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Show FOOD THE F\I:SADfIRST PIZZACADEMY AWARDS Some people are just different from everyone else. They exercise their genius in whatever medium speaks to them most and inspire the rest of us to be better than we think we can be. These four Utah Valley artists work in the medium of sauce and cheese to tease our taste buds and satisfy our stomachs. • WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE? 3% SLAB 36% BRICK OVEN 67 PIZZERIA 712 22% NICOITALIA'S 30% OTHER OUR NON-SCIENTIFIC STUDY FOUND THAT OUT THE 32 PEOPLE WE ASKED. THIS WAS THE DISTRIBUTION OF THEIR PREFERENCES. NICOLITALIA PIZZERIA Their slightly spicy sauce creates a unique taste, and coupled with the distinctive dough recipe, makes for a somewhat floppy, fresh-tasting pizza. With a new location opening in Draper, things are looking up for these artisans of the oven. BEST ADAPTED PIZZA With their back-to-basics restaurant story (the owner's parents are real Italians) and wonderful pizza composition, Nicolitalia Pizzeria's remarkable pie must be applauded. By setting their sights on making "an East-Coast-style pizza, which is mouthwatering in its simplicity," Nicolitalia has set itself apart from the Americanized peasant food surrounding it, stepped out of the pack with a pizza recipe from the past and a gaze fixed on the future. 1101 BEST SET DESIGN Nicolitalia Pizzeria's eclectic "poster collection" has already garnered a reputation for being entertaining, interesting, and anything but pretentious. On the contrary, the many posters on the walls of Nicolitalia's Provo store seem to have been drawn by an army of pizza-sated "arteests," each armed with a magic marker, some mild colorblindness and a dream. They are often bright, often bizarre and often framed like masterpieces, which belies the off-kilter spirit that dwells within. * MOST POPULAR PIZZA: THE NICOLITALIA SPECIAL NICOLITALIA PIZZERIA 801-356-7900 2295 N UNIVERSITY PARKWAY PROVO 4 I THE V MAGAZINE 2011 FOOD BRICK OVEN RESTAURANT A Utah institution, Brick Oven has been in business since 1956. With five locations all over Utah, their outstanding pizza is always within reach. PIZZERIA 712 A fresh, thin-crusted delight, Pizzeria 712 specializes in serving up a gourmet pizza that's as tasty as it is sustainable. Although primarily a classy, sit-down joint, Pizzeria 712 offers something for everyone. II BEST ART DIRECTION Brick Oven Pizza has been at this game for a long time, and their presentation shows it. Every pizza is a sublime ballet of cheeses, meats and vegetables, with each ingredient adding its own little part to the pizza's rousing rendition of "Sauce Lake." 11, BEST CHEESE IN A LEADING ROLE Oh, that all cheeses could be like unto Pizzeria 712's hand-pulled mozzarella. The freshness is stunningly apparent in every bite, and if "hand-pulling" a cheese, whatever that means, makes something this tasty and delicious, I suggest we start hand-pulling everything. We need handpulled breakfast cereals! We need handpulled Dalmatians for our Firemen and hand-pulled moustaches for our police officers; if it can be handled and it can be pulled, then Pizzeria 712's amazing cheese testifies to us that it ought to be! * MOST POPULAR PIZZA: BBQ CHICKEN PINEAPPLE BRICK OVEN RESTAURANT 801- 374-8800 111 EAST 800 NORTH PROVO Try, 014.4 41111 BEST ORIGINAL STORY Pizzeria 712's story is simple, but compelling. In preparation to start a gourmet pizza shop, the owners contacted a company in Italy who specialized in the design and construction of woodburning pizza ovens. The new oven was commissioned, built and a representative from the oven company was sent to construct it on-site. As he worked, he told the owners of this new Utah pizzeria that "the optimal temperature for cooking pizza was 712o Fahrenheit," and Pizzeria 712 was born. SLAB PIZZA In contrast to the other pizza purveyors on this list, SLAB and their behemoth 20-inch pizza is the newest of newcomers on Utah Valley's pizzeria scene. BEST SUPPORTING TOPPINGS SLAB Pizza's 50+ toppings and sauces make other pizzerias fold their hands in their laps, cross their legs, and bow their heads as they question their manhood. Slab's selection of toppings is so thorough that it can be a challenge to find something you CAN'T put on your pizza. * MOST POPULAR PIZZA: THE MARGHERITA PIZZERIA 712 801-623-6712 320 SOUTH STATE SUITE 147 OREM * MOST POPULAR PIZZA: THE BUFFALO WING SLAB 16 t40. SLAB PIZZA 801-377-3883 669 E 800 N PROVO OGRAP ". THE V MAGAZINE I 5 |