Draper • Draper has long been lacking in quality, locally owned restaurants. But with the addition of Oak Wood Fire Kitchen to the fast-growing 12300 South area, northern Salt Lake County residents may be the ones who are missing out for once.
Oak Wood Fire Kitchen is the brick-and-mortar brainchild of chef David Kimball. Wood-fired pizza enthusiasts might know him and his pizza from his mobile endeavor Fire & Slice Wood Fire Pizza, which still makes a regular appearance at Wasatch Front Farmers Market at Wheeler Farm on Sundays, as well as catering and events around the state.
In the restaurant location, Oak Wood Fire Kitchen brings together the rustic magic of wood-fired foods with a swanky, retro décor tucked into a strip mall just off 12300 South and 700 East. Be mindful when you drive around the complex, though — I once tried to leave through another restaurant's drive-thru in broad daylight. (And no, I did not have wine with lunch.)
Kimball has put together a succinct menu of starters, salads, sliders, pizzas and pasta, and his dedication to supporting local producers is evident in nearly every section — from wine choices from Cedar City's Iron Gate Winery and Moab's Castle Creek Winery to special offerings such as the Farmer Marty pizza, which features local produce that farmer Marty Alston grows or makes available.
Diners will find a mix of a classic pizzeria and more intriguing options at Oak Wood. The fried calamari ($9) on the starter menu, for example, plays into typical Italian-American restaurant offerings, while the baked goat cheese ($9) surprises and delights with each ingredient. Wedges of chewy Oak bread (a wood-fired flatbread topped with parmesan, fresh rosemary, garlic oil and cracked black pepper, $4) are the perfect delivery method for the tangy goat cheese spread and hearty red sauce served in a cast-iron skillet that's been heated in the wood-fire oven.
Wood-roasted beef and pork meatballs find their way onto the menu in three preparations: as a starter ($10) coated in tomato sauce and mozzerella cheese, as the meatball sliders ($11) on a brioche bun with fresh basil and mozzerella, and as the star in the spaghetti meatball pasta ($12), with a housemade basil tomato sauce.
On Tuesdays, try the Two for Tuesday slider lunch deal, which will allow you to enjoy that moist meatball slider along with your choice of either the pulled pork or veggie (roasted beets, caramelized onions, arugula and goat cheese) sliders. For just $8, those two handfuls and either fries or an elegant house salad of mixed greens, tomatoes and red onion and a soda make Draper a very appealing lunch destination.
Not surprising, the wood-fired pizzas are where Oak Wood excels most. Dough is hand-stretched by the pizzaiolos behind the counter before being topped with ingredients and fed into the pizza oven. The classic margherita ($8) could have used more fresh basil, but the bubbly crust and fresh mozzarella (with a touch of olive oil added via the table-side oil and balsamic vinegar set) made this a fine interpretation.
Less-traditional choices like the rich white ($10), with four kinds of cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, asiago and ricotta) and garlic oil, or the pesto chicken and goat ($12), topped with goat cheese and arugula, mean there is something for everyone at Oak Wood.
But nothing could top the Big Chair ($12) solely in terms of meat ratio. Somehow, Chef Kimball manages to load pepperoni, ham, a spicy chorizo and bacon onto this thin-crust creation and still retain the lightness that is trademark of his crusts.
With 10 pizza choices, it's easy to find a favorite.
My only word of caution at Oak Wood is to ask for your dressing on the side of the bleu cheese steak salad ($14). The combination of the hot steak (cooked to order) and proliferation of far too much bleu cheese dressing coating every surface of lettuce left me with a pungent, tepid soup at the bottom of my salad bowl that not only wilted the mixed greens but also left the bacon and tomatoes swimming in it by the time I finished my meal.
Oak Wood has quickly become a favorite destination for Real Salt Lake soccer players and ticket holders, so diners are cautioned to plan accordingly on game days.
But if a leisurely dinner is what you are after, it can most certainly be had. In the evenings, additional wood-fired menu options appear, such as roasted chicken ($16) and seared salmon ($16).
Each of the three times I've dined at Oak Wood, I've left with a to-go box full of food as portions are large and designed to be shared. But if you have room, try the sweet ricotta dessert pizza ($6) for a memorable end to your meal.
In Oak Wood Fire Kitchen, Draper has found a delicious, local-minded business that is already giving back to the community. It's worth a trip to discover this wood-fired dining destination.
Heather L. King also writes for www.theutahreview.com and can be found on Twitter @slclunches.