I was puzzled and asked her to repeat what she said — it was truly called Paulie Gee’s.
When it was time to order, I sifted and sorted through the fancy, Food Network-esque pizza options, getting worried they would not offer a classic pepperoni. I called in, stood my ground, asked for a pepperoni and was pleasantly surprised to hear the worker on the other end of the line say, “Yep, can you pick it up at 8?”
Why yes, yes I could.
However, after nearly slipping on icy Short North sidewalks multiple times while picking up the pizza, I decided the 10-degree, wind chill temperatures were not conducive for a safe and effective review — I was thinking of you, the consumer, when I made that decision.
Nevertheless, I powered through and tried to ignore my roommate’s cat walking around behind the camera and the smell of my roommate’s recently cooked pasta. Fortunately for my taste buds, after all the roadblocks, Paulie Gee’s delivered.
When I opened the box, what I saw made me nervous. There were large, black bubbles from the burnt crust, and the edges of the bowl-shaped pepperonis were turned upward with grease puddled inside them.
When I tore off a slice, my worries worsened, as the majority of the toppings fell off and onto the pizza box with a resounding smack. I scraped together the cheese and pepperonis and put it all back on the slice before taking a bite.
The slice’s crust flopped downward, the toppings fell off again, there wasn’t much sauce and there was little cheese to be found — a recipe for disaster.
Despite being a pizza folder — as a matter of personal preference — doing so with Paulie Gee’s was a must in order to prevent all of the toppings from coming off the pizza like an avalanche.
However, after the first bite, I wanted more. After the second bite, I still wanted more.
Paulie Gee’s had somehow taken all the things that usually result in a low score in my reviews and turned it into something bursting with flavor that reminded me of a better-executed Blaze Pizza, as the crust had been wood-fired in a similar manner.
I would suggest going in and sitting down with friends to enjoy Paulie Gee’s instead of making the trek back home with it. The atmosphere inside was relaxed — offering both bar and tabletop seating — which could provide more bang for your buck and counteract a rather expensive price point.
Rating: 7.3/10
