None was more perplexed than I.

The first perplexion was when my buddy from New Jersey insisted that I eat at the Lou's on Wells a couple of years ago. We fought over this like cats and dogs given that, while I consider myself a journeyman pizza eater, I hold no candle to my cousins, a couple of whom would swear on their own children that Uno's/Due's was ordained by [insert diety here]. Neither had ever even breathed the name Lou Malnati's to me before. And while I had vaguely recalled eating there as a child with family (Lincolnwood), I didn't have any recollection of it being a truly competitive pizza with the likes of the others.

Then, I finally caved in and ate with my NJ friend on Wells St. Well, I must say that I was pleasantly shocked. While perhaps not Uno's, it was definitely a close relative. Much like you find with the work of students of Frank Lloyd Wright or Mies Van Der Rohe.

All the more reason that when I ate back at the Lincolnwood location, I was so disappointed.