Union's pizza will rock your tastebuds
Once upon a time, big warehouses with stripped walls, exposed ceilings and fancy psychedelic lighting boasted music, dancing -- no food or alcohol to speak of -- and curiously dilated pupils. Though that may have spawned an entirely different scene than the one boasted by Union Pizzeria, societal trends during the past few years have beckoned the stripped-down look all over again -- this time within the realm of gourmet dining and music.
The scene
The music element may very well be the only overlap with the rave warehouses of yesteryear, but it's significant at Evanston's Union Pizzeria. A recording studio holds court on vast wooden floors in Union's second room, and a "country club" (think expensive memberships) for local area music aficionados (think midlife crisis) finds its home in the third room.
Possible music egos from such a well-equipped space subside once sat in the dining room, however. And as you look through the giant storefront windows and peruse the impressive, handpicked beer menu (which includes local and craft brews from near and far), you'll notice that the dinner menu will be hard-fought to be outdone. As the familiar chords from Zero 7 or Alana Davis (covering Ani DiFranco) ease into the mix, you can't help but be impressed with Union Pizzeria's fine ability to tie in all these elements and put it under one roof.
The food
Pizza, in its earliest incarnations (think ancient Greeks), was never really the gourmet spectacle we know and love today. Then again, who could have possibly predicted the evolution of something as simple as a sandwich? In the mid-20th century, pizza-making became nothing more than throwing whatever you had left in the fridge on a piece of bread. Today, not a small number of contemporary pizza haunts still live in that image, but Union Pizzeria definitely is not one of them.
Here, there's a plate of the day, such as Pinn-Oak lamb stew or duck ragu and creamy polenta; several hot (pepperonata and mint-salsa verde) and cold (buffalo mozzarella in olive oil and Sicilian sea salt) tapas-esque dishes; and despite a pretty formidable wood-burning brick oven, a pizza selection that comes out as almost the pink ribbon of the whole package.
A handful of selections are big enough to serve two people, in variations that range from delightfully fresh lamb sausage and a pretty original potato and goat cheese to the classic margherita, whose tasty and colorful ingredients start to resemble a crispy Italian flag after a glass of Dog Fish 90 beer (9 percent worth of buzz). The shrimp DeJonghe tapa, complete with tarragon and garlic breadcrumbs, is a buttery and crunchy treat that's not overwhelming in the slightest, while the chickpeas in olive oil, rosemary and lemon present a nice, coarser twist to traditional humus.
A broad selection of cheeses and a glass of wine off stands in for sweeter options on the dessert menu, but who can resist a nice glass of wine in lieu of desert, anyway?
The experience
The people behind Campagnola (just down the street in Evanston on Chicago Avenue) have a finger, or two, in the dough over here at Union, and judging by Campagnola's great reputation, it won't be hard to imagine the same good vibes for chilled-out Union.
The service is pleasant and unobtrusively eager, touting helpful knowledge about the beer list and its comparables. The food is fresh and clean, made from local ingredients when possible, and it's all still pretty affordable. Plus, the music is good without palpable effort, so there's really not any reason why you won't be back. Not a good one, anyway.
Union Pizzeria
1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston
(847)475-2400
Cuisine: flatbread pizza and pasta
Hours: 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 4:30 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday: 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
Average entree price: $8-$13
Accepts: All major credit cards
Alcohol/Bar: Full bar, microbrews, wine