My First Pizza

Back in the 1970s a small pizza chain called Barnaby's was popular in parts of northern Illinois and Indiana, and there happened to be one about 5 minutes from my parents' house. It provided quite a few Friday night pizzas for a number of years until it closed and a different restaurant moved in.

In 2015 I visited the Chicago area for a weekend and worked a visit to the Des Plaines Barnaby's (since closed and demolished) into my plans. It had been at least 35 years since I'd had a Barnaby's pizza and was hoping that my memories had held up over time.

This is the classic Barnaby's look I grew up with. Ah, the blue Pontiac G5 I had back then...

A closeup of the medallion on the side of the building. Barnaby's also has an open-flame grill (the Beef Bar) for those who aren't in the mood for pizza; however, small children are generally not permitted to hang from the ceiling. Even if it is to snag a burger.

Aye, ye lusty wench! Fetch us burgers and ale!

The interiors have a dark, Ye Olde English theme and a viewing area where patrons can watch the pizza process. Each table has a pocket containing blank order slips (and sometimes even small pencils) and once one is filled out it's turned in at the register where Carol Merrill is standing (another '70s flashback).

Somebody must've realized that letting small children watch pizzas being made would distract them from hanging from the ceiling. The woman is wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey featuring Patrick Sharp's name and number. Remember, it was 2015 and the 'Hawks were actually a credible hockey team then.

The Beef Bar is to the right. Most of the pizzas I ate as a kid were brought home but on the rare occasions we ate there I remember that it smelled really good in front of the Bar. Because, you know, meat and fire.

Granny be gettin' her drink on.

The pizza. From what I remember, it looked a little different than the ones from 35+ years ago but the taste took me back. For the first part of my life I thought that pizza was always cut in squares and it was quite a shock when I encountered my first triangular slice. Heresy!

Truly a thing of beauty!

Fast-forward 11 years to this past August. I was traveling across northern Indiana and discovered that there are a few Barnaby's (Barnaby'ses?) in the region, so I made plans to meet a friend for lunch at the restaurant on Grape Road in Mishawakawaka (Fozzie Bear was also a part of my '70s life).

Camera Nerd alert! This was taken with a circa-1960 Agfa Ambi-Silette equipped with the 35mm lens. The only rangefinder I own.

Our table was right across from the Beef Bar. I don't recall "my" Barnaby's having a salad bar (foreground); if it did it was placed out of the way.

"Chilli" is a spelling variant usually associated with Springfield, Illinois. Why it surfaced in northern Indiana is beyond me.

The twisted/pinched crust on our pizza was new to me but the pie itself was the same good ol' Barnaby's.

I used my iPhone 17e for this and the subsequent photo. I pulled a real boneheaded stunt and left my Pentax 50mm/f4 macro lens at home on my desk so I had to improvise.

50 years ago our pizzas had untwisted crusts and we liked 'em that way!

Food memories can be some of the strongest ones we have and I was quite happy when both these pizzas, even 11 years apart, lived up to mine. It may be some time before my travels take me near a Barnaby's again, but rest assured that there'll be a good chance I'll grace it with my presence. Even if it hasn't done something to deserve such mistreatment.