While it is possible to have a few kinds of Lou Malnati’s pizza overnight-ed across the country, I’ve discovered that it works just as well to order whatever kind of pizza you want at least two days in advance, pick it up, and pop it in a freezer bag (e.g.. the ones you can find at Trader Joe’s for $2.99).  Carry it on (if that’s still ok with the TSA), or pop it in your suitcase and check it.  Mine stayed frozen longer than 12 hours, with no evidence of topping loss!  Upon arrival at your destination, preheat, bake about 30 min., and it tastes just as good as if it were served to your table at the restaurant.

I’ve been doing this for ~10 years, from the east coast to the west coast… even on an overnight stopover while flying from Japan to Miami.  The elaborate mechanism I’ve developed for carting a Lou across the country should tell you something…  If you’re a fan of *real* Chicago-style pizza, you *need* to try the Lou.

I’ve tried all the other deep-dish Chicago-style pizzas, and while each brings some desirable quality to the table, Lou Malnati’s is the only one that pulls ‘em all together to make a deep-dish pizza, not a doughball with cheese and tomato sauce.  Plus, I’ve tried their pies in the city and the suburbs, and quality has remained pretty consistent across the different locations.

And a note from recent émigrés from the midwest:  you can get your fix via mail order at http://www.tastesofchicago.com/ (you can get to it by way of  www.loumalnatis.com too). It has to be overnighted on dry ice, and so it costs a pretty penny for one or two, but you can get a 4-pack for $80 (that’s less per pie than I’d pay for the closest substitute by my house!).

Sadly, though, you can’t order the Lou.  So… if anyone from Chicago is planning on visiting San Francisco in the near future…