Pizzeria 712

Thanks for the picture AJ!

320 South State St.
Suite 147
Orem, Utah 84058
801-623-6712

(Look for the big half-done apartment building place on the east side)

www.pizzeria712.com

Pizza is an interesting dish.  To me, it’s a relationship built on “crust,” and heartiness. I’ve always been the deep dish kind of pizza gourmand. There is something appetizing about a thick, yet light dough that has the perfect crispiness to balance it out. As many of your know. I love sandwiches and pizza to me is an open faced sandwich but toasted.  Chicago is the home of the deep dish but many of my friends, the Italians primarily, seem to enjoy NY Style thin crust pizza. They often remark that it’s more convenient, more “pizza like” and doesn’t require a knife and fork to eat. Particularly, I hear often as well that thin crust was the way pizza was meant to be. It’s more focused on the toppings and flavor than a thick bready crust.

I disagree but can understand the preference.

Pizzeria 712 is part of the reason why.  Located, rather nestled in a big giant  and abandoned apartment project, Pizzeria 712 was a happenstance visit. I have read about the pizzeria in Salt Lake City magazine and have heard countless positive reviews from those in Happy Valley but this was still a new experience.

I didn’t quite know what to expect particularly when entering the restaurant we felt immediately thrust into the crowd since the entrance, hostess stand, and seats were all cramped together. It’s certainly a smaller seating arrangement but honestly if the food taste good I could sit squatted over like I was during my Cambodian trip eating fried bananas. (pictures of that upcoming : ) ).

The pizza menu is sparse with roughly 6 different offers. But what the menu lacks in size, it makes up for in-depth and quality of taste. The owners thrive on the new trend of sustainable food and all the ingredients on the menu are local and fresh. My party started off with two appetizers, both the braised beef short rib, anson mills polenta with horseradish  and the house cured bacon with winter squash, pine nuts, and allred orchards apple reduction.

Braised Short ribs - yummy!

The dish was small, consisting of only a few bites but it was the perfect lead up to an excellent meal. The beef short rib was braised to succulent and tender perfection and the polenta was grilled as a foundation for the meat.

It was then topped off with a tangy horseradish sauce that was more like a sour cream. The house cured bacon was just as flavorful and had an excellent cru

st that accentuated the saltiness of the bacon. The pine nuts and apple reduction sauce added a very rustic and earthy taste to the meal. Both appetizers were superb.

So good, I couldn't take a picture before someone stole a slice

Strange looking, yes. But tasty, indeed!

For our pizza selections, I chose the potato, mushroom, leeks, rosemary, and blue cheese combination and the other guest in our party chose the speck soppressata, tomato sauce, garlic and mozzarella combo.  The latter tasted just like a regular pepperoni pizza but the sauce was more pronounced than typical store-bought or pizza parlor sauces which are often over salted.  My pizza selection was very unique. It had a taste similar to a pot roast  minus the meat but the mushroom and bleu cheese combination filled in just fine for the protein. This pizza reminded me that pizza as a base can be used to incorporate many cuisines. Noting the success of chains such as California Pizza Company, as long as your imagination can think it up, you can make it a pizza. Luckily, Pizzeria 712 follows this model but keeps it simple and enjoyable.

PS: 712 represents the ideal baking temperature (or so I’ve read on Utasty)

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