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A foodie's analysis of Pizzeria 712

June 25, 2011
Whew, where has the time gone, huh? I've been awol from the blogging world for the past, mmmm, 4 months. You'll have to forgive me because we have made some pretty rockin' meals in that time, none of which have been posted. Forgiveness please. Now that summer is here, I have some great meal ideas floating in my head (I'll literally be grilling every night this week- love it) and I'll make a valiant effort to share the love. Don't hold me to that. :)
That being said, I'm going to stray a bit from the normal routine of posting a meal I've made. I actually wanted to do a review of a restaurant we went to last night because it was something special, and for anyone that lives in the Orem area, you don't want to miss it.
A couple blocks north of 800 S. in Orem, UT, on State Street, there are two giant, newly constructed buildings. One of the buildings seems permanently under construction, while the other, though it appears finished, looks completely abandoned. Likely the result of the economy. When Jules and I lived in Pleasant Grove, we would drive past these two buildings not infrequently, but always assumed they were empty, until one day we drove past and saw a sign out by the road that read, "Pizzeria 712." Jules said, "I don't know why, but whenever I see a pizza place with 'pizzeria' in the name, I automatically think it's legit." And after months of talking about it, we finally ate there and I'll tell you right now, it's definitely legit.
Everything about Pizzeria 712 is wonderfully effortless; from the atmosphere, to the food; even the sign above the entrance. They try hard in all the right ways, and keep it simple in all the others. As we sat down at our table, we were each given one sheet of paper with the menu for that day printed on it. It was a list of about 20 items, most of which were appetizers or individual items you could buy (such as fresh, feta cheese). All of their items are made with locally grown, sustainable ingredients, and it definitely comes through.
After we ordered our meal, our server brought a perfect-sized platter of pita bread and roasted red pepper hummus. It was incredible. There was a time in my life that I didn't care for hummus. After a trip to the middle east with my dad, I became converted and have tried so many different types of hummus, hoping for it to be as good as what we had in Turkey. Pizzeria 712's hummus? Literally, the best I've ever had. It was so full of flavor, not just salt (many restaurants I've been to don't seem to know the difference). The pita was also fresh and dispelled any stereotypes our local grocery stores have put in our minds regarding pita bread. This pita was moist, fluffy and delicious. 

For an appetizer, we ordered the braised pork belly, kale pesto, roasted potatoes and currants. I took my first bite and almost broke out in song. Every once in awhile I eat a dish that reminds me that I've barely scratched the surface of what the culinary world can do. This is one of those dishes. Pork belly is basically bacon that hasn't been smoked or cut. It's notorious for being tough when cooked. Enter braising. The belly is cooked on low heat with liquid and spices for a long time. A very long time. This breaks apart the connective tissue and turns any tough cut of meat into pure magic. Such was the case with this dish. The combination of the slow-braised pork belly, perfectly roasted potatoes, kale pesto dressing, and currants was out of this world. This dish has also inspired me to go buy some currants and start experimenting.

*Side note, I love when a restaurant spreads out the courses. Each plate was brought to us 10-15 minutes apart, and we were able to enjoy it and not feel rushed. So many places bring everything out at once and your table is overflowing with proof of your gluttony. You almost feel ashamed as you take spoonfuls from 5 different plates of food in as many bites. But when they bring each plate out on its own, you have time to enjoy every bite. The flavors linger on your tongue and you start really appreciating that plate for the work that went into it.

Back to our dinner. Is there a better combination than blue cheese and bacon? You'd be hard-pressed to find it. Any time I'm looking for a salad, if there's an option with blue cheese and bacon I go for it. One of the other ingredients could be cockroaches for all I care, I'm still getting it. Fortunately for us, the butter lettuce wedge salad did not have cockroaches in it. If you've never had butter lettuce, you need to try it. It's tender, creamy, yet crisp- try and figure that one out. All I know is it's amazing and so was this salad.

As we sat and contemplated how awesome the salad was, our pizza slid onto our table. I wanted to give Jules a high-five when I saw it, but she had already started eating. We were like wolves. It wasn't until after we were finishing our first pieces that we realized we hadn't taken a picture. *shutter sound- ok back to eating. The name "Pizzeria 712" was inspired by the way they cook their pizza- in a 712 degree oven. High heat is crucial when cooking pizza and this place nailed it. The sausage was made in house and matched perfectly with the caramelized onions and fresh tomato sauce. In my opinion, any sauce made from tomato should not be ashamed that it's made from tomato. Sometimes you'll eat a spaghetti or pizza sauce that is filled with spices and other things trying to cover up the fact that it's made from tomato. Whenever possible, use fresh tomatoes and let it sing. The pizza sauce at Pizzeria 712 is both fresh and flavorful, and was not apologetic.

Most often when we hear someone talking about strawberry shortcake, what they are referring to is angel food cake topped with macerated strawberries and whipped cream from a can. When a cake or bread is referred to as "short," what that means is there has been something added to the mix to shorten the gluten strands (gluten is the protein found in flour, and just like protein in meats, it forms long, elastic strands). Things that shorten gluten strands include crisco (also referred to as "shortening"- did I just blow your mind?), oil, and butter. The fats get in the strands of gluten and break them apart, creating a crumbly texture. The strawberry shortcake at Pizzeria 712 was a true shortbread cake. It was a little detail that told me these people cared about what they were making. The shortbread was topped with fresh strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and cracked red pepper corns. Outstanding.

Even though we had 5 courses, Jules and I shared every plate and walked away feeling good. If a restaurant can make you feel good after 5 courses, they know what they're doing. And with a total bill of $50 after tax and tip, for both of us, how could it get better? For 5 courses? Are you joking me? As of last night, Pizzeria 712 has solidly landed itself a spot in our top 3 restaurants in the area. It was the perfect date night for Jules and myself, and we will definitely eat there again.
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  1. That sounds so stinking good! I absolutely love good pizza but it seems that you not only had great pizza, you guys had a culinary experience. We love finding good restaurants and that one sounds like a solid find.

  2. that looks so yummy. actually yummy doesn't begin to describe how that looks. and thanks for all the detail about the culinary processes. i never knew that about pork belly. i've heard the term on the food network a hundred times but never realized why it was so hard to do. now i get it. also i love the cracked red peppercorn on the dessert, completely brilliant. man this is one of those rare times i wish i lived in utah.

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