Shop Visit - Highline Pizza Bar
I was invited downtown to check out some of Chicago's thinnest pizza (and play some video games!).
Highline Pizza Bar is a huge restaurant and arcade in River North, located just across the street from The Merchandise Mart and its aptly named Brown Line stop (the name “high line” itself serves as a reference to the neighboring L tracks).
This shop visit serves as a milestone for me and this newsletter, as it marks the very first time someone contacted me to invite me to their restaurant. The someone in this instance is Tonia Rudny, the Marketing Director for Four Corners, a hospitality group with a slew of bars and restaurants in Chicago. Four Corners recently redid Highline’s menu, deciding to shift the focus to pizza partially because of the success they’ve achieved with their two Ranalli’s locations.
I sat down with Christopher Ponce, Four Corners Corporate Executive Chef, who oversees menu development, culinary quality, and kitchen operations for all of their venues (which also includes locations in Denver, and soon-to-be Nashville). Christopher is not only responsible for building out the entire pizza menu, but when Highline decided they wanted to create some of the thinnest pies in the city he approached that challenge in a really interesting way with a recipe that, as far as I know, no one else in Chicago is doing right now.
We also talked about what his favorite pizza is, how he got started working in kitchens, which tavern-style pies heavily influenced Highline’s crust, and what the general response from the River North neighborhood has been like to Highline’s new iteration.
CPN: What’s a day like for you, dealing with ten different restaurants in Chicago at once?
Christopher: I’m bouncing around a lot. I start off with our lunch spots, then most of our evening places open around five, and I’ll find my way to whoever needs help or assistance.
CPN: Where did you grow up?
Christopher: Born and raised in Chicago. Roger’s Park, so Northside. Lived here my entire life. I got introduced to kitchens when I was 15. My father is also a chef, and my uncles and my family are all around the industry. I started off washing dishes, and worked my way up from there. I always enjoyed the vibe. The cooks. How fast they were. Just that adrenaline rush of being in the kitchen. When I was 24 I realized it was a career at that point, so that’s when I started focusing, putting a lot more energy into it, and really learning and educating myself because I’m self-taught.
CPN: What was your favorite pizza growing up in Roger’s Park?
Christopher: J.B. Alberto’s in the heart of Roger’s Park. It’s a great pie. Thin crust, has a little bit of a chew, nice crunch on the bottom. Family gatherings. Football games. That was always the favorite.
CPN: Do you remember the first pizza you ever made?
Christopher: That’s a good question. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that. I honestly can’t remember…
CPN: Would it have been in a restaurant kitchen?
Christopher: Definitely. I want to say it was Neapolitan-style. Those were the first doughs I started with.
CPN: What made you want to run a pizzeria?
Christopher: Pizza is so universal. You can do so much with it. So many toppings, and so many different styles of crust. That’s the fun part. It can be whatever you want it to be. With this restaurant, we challenged ourselves to make the thinnest crust we could possibly make. I went to places like Vito & Nick’s, and Pat’s Pizza, and ate there so many times just trying to digest it, and look at it, and feel it. I wanted to mimic that. Something along those lines. Because you don’t see that everywhere, and there are a few spots in Chicago that really have it. Our crust is about 1/8 of an inch thick, and what it makes it very special is that it’s truly a cracker crust — there’s no yeast in it. It’s four ingredients; salt, water, butter, and flour. We use a Ceresota flour, with very low protein.
CPN: When did this iteration of Highline open?
Christopher: In July of this year.
CPN: What’s the response been like?
Christopher: People love the pies. Our top seller is our double pepperoni, which has jumbo pepperoni, cup and char pepperoni, habanero hot honey, and a garlic marinara. That specific pie, we’re probably selling 60 a week. One of my favorite things about our pizza as opposed to other spots is, you can eat this entire thing by yourself (note: Christopher is pointing to one of the 10-inch pizzas on the table) and not feel full. It’s very light, and delicate. Super thin crust, nice and buttery. You can crush the whole thing and not feel guilty.
CPN: You do the habanero honey yourself?
Christopher: Yup. We roast off some habaneros, garlic, and onions. Little bit of spice. Blend it up with the honey. Nice kick. Real nice sweetness.
(Note: I know hot honey has become one of the more repetitive trends in the pizza world the last few years, and as such has its detractors, but the hot honey at Highline is different from Mike’s. It’s sharper, with a pretty significant after burn and it works really well with their double pepperoni.)
CPN: So what made you decide to go with a literal cracker dough when you were thinking about what pizza options to do here?
Christopher: It took me about 12 months to perfect this. When I started this project, like I said I tried a bunch of different crusts around Chicago, we were going for more of a traditional yeast dough, but I could never achieve the type of crispness I wanted throughout the entire pie. The edges were good, but the center was soggy. And I think I made about 50 different recipes. Then one day it hit me, if you want to make a cracker crust, why not make a cracker? So it’s an actual cracker recipe.
CPN: Where did that recipe come from?
Christopher: It was something I just came up with myself. Mixing different flours, and working with different levels of hydration until I figured out what was best.
CPN: What’s your hydration percentage now?
Christopher: This is 47 percent hydration.
CPN: That’s so low! What’s your process with the dough?
Christopher: Mix everything in a bowl. It doesn’t need to proof, because there’s no yeast involved. The most important thing is letting it air out a bit to dry out before you cook it, so it stays nice and crispy and loses more moisture.
CPN: So you’re baking them the same day you’re making the dough?
Christopher: Yup. These are all made fresh. We use a PizzaMaster, which is an electric oven. We can adjust the heat levels so that the top plate doesn’t produce as much heat as the bottom one, and that’s how we get nice color and caramelization on top and with a really crisp bottom. So it’s not a traditional pizza oven, but it really helps us achieve a better crust.
CPN: Did you have experience baking with that oven before?
Christopher: We have them at one of our other properties, so that’s where I started cooking with it. And I’ve tried regular deck ovens, they just don’t perform as well. The top would burn before the bottom gets crispy, or the whole thing would be undercooked. So that tool is a big part of the way we can achieve that crust.
CPN: It’s amazing how much the oven, and how it’s used, can affect the pizza to the point it kind of gives you your own micro style.
Christopher: It’s unique. I’m very proud of it, and it’s been received really well.
CPN: What makes Highline different, or interesting, as its own restaurant?
Christopher: The games. It’s a fun atmosphere. Just a fun place to be for everyone. Kids can come. Mom and dad can have a beer or a glass of wine while the kids are upstairs playing and crushing pizza.
CPN: What other pizza do you like to eat besides your own?
Christopher: When we’re having pizza nights, it’s still J.B. Alberto’s. Always my go to. Brings back great memories.
CPN: What should someone order their first time at Highline?
Christopher: Double ‘roni, for sure. Being from Chicago, the beef and giardineira is great. And we give you a side of Au jus to dip it in for that real Italian beef experience. We also have a ton of signature pizzas that are fun plays on traditional flavors, like potato and bacon, and a dill pickle pizza.
CPN: What’s the other pizza you brought out today?
Christopher: Four cheese. Mozzarella, Asiago, Fontina, and Parmesan, with a garlic butter on top.
CPN: What mozzarella do you use?
Christopher: Low moisture Grande. The East Coast blend.
CPN: What’s your favorite?
Christopher: Double ‘roni. I love the Umami in there. The deep flavors, and the spice. I love spice, and that one hits every flavor note.
CPN: How would you describe your pizza to someone who’s never had it?
Christopher: It’s a very thin crust pizza. Super delicate. Crispy throughout the entire bite. We make sure there are toppings on every slice, so you have the same exact experience in every bite. And one of my favorite parts is you don’t feel guilty after eating this. It’s so thin, you won’t feel bloated or anything. But it’s still rich. And you’ve got some nice air pockets in there.
CPN: So you have a certain way that you teach everyone to top the pizzas? Do you have a chart, or a rubric?
Christopher: We do. Right on the pizza line, we have all the metrics and ounces, or even how many pieces a 10-inch should have as opposed to our 16. That way, every single slice has a bit of everything. You have every ingredient on every slice, so every bite is the same experience.
CPN: How many pizzas are you making a day right now?
Christopher: Around 300 every six days. So probably about 50.
CPN: What are some of the unique challenges you face as a restaurant in River North, which isn’t necessarily a residential neighborhood?
Christopher: Definitely the exposure. Being downtown at night, everyone clocks out at five and goes home. And it’s not like a counter. People don’t necessarily want pizza for lunch. They’re looking for a salad, or maybe something lighter. So getting the people in this area to try our food has been a challenge.
CPN: Has there been a response from the neighborhood? Have you met any of the people who do live here?
Christopher: Every week we make it a point to give out free pizza. We’ll go around to some of the businesses and take them a few pies just to let them know, hey we’re here, and here’s some free pizza on us.
CPN: How does it feel when someone tells you they love your pizza? And for you, you literally came up with the recipe!
Christopher: It fullfills you, like you did your job. It’s a great feeling.
CPN: What’s some other food on the menu you’re proud of?
Christopher: Our boom pow shrimp. We use U15s, which are jumbi shrimp, and we bread them lightly, and cook them until they’re nice and crispy. We use that same habanero honey, plus a sweet chili aioli, so it’s got some insane sweet and hot flavors and a really nice crunch.
CPN: Anything else you want people to know about Highline?
Christopher: We’re here selling delicious food. Give us a shot and stop by.
You can count me as a big fan of Highline’s pizza (and I have to thank Christopher for giving me enough to feed an entire offensive line). As those of us who chase the dragon of ridiculously thin tavern-style can attest, there’s a miniscule line between a crispy crust that maintains its flavor and something so dry it instantly turns into dust particles when you bite into it. Highline was able to stick the landing on the good side of that line. Christopher used the word “delicate” a few times to describe their crust, and that rings true to me. It certainly isn’t brittle, and there’s also something of a richness to it (which I’m assuming is from the butter in the dough recipe).
FWIW, I shared my massive haul of leftovers with both my parents and some neighbors and they both circled back later to tell me how well it reheated.
In addition to the thin pies, Christopher also brought out a slice of Detroit-style (and a slice of cheesy bread) they were in the process of recipe testing.
He told me a few interesting things they were trying with their Detroit. The first was that they coated their pans with butter, as opposed to the typical vegetable oil. Most people prefer to use vegetable-based oil in their pans for pizza because of the higher smoke point (butter burns at about 350 degrees), although there are a whole host of products and oils you could also use as well (I believe Robert from Milly’s uses Crisco). Using butter definitely adds a different flavor element to the finished crust, but it also means a lower temperature and longer cook time. However, as Christopher explained during the interview, they’re used to tweaking the temperatures of the indivual plates in their ovens to achieve whatever the desired finish is on their bakes, so I’m sure that came into play with their Detroit.
The other really interesting thing they were trying, and I don’t remember ever hearing of this before, was that instead of loading their cheese all the way to the edge between the dough and the pan so that it carmelizes and gets that crackly dark brown finish typically associated with Detroit-style, they were actually leaving that space empty and piping in (as in, from a piping bag) an entirely different cheese blend. You can see in the picture above that the results are still what you’d expect, and they were able to attain that extra crispy frico crust.
In the few weeks since I visited Highline they finalized the recipe and the Detroit is now on the menu. They’re no longer piping in the cheese on the edge, but Christopher did fill me in on the final recipe:
“The Detroit has a 78% hydration which makes it extremely airy, light and very soft chew. It’s fermented for 24hrs to develop its flavor. It has a very crispy bottom which adds a nice texture contrast the soft and pillowy center.”
The final element of my visit to Highline that I absolutely have to talk about is the games. They have two different areas filled with arcade games. When you enter through the front door you’ll see five or six classic machines to your right, then if you continue through the center of the restaurant you’ll hit some stairs that take you up to a smaller bar and the second larger gaming area, which is exactly where I’ll be hanging out the next time I’m there.
The best part is, all the games are free play. Which means that when I eventually take my children, they’re never going to want to go anywhere else for the rest of their entire lives.