🍕 Deep Dish in LA? Reviewing Gino’s East of Chicago 🏀

This week, Jacquis Neal (Host of Dropout's upcoming show Crowd Control) returns as we give our full review of Gino’s East of Chicago in...not Chicago, but Sherman Oaks, California. From the deep dish pizza to the dessert (and the GIARDINIERA RANCH), we talk hits, misses, and whether this spot truly feels like home for two Chicagoans far from the Windy City.

We also visit the Calibration Station to hear about Jacquis's worst and best dining experiences, which include a Bob Evans dine-and-dash debacle and an unforgettable Disney breakfast.

🍕 Jacquis Rips Up My Chicago Card
🌭 Great Pizza, Mid Italian Beef
🥔 Kettle Chips & Giardiniera Ranch: Revelation of the Meal
🍫 Deep Dish Brownie Dessert Changed My Life
🏙️ Chicago Brick, Cubs Bobbleheads, But No Graffiti
🎢 Chef Mickey’s vs. Bob Evans (Calibration Station)
🪑 A Restaurant That Feels Like Home (Even 2,000 Miles Away)

💬 COMMENT BELOW: What’s the best pizza you’ve had outside your hometown?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, full Yelp segments & more): https://www.patreon.com/finediningpodcast
💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
🎥 Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast
🔗 All links: https://www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast
🎤 Jacquis on IG: @jacquisneal | Website: jacquisneal.com

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

👉 NEXT WEEK: We dive into the fiery history of Firehouse Subs: heroic branding, steamed sandwiches, and maybe a little stolen valor?

🍕 Gino’s East of Chicago: Graffiti, Deep Dish, & Biscuit Crust 🧱

This week, we take a bite out of the legacy of Gino’s East of Chicago — a deep dish pizza joint started by cabbies and made famous by its buttery biscuit crust and graffiti-covered walls. With a flavor profile heavy on cornmeal and sausage (sometimes too much sausage), it’s one of Chicago’s big four pizza spots — but is it the GOAT?

Joining me is actor and comedian Jacquis Neal (Dropout, Last Week Tonight) as we dig into this crusty cornerstone of Chicago culture, debate sausage autonomy, and marvel at how many cab drivers it used to take to buy property.

Plus, Jacquis pitches his dream soul food/Chicago fusion restaurant, and we read some absolutely wild Yelp reviews — one featuring a “phat boi” pizza and another featuring a man’s descent into customer service madness.

🏙️ Born from Taxi Drivers with a Building They Didn't Know What to Do With
🧀 Biscuit Techniques & the Quest for Sausage Autonomy
🎨 A Deep Discussion on the Urge to Graffiti Bathrooms
📍 From Mag Mile to LA to Singapore
📦 Frozen Pizzas, Flopped Franchises, & a Surprise Comeback
🍕 Deep Dish vs. Tavern Style vs. NY Slice: The Ultimate Pizza Debate
🎶 A Soul Food Spot with Yacht Rock Vibes (Jacquis’s Dream Restaurant)
🌟 Yelp Reviews That Involve Slithering Pizza & An Argument with the "Manager "

💬 COMMENT BELOW: What’s your go-to Chicago pizza joint — and how much cheese is too much?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, full Yelp segments & more): https://www.patreon.com/finediningpodcast
💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
🎥 Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast
🔗 All links: https://www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast
🎤 Jacquis on IG: @jacquisneal | Website: jacquisneal.com

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

👉 NEXT WEEK: We dig into our actual meal at Gino’s East. Did Michael’s cheese phobia survive? Or did deep dish change his life forever?

🍽️ This Place Sure Had a Lot of Food Items Score a 1-out-of-10 🫠

This week, we return to Golden Corral - this time, to eat. Joined by comedian and podcast host Ben Cassil (@bencassil), I finally test the buffet itself, from rock-hard bread to surprisingly okay tacos. We found joy in the strawberry shortcake Fanta ICEE and the sheer chaos of none of the food being accurately labeled.

Also, someone talked to their mom on speakerphone…from the toilet. This one had layers.

🍖 Ribs That Made Us Regret Everything
🍗 Chicken Fried Chicken That (Kinda) Slapped
🍞 Bread So Hard You Could Knock on It
🧙‍♂️ An All-Senior Magic Show (Is *THIS* Your AARP Card??)
🕹️ Claw Machines Everywhere
🧊 Strawberry Shortcake Fanta ICEE = Low-Key Amazing
🚽 Maybe DON'T Make Calls from the Toilet?
📍 Yes, This Was All Inside a Former Circuit City (But Who Is the Dreamer?)
📊 Golden Corral’s Final Score: Better Than Chili’s?

💬 COMMENT BELOW: What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever seen at a buffet?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, full Yelp segments & more): https://www.patreon.com/finediningpodcast
💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
🎥 Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast
🔗 All links: https://www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast
🎤 Ben on IG: @bencassil | Podcast: Live from the Big Apple

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

👉 NEXT WEEK: We dig into the Midwestern legacy of Gino’s East of Chicago and how Chicagoans aren't just sitting around eating deep dish all the time.