I’m not a pizza fanatic and generally order pasta or a salad when dining at a pizzeria with family or friends. Maybe it’s a result of too many mediocre pizzas in my youth; let’s face it, Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Little Caesars aren’t exactly gourmet establishments. Or maybe it’s because I grew up in Memphis where barbecue reigns supreme—who knows?

My husband would say it’s because I’m simply too picky. And, you know, he’s probably on to something. If I’m going to indulge in a pizza, it has to be just right. The crust should be thin, but not crackerlike—no thick ring of dough surrounding my pizza. The sauce has to be homemade; I want to see the tomatoes and taste the spices. The cheese should make its presence known, but not be the main ingredient. And the toppings should be generous and distributed liberally across the pie. Would you call that picky, or have I just described the perfect pizza?

At any rate, our older son and his family live in suburban Chicago, and we visit the Windy City several times a year. Now, my philosophy has always been “when in Rome, eat what the Romans eat.” And in Chicago, there’s nothing more Roman than Chicago deep-dish pizza. For the uninitiated, a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is not for wimps. You need a knife and fork to tackle this hearty, dense pie. A thin layer of dough is placed in the deep-dish pan and patted to extend high up the sides. The ingredients are then added, but in reverse order to a typical pizza. On top of the crust are slices of mozzarella, followed by your choice of toppings (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, etc.), then the chunky tomato sauce, seasonings and, finally, a sprinkling of cheese. Thick is the operative word here; this is definitely a hefty pizza. In fact, at many places a “small” pizza easily serves two diners.

You don’t find deep-dish pizza in Memphis, though (or anywhere else we’ve lived, for that matter). A pizza is supposed to be flat, right? Not several inches thick and prepared in a crust-lined metal casserole dish. Or so I thought. We tried deep-dish pies at a couple of highly regarded Chicago pizza emporiums, and I must say I wasn’t impressed—an overabundance of gooey cheese at one place, skimpy toppings at another. Maybe I’m just too hard to please.

Then fate stepped in. It was a bitterly cold day in January when we all bundled up and headed to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria to have lunch with my cousin and her husband. “Another Chicago deep-dish pizza place,” I thought. “Hope the pasta and salad are good.” As it turns out, Lou Malnati’s claims to be “the oldest family name in Chicago pizza.” Lou and his father Rudy worked in the city’s first deep-dish pizzeria in the 1940s; in fact, Rudy has been credited with helping create the original Chicago deep-dish pizza in 1943. In 1971 Lou opened his own place in the northern Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood. The venture, an immediate success, soon had legions of devoted fans. Other locations followed, and the family now has 11 sit-down restaurants and 19 take-out and delivery branches throughout Chicagoland. We were dining at the Buffalo Grove location, a huge red barn of a building.

This sounded promising; maybe my luck was about to change. Since deep-dish pizzas take a minimum of 30 minutes to bake and every pizza Malnati’s serves is made from scratch, we ordered several items to tide us over. I can personally vouch for the Calamari Fritta, lightly breaded squiddy morsels of joy, and the Malnati Salad, a truly inspired combination of romaine lettuce, a dusting of Romano cheese, crumbles of Italian salami, chopped tomatoes, Gorgonzola cheese, black olives and sliced mushrooms dressed with a slightly sweet vinaigrette. The salad, served family-style, made several passes around the table. There was also bread—the garlic variety or bruschetta, or maybe both!

I decided to tempt fate, forego a pasta dish and share several pizzas with the rest of the family. On my cousin’s recommendation, we ordered a sausage pizza and the “Lou,” the eatery’s signature dish. The sausage Malnati’s uses isn’t your typical variety; Malnati’s is blended to the restaurant’s specifications—not too spicy, not too mild. And the Lou is a vegetarian delight: a layering of fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes with a three-cheese mixture of mozzarella, Romano and cheddar. We decided to have our pies made with Malnati’s special “buttercrust,” an extra-flaky option.

The pizzas arrived, and I was exceedingly hopeful. The crust, which reached almost to the top of the pan, appeared crispy and the pizza, aromatic and bubbling. This could work! As soon as I tasted a bite, I knew I had found my pizza. Hallelujah! Everything came together perfectly. The fresh flavors of the individual components were readily evident, but the overall sensation was of a perfectly balanced pizza with just the right ratio of sauce, toppings and cheese. My favorite was the sausage pizza, which yielded pieces of the tasty meat with each bite. Our trips to Chicago now have a dual intent: to spend quality time with our family, for sure, but also to experience another of Lou Malnati’s excellent pizzas.