Finally writing about our quick trip to Springfield a few weeks ago warrants a dip deep into the Pizza Hounds archives to shine light on our long-forgotten visit to yet another landmark pizzeria in that city. Ernie and I pulled up into the Gabatoni's parking lot late on a Friday night in February 2015 when we were in the first stages of our official move from Chicago to St. Louis. We by then realized that it was time to look the rest of the Midwest for great pizzerias, so Gabatoni's, one of the oldest pizza shops in Central Illinois, was a perfect stop. Johnny and Rosemary Lynn opened Gabatoni's at 300 Washington in 1951, and they moved the pizzeria about a mile and a half south to the current location on Laurel Street in 1959. Just as it was back then, our pizza was thin, crispy, and cut in squares, making it a perfect connection between the traditions of our old city and our new home. The pictures aren't great, but they're all we have to document that night.
At Pirrone's, you get a perfect example of a North County-style pizza. The origins of this pizza are a little unclear to us, and some more oral history research needs to be done, but we have the rough outline. Luigi's in South City may have been the first to sell a rectangular Provel-covered, square-cut pizza in metal tray, but Rose Ponticello, via now-closed institutions Ponticello's and (Ponticello's) Halls Ferry Inn, did much to develop the style today associated mostly with north St. Louis County. From Ponticello's, the style spread to other pizzerias--and direct familial forebearers to Pirrone's--such as Saullo's (famously occupying a storefront in a tiny Spanish Lake strip mall for decades, but originally located in North City building previously home to the original Ponticello's) and Angelo's (run by Tony Pirrone's parents) in Black Jack. A similar, though subtly different, style is produced by beloved northwest St. Louis County mainstays Nick & Elena's and Serra's. Through it all, North County-style pizza has outlasted the onslaught mounted by the Florissant-born and one-time behemoth Pantera's, the spread of the South Side-born Imo's, and the typical national chains. Most notably, it has also survived the white flight that North County has experienced over the last few decades, all the while curiously reflecting it. Ponticello's and Halls Ferry in closed just a few years ago, but the big three--Angelo's, Faraci's, and especially Pirrone's--appear to be holding on and at times seem to be thriving. The Faraci family opened a pizzeria on the traffic-clogged Manchester Road in West County in the '90s. Fratelli's (originally in Dellwood) and Stefanina's took the style out to St. Charles County. Hobo's in St. Peters sells a great version (one directly connected to Halls Ferry Inn), and there's even a Pirrone's out there now, too. We'll always much prefer making the drive to get this pizza in the North County homeland, though.
As usual, we're incredibly behind with posting our adventures (weeks, months, and in some cases years). There are so many pizza places to talk about, but it's not a bad idea to keep up with the most recent stops. A couple of weeks ago--for the first time in nearly a year--we visited Pirrone's Pizzeria, a Florissant institution that has been creating some of the best thin crust, Provel-covered pizzas in the world for over four decades.
The current Cozy Dog Drive In, which opened in 1996 just north of the old location, is surrounded by placeless suburban strip malls,
chain restaurants, and big boxes, but inside is a different world: a friendly small town where workers and customers alike chat and smile over delicious cozy dogs, even offering to take pictures for a couple of Pizza Hounds struggling to get just one good selfie. What a perfect cap to our remarkable tour of Springfield.
The Cozy Dog Drive In's first-in-the-world claim to the corn dog is convincingly disputed by some, but that doesn't matter to us one bit. This place is pure Americana. The layers of time and the stories of the thousands of visitors over the decades are what really matter here. Devoted longtime customers are honored on the walls, as are near-forgotten music groups who passed through at one time, arguably never reaching and sustaining the fame that the Cozy promised to offer. Route 66, portrayed beautifully in the artwork of Bob Waldmire, son of Ed and Virginia Waldmire, plays a big role here, too. You'll never forget your proximity to the Mother Road. And just like throughout much of Springfield, Abraham Lincoln's ghost proudly looms. But the kitsch, as it does in many roadside stops, never once overwhelms the heartwarming fun. We couldn't help but smile the whole time we waited for our Cozy Dogs and fries.
When visiting Springfield, Illinois in March 2109, it was impossible for us to skip the birthplace of the hot dog on a stick (or the corndog, as the world knows it), the Cozy Dog Drive In. After a developmental period, Air Force veteran Ed Waldmire, using a batter recipe developed by buddy Bob Strand, started this Route 66 landmark in the late 1940s. "Crusty curs," as they were originally called, had been huge hits at Lake Springfield Beach House and the state fair, leading to a dedicated stand (at one time sharing a space with a Dairy Queen) selling the rechristened "cozy dogs." Today, the business is still in the family, run by Ed's grandson, using the original recipe Ed used in the early days. Here, at a new location, they make cozy dogs with the same frying racks they used in the 1960s.
Mel-O-Cream, the Springfield doughnut classic for nearly a century, was the bonus stop that wasn't during our quick trip to the city in March 2019. There are four independently-owned locations in the city and one in Lincoln, Illinois. This location, just a couple of blocks west of Sam's Italian Pizza, closed around noon, so we were just a little late. Mel-O-Cream is also a major baker and distributor of doughnuts to other stores in the region, with a large facility also located in Springfield that was founded by Kelly Grant, Sr. Grant bought a local franchise of the doughnut shop in 1932 and quickly moved into the wholesale business. His son, Kelly Grant, Jr., ran Mel-O-Cream International until the 2010s. We cannot wait to try it the next time we are in town for pizza.
The thin, but not too thin pie-cut pizza at Sam's comes from the same family recipe that founder Sam Pensabene used when he opened the business over four decades ago, but we've definitely had pizza like this before. We're not exactly sure who owns the business now (even though we spoke to a nice worker), but online evidence suggests it is Gianni Vitale. There's a Gianni Vitale who owns Gianni's Pizza in Pittsfield and who is related to Benadetto Vitale of Benny's Pizza in Beardstown, so it's likely the same person owns (or at least used to own) Sam's. The decades-old Benny's inspired Roma's in Bethalto, which in turn helped create Cavataio's in Staunton, Illinois and Salvatore's in St. Charles, Missouri. Those pizzas are remarkably similar to the pizza at Sam's. The recipes may have been born separately, but it is undeniable that they share most traits. The prevalence of this type of pizza might suggest the needed recognition of a style unique to downstate Illinois.
Perhaps the main attractions of Sam's Italian Pizza, one of Springfield's classic neighborhood pizzerias, are the unforgettable walls. Through the years they have been completely covered with framed snapshots, portraits, and autographs of both fans of the business and those admired by the owners. It's an impressive, place-defining collection filled with the famous and semi-famous, including a large number of very-Illinois local politicians and an appearance or two of the most (in)famous name in the world right now. No doubt, the political focus is reinforced by powerful real estate developer and Republican Party leader, Claudio Pecori, who has been know to hold packed weekly meetings at the restaurant. He shows up in a few of the photographs surrounded by smiling allies. Another reminder that, in a town like Springfield, even pizza, the great unifier, can be politics.
Immigrant Simone "Sam" Pensabene opened Sam's Italian Pizza at the corner of North Grand and 8th in 1978. After Sam's death in 1992 at the age of 58, his brother-in-law, Joe Porcasi, former owner Joe's Italian Pizza across town, took over the business. Meanwhile, Sam's son John opened a pizzeria in Sherman, Illinois known as Sam's Too. All three pizzerias exist to this day. With just our quick visits to Bernie & Betty's and Saputo's, the Illinois state capital had already proven to be a remarkable center of independent pizzerias, but with Sam's (and our knowledge of several more pizza shops around town), the city of about 115,000 proved to be a per capita rival to St. Louis and maybe even Chicago.
Saputo's is red sauce Americana. You feel the tradition. You feel the time. Surely there are ghosts here. Ghosts of complicated political deals, lawful and otherwise, that not only set the course for everyday Illinoisans but also the political futures of the state's wide array of heroes and villains. In the cutthroat world of Illinois state politics, who is who in that scenario probably depends on your perspective. Is that guy wearing a wire? Maybe. Who cares? This is how get things done here.
But this a family place, where generations of Springfield residents have gone to celebrate weddings, graduations, job promotions, and first dates, as well as simple Sunday afternoon gatherings and Friday night pizza carryouts. Today, Rose and Vito happily view each one those big and little events, with their portraits looking out over the dining room they and their descendants helped build. The pizza, which we picked up from the front carryout window, is the elder statesman of pizza in Springfield, having been a part of the city's cuisine since the early 1950s.
The timeless Saputo's, our second stop on March 2019 day trip to Springfield, Illinois, stands as reminder of the influential imprint of the Italian immigrant community on American cuisine. In cities across the country, family restaurants like Saputo's rose from humble beginnings to become local pinnacles of postwar fine dining, helping make spaghetti with meatballs and pizza well-known by practically every American along the way. Saputo's dates to at least 1938, when Rose and Vito Saputo opened Rose's Eat Shop at the corner of Monroe and 8th Street. "Chilli" and tamales were among the lunchtime specialties at the eatery, located a few blocks east of the statehouse. In 1948, twin sons Joseph and Frank Saputo joined the business, refashioning it as Saputo's Twins Corner. With Frank's wife Florine on board, the business evolved around 1952 to sell pizza, a dish many World War II veterans such as Joe had been exposed to during their service overseas. Soon Twins Corners became "famous for pizza" as the family entered the delivery market. The twins' older brother founded Russell's Drive-In, a concept that merged the exploding popularity of pizza and the widespread expansion of automobile-focused culture in the postwar era. Russell soon sold the business, which with new owners became Angelo's Drive-In, a chain with 56 locations across the Midwest. Sister Catherine, or Katie, also went into the restaurant business, owning and operating Zepettella's Restaurant in Collinsville, Illinois outside of St. Louis with her husband from 1954 to 1970. With newer office towers rising around them and dining trends moving in different directions, Saputo's original location, still owned and operated by the family, has survived and thrived to become a dependable, comforting, little-changed landmark.
Bernie & Betty's is a Springfield classic beloved by generations of families who have called the Illinois capital home. But it is so much more: stylistic forebearer, godparent, evangelist, etc. For many people, the term "Chicago pizza" no doubt brings to mind hulking deep dish fashioned by the likes of Gino's East or the popular cheesy stuffed variety sold by outfits like Giordano's. And to some degree, that definition is true. Hefty, thick pie-like pizzas are an essential part of Chicago food culture. But that's not the whole story. Rarely does a non-Chicagoan think of thin crust pizza cut in squares; that style, though, is just as much "Chicago pizza" as the world-famous deep dish. Chicago-style thin crust may not have been born at the original Bernie & Betty's on the South Side of Chicago, but the recipe there was one of the most influential. Obbie's, Fox's, Fasano's, Onesti, and so many more share connections to Bernie & Betty's either by personnel or recipe. So this Springfield classic is also a Chicago classic. We are just getting around to documenting our visit in March 2019, one of three pizza stops in Springfield that day. Apparently, Bernie & Betty's has called numerous locations in Springfield home (the current space was a local grocery market in its earliest days), but the glorious recipe is unchanged from the way Betty and Bernie did it over five decades ago.
