Tubby Tuesday: ESTE Pizzeria

I told you I love pizza.  On last week's Tubby Tuesday I told you about Nicolitalias Pizzeria down in Provo.  Today we head back up north to one of my 3 favorite Utah pizza places.  For the next three Tubby Tuesdays I will be sharing my top 3 Utah pizza places.  It is difficult to choose which is the best simply because it depends on the style of pizza.  This week we visit ESTE pizzeria, which fits the bill as the "Best New York Style Pizza in Utah."

This is not a title that I give out lightly, nor without many visits to this wonderful pizza joint.  I have to thank my friend Garrett (who is a bit of a pizza savant) for turning me on to ESTE.  Located at 156 E and 200 South in Salt Lake City, the restaurant is underwhelming from the curb.  On my first visit I drove past it twice before I saw it:

Like Many Great Food Places Este Doesn't Appear Too Exciting From Outside

When we walked inside it had a great vibe.  The walls are tastefully decorated with pop-art concert posters and materials like corrugated steel.  The menu is simple, yet caters to many different tastes.  ESTE is a Coke establishment which always matters to me for some reason.  For starters we'll usually get the breaded cheese ravioli (third time in Tubby Tuesday that I have mentioned some type fried/baked ravioli as an appetizer) which is the best I have tried.  When it comes piping hot to the table filled with molten-cheese goodness it is hard to resist eating the entire portion by oneself.  The mozzarella sticks are also fantastic here, if I've had better ones I can't remember.  We keep making the mistake of ordering the garlic knots, which sound much better than they actually are.  They are just small lumps of cooked dough with an abundance of fresh garlic on top of them.  Every time I have ordered them there was FAR TOO MUCH garlic on them.  If you find you must order them, I would recommend removing about half of the garlic, adding an abundance of parmesan cheese, and then add the green tabasco sauce to them.  This is the best way I have found to cope with the only sub-par item I have discovered on their menu.

One Of the Wonderful Pizzas of ESTE Pizzeria (photo courtesy of TripAdvisor)

Now for the pizza!  The pizza at ESTE does not disappoint.   Large slices that are thin and perfect for folding come out on huge pizza pans that sit on top of stands in the center of the tables.  My favorite pizzas are The Clay which is their version of a meat lovers pizza, and The Pink with pepperoni added.  The Clay comes with pepperoni, ham, sausage and thin sliced meatball.  The meatball really sends The Clay to the tip-top of the list.  It is the best meatball I have ever had on a pizza!  It is unbeatable.  The Pink is ricotta cheese mixed with marinara sauce topped in mozzarella cheese.  I have had it on its own and it is good, if pepperoni is added the pie sings.  I'm getting terribly hungry just writing about it!

While the temptation may be too great to resist, try not too eat too much pizza too quickly.  On my third or fourth visit I realized that if allowed to cool for ten or fifteen minutes, ESTE pizzas actually have more flavor.  This is probably a result from being able to taste the oils from the meat and cheese, but I recommend you try to have a room temperature slice.  You will probably never eat pizza the same way again.

ESTE pizza is also thin enough that it is easy to eat more than you were intending.  A large or extra large pizza can be downed with little challenge.  Of course, leftover pizza is fantastic as well.  I urge you to visit ESTE--you will be glad you did!

Do you have a pizza place that rivals ESTE? Leave a comment below and I'll check it out!