Three new pizzas to Root for

Will the moon hit your eye like a big pizza pie in Chicago? Head over to 2200 W. Lawrence Avenue to possibly fall in love with this award-winning establishment's latest project. This restaurant group's Chef Series is returning once again to battle it out for a permanent spot on the main menu.

Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde, Doug Psaltis of Andros Taverna and Brian Jupiter of Ina Mae Tavern each had a chance to invent a recipe that would pair well with the Quad Cities style pizza popularized by Roots.

Quad City style is the middle man between thin and deep dish pan pizza. This allows more experimentation because these pies are not limited to the same structure, even using scissors to cut up slices. Flavor can be added to the crust and the tomato sauce leans toward the spicier side of life with this specific type.

This was the case with Jupiter's Cajun Gator Pizza as the spices overpowered the overall taste leaving the alligator in the dust. See you in a while crocodile because I moved on to Psaltis Spanakopita Pizza with feta cheese, spinach and pepperoncini. It was the crispy phyllo used in typical Greek spinach pies that made an unusual texture on top to kill the vibe so on to the next pie, Caio!

The third time was the charm though because Top Chef Sarah Grueneberg's Big Ragu Pizza really took the cake. While there were some heavy ingredients such as braised pork shoulder, meatballs and sausage, the pesto made it lighter and easier to digest.

There can be only one winner to earn a coveted spot on the permanent menu and Grueneberg may bring the top prize. Only time will tell what works with locals around these various pizza parlors during this race of the taste buds.

There are four Roots Pizza locations in Chicago to choose from to sample this trio of dishes. Visit RootsPizza.com for more information including possibly purchasing a pizza kit to make it fresh at home. Now that's amore!