This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters! There are few culinary arguments as fierce as the difference between New York-style thin-crust pizza and Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. And now, thanks to a national chain arriving in Orem, Utahns can take sides in that argument.
Rosati’s, which has locations in Chicago plus a dozen other states, now has a restaurant in Utah — at 775 E. University Parkway in Orem. Its owners make the claim that it’s the first authentic Chicago-style pizza available in Utah.
The restaurant is operated by two friends, Heidi Sonnenberg and Katie Jacobson, who own the franchise with their husbands. Sonnenberg’s husband is from Chicago, she said, and had introduced her to Rosati’s first in Chicago and later in Las Vegas, where she’s from.
“We didn’t feel like having to drive that far for the pizza, so we decided to bring one here,” Sonnenberg told me this week. They first contacted Rosati’s a year and a half ago, she said, and they had their grand opening on Nov. 17, after a three-week soft opening.
(Sean P. Means | The Salt Lake Tribune) Part of the decor at Rosati's, the first Utah location of the national pizza chain, in University Place in Orem.
The key to enjoying Chicago-style deep-dish, Jacobson said, is to plan ahead. “It’s going to take time. … It’s not like any other pizza that you’ve had or you’ve waited for,” she said.
On a weeknight, it may take 45 minutes to bake a deep-dish pizza; on Fridays and Saturdays — especially when BYU’s football team is playing at home — the wait may be an hour or more.
That’s because it goes through the oven twice — once to bake the thick crust and the layer of cheese, and a second time to heat up the sauce that goes on top. (Putting sauce above the cheese is another Chicago-style staple.)
In Rosati’s first month in Utah, Sonnenberg said they’ve had two kinds of deep-dish customers: “Either they’re so excited because they’ve never had it before, or they have had it before and they can’t wait to have it again.” (A create-your-own deep-dish costs $18.99 for a 10-inch pie, and $23.99 for a 14-inch pizza.)
(Sean P. Means | The Salt Lake Tribune) A 14-inch Chicago-style deep-dish pizza at Rosati's, the first Utah location of the national pizza chain, in University Place in Orem.
And for those who don’t want to wait for deep-dish, Sonnenberg noted that Rosati’s is famous in Chicago for its thin-crust pizza. There’s also wings, pasta dishes and sandwiches — including another Chicago favorite, the Italian beef sandwich ($10.49).
Of course, I had to try the deep-dish, which you can read about in the “Dish of the Week” section.
Rosati’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and closed Sundays.
Live deliciously,
Sean
Food News
• In last week’s spotlight about Sizzurp Soda Lab, a new “dirty” soda shop at 150 S. State St. in Salt Lake City, the owners talked about opening their business in a downtown “soda desert.” That drew a comment from Jonathan Deesing, host of “The 3-Bit Gamer Show” podcast, who noted another place to get “dirty” sodas that’s at least downtown-adjacent: Crave Cookies, at 20 E. 600 South, Salt Lake City.
• Kaki Sushi, at 743 W. 100 North in American Fork, has introduced the Kiri Roll, inspired by Kiri Duke-Rosati, the 3-year-old Utah boy who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain condition (cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or cerebral ALD) and needs a bone-marrow transplant. The restaurant is serving the roll now through Tuesday, with half the proceeds going to HopeForKiri.org. Kaki Sushi is throwing a fundraising event Tuesday, with live music and giveaways.
Openings
• The newest restaurant in Deer Valley is set to open on Dec. 15. The Hirsch — at Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Collection, the mid-mountain resort at Deer Valley — “pairs a seasonally driven culinary vision with a sophisticated, freshly renovated space,” according to a news release. The brainchild of new executive chef Jeff O’Neill, the new place will replace the former Goldener Hirsch restaurant. Menu highlights: Dill-cured salmon, butter-basted diver scallops, mishima ranch hanger steak and slow-cooked rabbit.
• Crispy Cones, a dessert chain that serves warm pastry cones filled with soft-serve ice cream, has reopened its Provo location, at 428 W. 2310 North, under new management. Last weekend, the chain’s new location in Draper opened (at 129 E. 13800 South). And another location in West Valley City is scheduled to open in January (at 2885 S. 5600 West). The company has two more locations in Utah, in Layton and Logan.
Booze (and Drink!) News
• Big Willie’s, the sports bar at 1717 S. Main, Salt Lake City, is partnering with Salt Lake County Animal Services to throw a Bingo Night on Giving Tuesday — Dec. 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. — with proceeds going to the Injured Animal Fund. Doors open at 6 p.m., with themed cocktails and giveaways planned.
• Pendry Park City is kicking off ski season with an event to debut the new Sunrise Gongola. The event, Afternoon at Altitude, happens Friday-Sunday, Dec. 12-14, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Pendry, 2417 W. High Mountain Road, Park City. The alpine-inspired celebration will feature DJs slopeside and Perrier-based mocktails.
Dish of the Week
(Sean P. Means | The Salt Lake Tribune) A slice of a 14-inch Chicago-style deep-dish pizza at Rosati's, the first Utah location of the national pizza chain, in University Place in Orem.
Comedian Jon Stewart once argued that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is really a casserole, not pizza. Based on my first experience with deep-dish at Rosati’s, I think Stewart was a bit harsh.
My pizza was quite tasty (I got mine with onion, sliced tomatoes and olives, on the create-your-own menu). It was more substantial — in other words, filling — than I was expecting.
If you have never had Chicago-style pizza and are venturing to Rosati’s, a few facts I wish I had known ahead of time:
Trust the menu • When the menu says a 10-inch deep-dish serves two or three people, believe it. My dining companion and I ordered the 14-inch, and we took half the thing home with us.
Control your portions • A slice of deep-dish is much bigger than a corresponding slice of New York-style or other thin crust pizza. If you’re accustomed to eating two slices of pizza at a sitting, know that, by weight, one slice of deep-dish exceeds that.
Think thick • The crust on a deep-dish is about a centimeter thick, and the cheese is probably another centimeter on top of that. That’s a lot to sink one’s teeth into — and that’s not even getting to the ladle of marinara on top. Gauge your bites carefully.
Utensils are a must • Chicago-style is a knife-and-fork kind of food. Trying to eat it with your hands is going to make a mess on you, your clothes and the table.