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Show ‘DINING REVIEW ~ Wasatch Canyon Reporter, Mid June - Mid July, Page 11 This is the place-Papa’s Joe’ Pizzeria sandwiches definitely appeal to meat and sausage eaters. The sauces and marinades are in-house blends, passed down from one Chicago-Italian chef to the next. In addition to soda’s, Papa Joe’s serves a small selection of domestic and import beers. Various microbrewed flavors from Eddie COURTESY OF THE BIG MAN HIMSELF - PAPA JOE © 1995 cecum s choice is limited, although both the Spumoni ice cream and the cheese cake with a homemade raspberry sauce, will satisfy the desire for something MeStiffs and a few wine coolers are available, also. PAPA JOE by the ovens that are going to make himfamous Papa Joe’s Pizzeria - The Original Chicago Pizza | 8256 South 700 Fast, Sandy, UT (801) 566-9494 Hours: with successive slices, and was excellent cold-for- Monday-Thursday PM 11 AM-9. | Friday & Saturday 11 AM- 10 PM - Sunday The pizza is served with a classic thin crust, that is neither soggy like a New York slice, nor thick and doughy like The Pie. Also available is a double dough, or a Deep Dish “two-inch thick Chicago original” crust. Toppings include all the standards like sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, etc., as. well as some specialty items such as fresh garlic, broccoli, pineapple, spinach and shrimp. We ordered a pepperoni, mushroom, green pepper and garlic pizza. The ingredients were fresh, and the garlic was plentiful. I usually do not like pepperoni on a pizza, because it adds one more layer of grease that could end up on my lap. Fortunately all of the toppings, save garlic, were cooked in below the cheese, and the grease, while certainly satisfying, was not overwhelming. The pizza gets better Closed ~~ At Papa Joe’s the service is exceptional. Even when we were competing with a party of thirty our water glasses always remained full. Joe Anlickas, Papa Joe himself, works the kitchen, the cash register, and even busses a plate or two. Stopping by our table, Joe told us that he first started coming to Utah for the skiing. While he was learning his trade in pizzerias in Chicago, he would hear on his ski vacations that there is no good pizza to be had in the Salt Lake Valley. Consequently, when the time came he, like Brigham Young, declared “This is the Place!” and moved to Sandy to open his own pizzeria. With two small dining rooms, Formica tables, | breakfast the next day (the only truly decisive pizza test!) An | absolute and unexpected treat turned out to be the barbecue. Coated in a homemade Chicagostyle BBQ sauce the ribs and chicken are sweet, spicy and succulent. Our friend Nigel (torn ACL, MCL, etc.), a former BBQ chef, is looking forward to next time when he will wallow in a full slab of ribs. In fact, the overall feeling was that Papa Joe’s would do as well as a BBQ place as a pizzeria. Lucky choices abound. With each hk pasta, one can chose $18.30 for a large “Mountain” pizza, which con- Since these items are not the main focus of the menu, or the meal, they suffer in comparison to the entrees. The Minestrone soup was a little cool and the healthy selection of sandwiches, from $3.10 for a grilled cheese to $4.70 for a Peppersteak Sandwich or a Cheesy Beef—an Italian marinated beef sandwich with mozzarella cheese. The ee for all the patrons, it is both! For the ulti- between a Marinara or meat sauce. The Marinara 1s light and not too spicy. The Manicotti was filling without being heavy and got a rave review. The homemade Spinach Lasagna with “three layers of Mozzarella, Ricotta & Romano cheeses blended with Spinach, Mushrooms and Broccoli” in the Marinara sauce looked pretty savory. chicken dinners run between $6.95 and 8.95. A full slab of BBQ ribs costs $11.95. Papa Joe’s carries a umma aa mate combination, they even offer Papa Joe’s BBQ pizza, topped with sausage, bacon, green peppers and onions in Papa Joe’s own homemade BBQ sauce. | | For pasta lovers and vegetarians a wide range of vinyl chairs and some booths, the atmosphere is not why you go to Papa Joe’s. Appealing to Utah transplants and others who appreciate good food at fair prices, Papa Joe’s is about good eating rather than fine dining. And, sure enough, good eating it is! . | Since a pizza joint isn’t really the kind of place one would go for an intimate dinner for two, Ron and I decided to convene the cripple club (two broken legs, one broken knee and one torn ACL, MCL, etc.) and head out to Papa Joe’s Pizzeria in Sandy. With such a large group we sampled everything from the pizza to the ribs. All was tasty and filling without being too expensive. For a pizzeria, the menu is quite varied. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $6.75 for a small cheese pizza to tains almost everything but anchovies. Pasta and : If you like capers, the Chicken Piccata is subtly flavored and a good choice. If you want more spice, crushed red pepper sits on the table next to the salt and pepper. All dinners come with a choice of Garlic Bread-or fresh baked Italian Bread, as well as either a dinner salad, homemade coleslaw or Minestrone Soup. dinner salad was no more than iceberg lettuce and a few tomato slices. The garlic bread was a good filler, but also nothing to write home about. The dessert Quality Cycles for Dirt & Pavement Kona, ProFlex, LiteSpeed, Jamis, Slingshot, Fat Chance, Bianchi, Marin, Eisentraut, Salsa, Bontrager Parts, Accessories, Clothing, Footwear, Repairs, Rentals 702 Third Avenue SLC 533-8671 _— |