- When the snow hits in Chicago
you better have damn fine food and drink
to even get me out of my house,
so when I heard you guys were sending me
to Logan's Square and Middle Brow Bungalow
for pizza and beer I couldn't put on
my little boy scarf fast enough.
Middle Brow I would say is a reflection
of how the beer scene has changed.
- Well yeah, you know in the early days
it was kind of just one type of person
fit into craft beer
and it's definitely blown up since then.
- What I love is that I can't find it anywhere else,
every beer is unique.
- There's good breakfast stuff too,
so it's not just like an at night
sort of place to hang out.
- It's a really good spot to do work and hang out.
- I too work best when I'm surrounded by alcohol.
- Pizza and beer, right?
- We have tons of regulars who say they like
to be here 'cause it feels like
they're at home and it feels like we're all friends.
- I love when people say like they feel like they're at home
because if I had a pizza making machine
and a tent to brew beer in I too
would be in the happiest home I've ever been in as well.
Is there a better combination than pizza and beer?
- No, definitely not.
- Definitely not.
Pizza and wine?
- Pizza and wine, see I'm not down with that.
You guys are known for your exceptional,
outstanding pizza as well as your awesome,
amazing, outstanding beer.
- The most special part of our pizza is the crust
that's what people seem most drawn to
and you know we make sourdough bread here
and the crust has a sourdough component to it.
- We're featuring the mushroom pizza.
Have you had that mushroom pizza?
- I have had it.
I am a mushroom enthusiast.
- I don't really love mushrooms
and it's one of my favorite pizzas.
- Normally I hate mushroom.
- [Elliott] Really?
- But I just loved it.
I don't know what it is, it's very light.
- If you're from Chicago and you're not a pizza enthusiast
are you really from here?
- No.
Who is the head baker here?
Who is the person behind the yeast?
- Yeah, her name is Jess Galli.
- So Jess.
- Yes, Elliott.
- I think that's the tone of voice
that everyone watching at home takes with me as well.
- Why are you the way that you are?
- Should we make some dough?
- Let's.
What we have here is water, pull yeast and sourdough.
- That's the chemical reaction stuff that we need
to make bread.
- It's also what gives sourdough bread
and our pizza crust here it's unique flavor.
Bacteria's are really hungry and they want flour
to feast on, they fart a bunch of gas.
- They what, sorry?
- They fart a bunch of gas and that's what creates...
- I'm just so proud that someone other than me
made a fart reference on this show.
- So now that we have our pre-ferments
and our water in the bowl we can pour
our flours and our salts.
If you want to turn that on.
And basically we just mix it until
it's strong enough and then at this point
we let it rest and then we throw it in the fridge
and just let it sit in the fridge overnight.
- And we have some bases that are pre-done overnight?
- Yes, we do.
- So we got a mushroom cream base.
- That is roasted cremini mushrooms
we blend that up and add in heavy cream.
We'll grab a little bit of the dry mozzarella
and sprinkle it all around.
Then right here is the shredded fontina
and then you'll dip into the caramelized onions right here
and just bring out a small handful of that.
Grab some of the pulled oyster mushrooms
and sprinkle that on top.
Perfect.
It's ready for the oven.
- [Elliott] Anywhere in particular?
- Just right there and about here.
- I'm also a rebel and so I'm gonna go
slightly the other way and slightly further back.
- [Jess] All right.
- Gonna go and meet my friend
and we're gonna have us some pizza and beer.
- Sounds great.
- Okay, say fart one more time.
- Fart.
- She's cool.
I can't help myself.
- All right.
- The crust it sits on, that's incredible.
- I mean the mushroom cream sauce
is pretty transcendent in my opinion.
Historically, I haven't been attracted to mushrooms,
but this pizza I can't get enough of.
- It's a celebration of the mushroom
as well as a celebration of everything great about pizza
and your beer is exquisite too.
Everyone has 3000 IPAs and you guys
only just recently started doing IPAs.
- That's right, yeah.
- I mean like it doesn't get any cooler than that.
- We just made what we couldn't find as much of,
which is you know belgium styles
and that evolved into these wild styles
to where we were making beer with yeast
that really can't be bought
or purchased anywhere in the world.
It was in our garden and now it's in our beer
and that's really it.
You know it makes us a little unique in the neighborhood.
- I like that and even the Bungalow
has such a fresh, snappy taste to it.
I mentioned to my friends here at home
that I don't normally leave the house
this time of year unless I have good food
and I have good beer.
You did both.
- Thank you.
- The only problem is you're (beep) if I'm going home.
- Yep.