Burt's Place is Closed for Good

Burt’s Place, a popular pizza house in Morton Grove, has been closed since July and will not reopen.

The “beloved and idiosyncratic” spot had been run by local pizza legend Burt Katz in 1989. It’s last day in service was July 8, when Katz had to leave the business due to health reasons.

The Chicago Tribune described what made Katz - and Burt’s - so unique.

“(Katz) opened Gulliver’s on Howard Street in 1965 but gained his reputation at Pequod’s, which he opened in 1971. There, he developed a style of pizza that’s not quite deep dish — a deeply charred crust encircled with a ring of caramelized cheese one shade lighter than black. The ingredients are less toppings, but (let’s call them) middlings, that is they are baked inside an amber of tomato sauce.”

On Burt’s:

“You had to call ahead of time and know exactly what you want (there’s no website, and the restaurant’s number isn’t listed.) You’d reach Sharon — Katz’s wife of 53 years — on their rotary phone, and she would try to accommodate your order. When you showed up at the prescribed time, your pizza would be hot and waiting.”

more via the Chicago Tribune