Chicago Fire Oven cooks up pizza and more

O'Hare-area diners got a new option this summer with the opening of Chicago Fire Oven in Rosemont's Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare hotel, just across the street from the Rosemont Theatre.

The specialties of the house here are 8- and 14-inch pizzas, cooked in the gas-fired, stone hearth oven the restaurant is named for. You can select your own toppings, including a variety of different cheeses, or pick from four house pizzas: the Mediterranean, with basil pesto sauce, Kalamata olives, tomatoes and arugula over a base of mozzarella and feta cheese; a white pizza with ricotta, provolone and mozzarella, arugula and Italian sausage; a veggie with a light pizza sauce atop provolone, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and a crown of roasted red peppers, spinach, artichoke hearts and black olives; and the meatball and Parmigiano-Reggiano pizza.

We tried the last. The wedge-cut pizza comes topped with flattened miniature meatballs over marinara sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan, with a good sprinkling of fresh basil and spicy giardiniera. Although the meatballs were a little too salty, the topping flavors came together beautifully, with the mouth-tingling giardiniera providing a lovely contrast to the smooth, mild cheese. The breadlike pizza crust, however, about a half-inch thick, seemed undercooked; I'd ask for it well-done next time.

We also began with French onion soup, covered with Gruyere melted in the pizza oven. I'd have liked this better if the bread floating under the cheese had been toasted instead it fell apart when my spoon hit it. Other first courses include hearth-roasted artichoke and spinach dip, a slider trio, baked goat cheese, chicken wings and fried calamari.

Another big section of the menu offers sandwiches, such as the signature Certified Black Angus burger, a meaty patty layered on a sweet-potato brioche bun with Swiss cheese, crisp bacon and sauteed jalapeños and crowned with an over-easy egg. Our server asked how we wanted it done, and it came out a perfect medium-rare, as ordered. If you're into gooey egg yolk on your burger, you'll like this one. If not, you can “build a burger” to your specifications.

Other sandwich options include the intriguing “steak bomb,” a sub sandwich of grilled skirt steak, Italian deli meats, sauteed mushrooms, sweet peppers, onions and provolone; and the fire-oven vegetable sandwich, which offers grilled seasonal vegetables with basil aioli on ciabatta.

Among more substantial entrees, Chicago Fire Oven serves several pasta dishes, steaks, cedar-planked Atlantic salmon, brick-roasted chicken, roasted seasonal vegetables with herbed goat cheese and couscous and bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. The trio of tender, juicy pork medallions, anointed with sage-infused butter, comes accompanied by a garnish of diced-apple compote, sauteed greens and creamy, garlic mashed potatoes a good value at $15.

For dessert, choose from cheesecake; fried dough with chocolate, berry and caramel dipping sauces; an apple-pear mascarpone pizza; or the chocolate cake for two, a huge wedge of six dense, moist devil's-food layers plated with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and a puff of whipped cream. The beverage list features 10 wines by the glass or bottle and there are 10 beers on tap.

The long, narrow dining room's low ceiling, dim lighting and gray-green and tan color scheme give it a cavelike effect, despite a laser-cut filigree screen that separates diners from the corridor. Things are somewhat more cheerful toward the front of the room, near the bustling open kitchen with its bright oven, so snag a seat up there if you can.

In a nice touch at a hotel restaurant, where travelers are often dining alone, Chicago Fire Oven offers an eight-seat, high-top communal table, as well as a five-seat counter at the open kitchen where diners can watch the pizzas being prepped.

With its reasonable prices and varied menu, Chicago Fire Oven presents a nice alternative for those looking for more choices near O'Hare.

Chicago Fire Oven

<p>Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare, 5440 N. River Road, Rosemont, (847) 928-3860, chicagofireoven.com</p>

<p>Cuisine: Pizza and American fare</p>

<p>Setting: Cheerful setting near open kitchen, long and narrow toward the back</p>

<p>Entrees: $7 to $25</p>

<p>Hours: Breakfast 6 to 10:30 a.m. daily, lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, dinner 5 to 11 p.m. daily</p>