it apart and eating with a fork.  Sandwiches come with fries or if you get the loaded fries they can take 50 cents off your sandwich price instead.  They make a nice marinara btw. 

We also got mozarella cheese sticks.  I didnt include a picture b/c they were basic.  Good but nothing out of the ordinary.  I'd say to save your money for something else on the menu.  I really want to try one of the salads next time.  Really, Im not kidding.  They looked amazing on someone else's table and come in a homey wooden bowl ala my childhood.  Another recommendation.  If its your first time there, start with a slice.  Its very easy to overestimate your hunger and have way too much leftovers.  Well, at least if you buy into such a thing as too much leftovers...xoxo