Piazza's Pizza is a family affair

By Dennis Robaugh
Southland Savvy

When I bit into my Piazza's meatball sandwich, lathered in red sauce, smothered in cheese, I tasted a memory.

Piazza's sauce reminds me of my grandmother's tomato sauce. A first-generation Italian-American who cooked with a timeworn set of pots and pans, Christmas Eve dinner was a much-anticipated event in my youth. Meatballs and pasta sauce loomed as large in our minds as the dancing visions of mythical Christmas sugar plums.

And so, if I wasn't already hooked on Piazza's for the pizza, the red sauce sealed my infatuation.

From their little Mokena strip-mall storefront, Piazza's has been serving up Italian specialties for less than a year. An unlikely neighbor to a yoga center and a nail spa, Piazza's is the kind of place that would seem more at home in an old red-brick storefront on a South Side neighborhood corner. In Mokena, they do business on busy LaGrange Road.

But large family portraits hang from the walls, dominating the decor of the small shop. Here, family and food are intertwined. The Piazzas have been in business since 1976, and in the pizzeria game since 1985. And it's always been a family affair.

Every other occasion I've had to stop by and pick up a pie, there've been Piazzas hanging around, eating dinner. Once, I even came across a Piazza family birthday party.

But back to the food. That big meatball sandwich was meaty and saucy, a meal all by itself. And throw out your low-carb diets. The beer nuggets, little fried dough coated with parmesan cheese, are a tasty treat you can't avoid. (The owner likes to sprinkle a little sugar on them, too.)

The pan pizza here comes in hefty slices. One slice weighs as much as two or three of those tasteless Pizza Hut imitations, and offers four times the taste.

And Piazza's knows how to save you a buck. Sign up for the Internet specials, and you'll get e-mails touting half-price pizza nights and other specials. Sign up on their web site.

Hungry for something other than pizza or pasta? Their chicken parmigiana sandwich offers a hefty breaded chicken breast, layered with sauce and cheese. This is a satisfying meal unto itself.

And the perch dinner, featuring four tasty filets and a side of fries, is delectable Lenten goodness. On a recent visit, fellow diners ogled our perch and wished they had ordered the same. The breaded isn't too crunchy, nor is it overbreaded, and the plentiful portion doesn't come to your table dripping in frying oil.

Piazza's Pizza
4 out of 4 stars
19608 N. LaGrange Road
Mokena
(708) 479-9400

See more reviews via Google.

You can reach Dennis at dennis@southlandsavvy.com

Cancer scare, stem cells and reality tv

Crestwood residents are worried the cancer cluster, apparently caused by contaminated water, will ruin property values. A local woman who was the nation's first recipient of experimental stem cell transplant for CIDP is healthy five years later. South Siders are needed for a new reality show, ala Jersey Shore. Adam Kinzinger takes a swing at Debbie Halvorson. Finally, will Oak Lawn find favor with Google?

The region's must-reads, in this week's GuidePosts.

Cancer scare in Crestwood: Frank Caldario worries the water he drank for years without knowing it was contaminated caused his kidney cancer. The 30-year-old office worker told the Chicago Tribune, which broke the Crestwood cancer story, that surgeons removed a gumball-size tumor and about 40 percent of his right kidney. "I can't help but wonder if what happened to me had something to do with the water," says Caldario. "It's just unreal for someone my age to get that." The state released a report Friday suggesting toxic chemicals in Crestwood water could have contributed to the town's cancer rates.

Stem cell transplant: On April 1, Jennifer Osman celebrates a new chance at life, reports columnist Donna Vickroy. That day marks the close of a five-year clinical trial to treat the chronic disease that brought her to death's door. In 2005, the 38-year-old Plainfield mom became the first in the nation, and second in the world, to undergo an experimental stem cell transplant for Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, an inflammation of the nerves that leads to a loss of movement or sensation. "This was my first hope for life," she says of the groundbreaking transplant.

Go ahead, embarrass your mom: South Siders and south suburbanites who want to become reality-TV stars should be "buff, hot, sexy, crazy, fun, outgoing," and "love to make things exciting." Well, that pretty much describes the staff of Southland Savvy! If you fit this description, send an e-mail to Chicago@oconnorcasting.tv with your full name, address, phone number, three recent pictures of yourself, and "a brief description of your awesomeness." You might end up in a South Side reality TV show, just like "Jersey Shore."

Give the money back Debbie: GOP congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger wants incumbent U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson to return campaign contributions from New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, now embroiled in an ethics controversy that forced him to give up his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means committee. Kinzinger, the GOP nominee for Halvorson's 11th District seat, says Halvorson should donate all tainted campaign donations, totaling $60,000, to Haitian relief.

Meanwhile, columnist Phil Kadner is wondering whether Kinzinger will stand up to the extreme elements of his party whose views Kinzinger doesn't necessarily share.

Let's Google, says Oak Lawn: It appears Oak Lawn may be trying to get residents in on Google's project to deliver ultra-high-speed Internet service, says Casey Cora.

Greek restaurant to open in Orland Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

With a name like It’s Greek to Me it should come as no surprise that the new restaurant set to open Monday at 13119 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park will feature Greek cuisine.

Owner Mike Flamburis says the new eatery will feature only authentic Greek dishes. “We’ll have traditional authentic Greek dishes,” says Flamburis.
Restaurant hours will be daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 708-923-1400.

Flamburis also owns the adjoining Country Cottage Café, which he says will be opening a few weeks after It’s Greek to Me.

Flamburis says both restaurants will have some common areas but the kitchens and dining rooms for each will be separate.

“They will be distinctly different restaurants,” says Flamburis.
Country Cottage Café will be one of those breakfast/lunch restaurants serving only from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The café’s phone number is 708-923-0400.

Now open

Susan’s Accessories and Gifts has opened at 7659 W. St. Francis Road in Frankfort Square.

Closed

The Cricket Wireless store has closed at 9442 W. 191st St. in Mokena.

Coming Soon

A United Liquor store is planned for 11320 W. Lincoln Highway in Mokena. The owners also operate United Liquor stores in Joliet, New Lenox and Country Club Hills.

Deal of the weekend

Denny’s, which already has kids eat free deals (two kids eat free with each paid adult meal), now is serving up unlimited fries and pancakes, as long as they come with the meal you ordered. For more information, visit
Denny's