Town’s weirdest pizzas
Aside from its ability to combine carbs, meat and vegetables all in one bite, the magic of a pizza is in the fact that the toppings can end up being as quirky and unique as the pie’s maker. As in any community, Steamboat pizzas take many forms, ranging from a trendy gourmet work of art to the cheapest, fastest thing to eat at the end of a long Saturday night. Whether you’re looking for a culinary revelation or a lark on tradition, these local pies are keeping things weird.
The Sink, How Ya Doin’ Pizza ‘N Eatz
Ever sit down at a restaurant and have the overwhelming desire to order everything on the menu, lest you miss out on one of the unique flavors or textures? How Ya Doin’s “The Sink” pizza solves this problem by offering multiple dishes atop a traditional red sauce pizza. The pizza includes mozzarella sticks, mac ‘n cheese bites, chicken fingers, pepperoni and jalapeno atop the traditional mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. “We thrive on having a few ridiculous menu items at each restaurant that taste delicious,” says operations manager Mitch Woods. Owner Dave Eliason got the idea when visiting a sandwich shop that offered a plethora of fried foods as well. He called the pizza “The Sink” because of the mess it would make in a kitchen sink, and it became an unexpected hit. How Ya Doin’ also offers pizzas topped with just mashed potatoes, mac ‘n cheese or meatballs for more decisive, yet equally adventurous customers.
Funghi Misti, Clyde’s Pies
If you’re looking for a pizza that’s as flavorful as it is local, look no further than the Funghi Misti from Clyde’s Pies, located in the alley of The Commons food court. The ingredients include housemade crema, braised leeks, thyme, mushrooms, Italian taleggio, fontina and parmigiano-reggiano cheeses, fresh herbs, blistered pear tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic glaze. Co-owner Clyde Nelson got the idea for the pizza the first year of his business, which also happened to be a banner year for foraging local porcini mushrooms. Bonus: In late summer, Nelson tops the pizza with local wild mushrooms. Throughout the winter, he replaces its local fungi with a variety of exotic mushrooms grown on the Front Range. “It’s just a rich, decadent, flavorful pizza and that says it all,” says Nelson, crediting its intense flavor to the cooking process, which includes roasting the mushrooms ahead of time with thyme and olive oil. As if that weren’t delicious enough already, the restaurant bakes all their pizzas in a wood-fired oven, sourcing its wood from peach trees in nearby Palisade.
Bruce’s Philanthropic, The Corner Slice
If you want to use your adventurous palette to be “good weird” and give back to the community, check out Bruce’s Philanthropic pizza from The Corner Slice. Named in honor of the restaurant’s “godfather” of pizza, Bruce Wasserman, the rotating pie benefits a different local nonprofit every few months. “The idea goes great with our goal of being your neighborhood pizzeria,” says owner Bryan Baker. “We get to make new friends in the community, create new locals for our shop and support with our favorite product and a little bit of cash.” If that’s not warm or fuzzy enough, consider the past lineup of unique flavors that have graced the Bruce’s Philanthropic name: crab rangoon, Hayden Fresh Farms breakfast, Taco, BLT and peach. And keep an eye out for the Thanksgiving Feast philanthropic pizza every November.
Napa, Mazzola’s Italian Diner
Mazzola’s Napa pizza includes a handful of strongly flavored ingredients that, when combined, create a flavor of its own that’s as unique as it is addictive. The pizza includes gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, green apple, bacon and arugula, making eating your daily intake of fruits and veggies painless, sweet and savory all at once.
