| Rusted Sun: Good Therapy For Lovers Of Great Pizza | ||
| By Anne Wilson -- Special To The Tribune | 01/11/2002 | |
| Wally Stephens likes to hand-toss his pizza crust, but not because flipping dough makes the pies taste better. The real reason is that tossing dough -- once you know how to do it -- is the fastest way to stretch it. And when you have people clamoring for pies, speed is an asset. But Stephens doesn't claim that every pie served at his Rusted Sun Pizzeria is built on a hand-tossed crust. Who cares? Whether the crust is tossed or rolled, these pies are good. This isn't surprising when you consider Stephens' history: pizza was a favorite family food, on the menu several times a week, according to his childhood memories. During his college years at the University of Utah, where Stephens majored in psychology, he worked as a bartender and discovered he enjoyed the role of host. It helped him decide that the restaurant business might be as enjoyable (and more immediately lucrative) than a career as a therapist. After graduating, he worked in management for a national pizza chain, churning out pies until he decided factory work wasn't for him. He landed a job at Deloretto's, a local place serving quality pizza, then moved on to better money as manager of a steakhouse. When Deloretto's owner decided to get out of the business, Stephens purchased the State Street store. That was three years ago. He since remodeled the place to make it less like a fast food outlet. It's still small, but new paint, linen napkins, china and flatware give Rusted Sun the feel of a real restaurant, a place to sit and sip a beer while enjoying a fine pizza. Stephens eats them every day, experimenting with different topping combinations. His current favorite is pineapple, jalapeno peppers and onion. Stephens explains the bizarre mix came from an effort to stop eating so much of the sausage and salami he loves. That combination isn't on the menu, although customers are free to build pies from their choice of cheeses, meats, vegetables and some less common toppings, like roasted garlic, pine nuts and capers. (Pies come in two sizes, 12- and 16-inch, and range in price from $9 to $18.) Combinations listed on the menu include bleu chicken, a tantalizing mix of mozzarella, chicken, red onion, red pepper and bleu cheese; a meat-fest with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, salami, green pepper, red onion, mushroom and black olives; a Mediterranean specialty featuring salami, red onion, red pepper, artichoke hearts, green olives and feta cheese; and the deceptively simple New York style cheese pizza, which might be the best of all. Why? Maybe it is the whole-milk mozzarella cheese, which adds flavor and gives the pie that incredible bronze color. But the crust is key, too, made with the best quality, high-gluten flour, olive oil and more salt than some pizza dough. (It's the same recipe used by his predecessor.) Then again, it might be Stephens' marinara sauce, liberally seasoned with garlic, oregano and basil but not sugar. This cheese pizza is truly a classic. The dough performs just as well when wrapped around a filling as a calzone ($4.75 to $7.50). Anything can go into a calzone, but the meat combination is outstanding and could probably feed most people for a couple of days. The menu offers salads, pastas and sandwiches, but only the salads (Caesar, pasta, bleu chicken and Italian, $5.95 to $6.95) perform as well as the pies. The sausage penne ($8.95), for example, comes topped with the same marinara sauce used on the pies, but it tastes bland, although the numerous large cloves of roasted garlic save it from complete damnation. The meatball sandwich ($6.95) suffers a similar fate, although here it might be due to too much sauce and inferior bread. Service is friendly and casual at the Rusted Sun, which has the ambience of a neighborhood bar even though it is surrounded by businesses. He didn't know it as a kid, but Wally Stephens was destined to become a pizza man. Who are we to mess with destiny? You go to the Rusted Sun Pizzeria, you eat pizza. Life can be so simple sometimes. Rusted Sun Pizzeria 2010 S. State, Salt Lake City; 483-2120 Hours: Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 4-9 p.m. Prices: Entrees from $7 to $18 Liquor: Beer Reservations: No Child's Menu: No Takeout: Yes Wheelchair Accessible: Yes Outdoor Dining: No Parking: Street and small lot in rear Credit Cards: All major cards. Anne Wilson is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Wilson welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at wilwrite99@aol.com. |
||
