Perhaps you're familiar with the term "pizza bones." Even if you're not, you know what they are - the outer, naked edges of the pie's crust. Often, the bones go uneaten, or they're salvaged with a dunk in ranch dressing. Dry, tasteless pizza bones are usually more of a problem with deep-dish pizza. That's not a diss on the pie; that's just how it is. So, we had dressing at the ready to accompany a stuffed-crust Great Chicago Fire from Rocco's ($12.95 small; $19.49 large).
Didn't even need it.
The thick crust was rolled at the edge, encasing some of the Italian sausage, fresh jalapeños, green peppers and red onion and a lot of gooey cheese. You got a bite of dough with a little somethin' all the way to the end. The thick tomato sauce was plopped over the toppings, and the slightly garlicky, well-spiced sauce was a treat. The whole pie was an exercise in complementary tastes, with the fennel-y sausage chunks, jalapeño bite and cooling green peppers. You'll want to push it and go for another slice even as the buttons pop off your pants.
If you're not a stuffed-crust fan, Rocco's also offers deep-dish and thin-crust versions. We tried to figure out how the pizzeria could pile on so much cheese - mozzarella, provolone, Romano and Parmesan - onto a thin crust and keep it from disintegrating. The Basic 4 Cheese ($6.95 small; $11.95 large) will satisfy not-so-adventurous eaters. Thin-crust lovers will swoon: It's a snappy crust.
The calzone crust, however, was rather rubbery, probably from the car ride home. The ample ricotta blend mixed with the same four cheeses as the Basic 4 Cheese pie was tossed with a smidge of spinach and fresh herbs, a nice touch ($5.95; extra ingredients, $1). But you had to hunt to find the haphazard ingredients. The chicken and tomatoes were few and far between.