Don’t worry: it’s not as bad as it looks! Actually Pequod’s “caramelized cheese” (aka, “burnt”) pizza was really good.

I was certainly shocked to see the blackened pizza at first. I actually turned to the hostess, who didn’t seem nearly as concerned as I did about the smutty-looking pizza after I showed it to her, so I said: “I’m a restaurant critic. Are you sure you want to serve a pizza that looks like this to me?”

I was assured that the pizza was fine, the darkened edge was their specialty, and did I want a menu for future orders? I smiled, accepted a menu, and hoped I didn’t scare them too much with my I’m-a-big-tough-restaurant-critic attitude.

Pequod’s pizza was one of the more original pizzas I’ve eaten in a long time. The whole burnt thing was interesting and was actually pulled off really well—somehow, it complemented and even enhanced the tastes of the rest of the pizza. The sauce was in a smaller helping than usual but still fit the dynamic of the rest of the flavors. I ordered a half pepperoni, half sausage and onion pan pizza, and the toppings were incredibly fresh. I love sausage that leaves you with that great spicy aftertaste, and this sausage taste complemented the onions perfectly. The pizza tasted fresh and smelled fresh—so fresh, it makes me want to bottle it up and sell it as a cologne! (Say…didn’t Burger King do something like that with its burger scents?)

The cheese and crust were also pleasantly mild in taste. My only complaint, which still won points for originality, was the layer of cheese was so small compared to the uprising of crust. I know this is common to “pan” pizza, but it still seemed a bit short. The crust was light and pleasant to eat…but I missed having more cheese to my bite.

Pequod’s Pizza is an original. Heck, even its weird fish logo is original (check out http://www.pequodspizza.com to see what I mean). Suburbanites, visit Pequod’s Pizza at 8520 Fernald in Morton Grove, and City Dwellers can check it out in Lincoln Park at 2207 North Clyborn. You won’t be bored by your experience!

Pequod’s Pizza gets 6 out of 8 slices!

Make sure to check out Martha’s other pizza reviews here
Twitter: ExaminerChicago