Grabbing the mouse by the ears

What can you say about Chicago deep dish pizza that people don't already know? It's delicious, it's filling, and if you have not had the pleasure of eating one before, run to your nearest Chicago-style pizzeria.

Giordano's serves some great deep dish pizza in a family-friendly environment. The waitstaff is on the ball, and our waiter warned us in advance that our pizza takes about 40 minutes to cook. That very helpful fact is handy if you have hungry kiddos or you've never indulged in one of these monstrosities before.

For those who don't know, a Chicago-style deep dish is huge. These pizzas are cooked inside-out, with the cheese and "toppings" inside, and sauce on top. They also have a crust wall that's about 2 inches tall to hold everything inside.

I highly recommend the pizza itself, but their cheesebread is so-so. Two of us only got through about 3.5 pieces of their small pizza, so come with an appetite! You can see their menu online at Giordano's Pizza.

Unless you stay at one of the Disney-specific hotels, any hotel you get near the Magic Kingdom will be about the same. I'd rank most of those hotels as cheap, but average, and the Quality Inn Maingate West is no exception. Don't get me wrong - this is not a bad thing. We paid about $25/night for the hotel in January.


The hotel is clean and comfortable. They offer several standard amenities, including wi-fi, free breakfast, and shuttles to the main attractions. When we were there in January, the shuttle service seemed sort of sporadic. I'd recommend renting a car if you plan to go to Universal, or if you're the type that needs to be at a theme park from open to close.

The Quality Inn Maingate also offers a swimming pool, which we did not use, but it looked decent. It is also within walking distance of several restaurants, including Golden China, TGI Friday's, Giordano's, and a few smaller places.

For more information, you can check out their website at Quality Inn Maingate West.