December 17, 2002 6:40 PM

Pizza Hut's "Chicago Dish"

Now this could only happen to a guy like me and only happen in a town like this. Sick of grits and CNN food court meals, I broke down and ordered Pizza Hut's new "Chicago Dish" pizza. It was as pitiful as you can imagine. The pizza failed to live up to Chicago's Sears Tower-high standards of style and substance. The tomatoes were weak, the cheese was limp and the crust was thick but tasteless. "So deep you'll need a fork"? No. I used a fork, but only because the utensil reminded me of better times.

Hut has managed to create a stuffed pizza lacking completely in pizzazz. In fact, this creation isn't even deserving of the two Zs already in the word "pizza." It's a pia. A pia crap.

But don't take my word for it. Let's hear what other "Chicago Dish" customers say:

-Jeremey: "Doesn't compare to Giordano's"

-Mark Johnson: "Didn't quite live up to my expectations"

-Springsteen newsgroup: "Was not impressed"

-Carol R.: "Very disappointed"

-Sabrina S.: "Maybe the first one was a flook"

-Claudia S.: "Awful"

-Victor R.: "I will not buy this pizza again"

-Carol S.: "So severely disappointed that I almost cried"

The Heart of Dixie weblog proclaimed it "YUMMY!!!!" But a Southerner's opinion on pizza is just a valid as an ugly nudist's thoughts on fashion. (The situation is probably different for good-looking nudists. I'd imagine their opinions on any subject are taken more seriously.)

A man named Gary Lindsey, however, has made the best argument against the "Chicago Dish." How has he done it? A side-by-side, photographic comparison.

Thoughts?