When I heard that Marco and Amy Stevanoni – owners of Veneto Ristorante Italiano – were opening a pizza restaurant, I was excited. That’s because for my money, Veneto may just be the best Italian restaurant in our state. But what really filled me with anticipation was that their new pizzeria – Via Veneto Pizzarium – would specialize in pizza al taglio. 

What is pizza al taglio? Well, pizza al taglio translates literally as “pizza by the cut” or “by the slice.” Now, of course you can find plenty of pizza by the slice in Utah. But pizza al taglio is a different beast altogether than NYC style pizza by the slice. For starters, it’s baked in large rectangular trays and is sold by weight rather than by the pie. It looks a lot like Sicilian pizza, but is not. 

Pizza al taglio is the ultimate Italian street food, where customers step up to the glass counter and point to the pizza they want. Customers indicate how big of a slice by using their hands to show the server the size they want – and then the pizza is cut to the custom size using a pair of pizza scissors. The pre-cooked slice is heated up in a small oven, weighed, and enjoyed, in Italy, often on the run. 

Ortolana

One reason that I was excited about the opening of Via Veneto Pizzarium is that pizza al taglio is very hard to find in this country, even in places like New York City. So, we Utahns are very lucky to be able to enjoy pizza al taglio right here in SLC. 

What makes pizza al taglio so special for me is the crust. It’s made from highly hydrated dough – around 75-78 percent water – which cold ferments for anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. This creates a crust that although it looks like Sicilian pizza, is actually very light, airy and easy to digest, with a crispy bottom and soft, bubbly interior. 

The pizzas are oven baked twice: first, to eliminate all of that moisture, and then a second time to crisp up the crust and cook the toppings. The slices then are reheated in a small oven for customers to enjoy on the spot. 

Verona and Patate e Mozzarella Pizzas

On any given day, Via Veneto Pizzarrium offers around 14 different pizzas ranging from a dairy-free Ortolana pizza with tomato sauce, eggplant, cherry tomato confit, zucchini, artichoke hearts, black olives and bell peppers, to a simpler Patate e Mozzarella (potato and mozzarella) sprinkled with fresh rosemary. Pizzas by the slice range in price from $9.59 per pound for a Margherita Pizza to $16.79/lb. for a pizza with burrata, mortadella and pistachio. Via Veneto Pizzarium also sells huge whole pies which vary in price from $78 to $138, depending on toppings. My wife particularly liked the Verona pizza, which is topped with tomato sauce, gorgonzola, grana padano, mozzarella, sausage, racicchio, and sun-dried tomatoes. 

In addition to the regular pizzas, Via Veneto Pizzarium also offers some stuffed pizzas – sort of like rectangular calzones. One especially unique stuffed pizza is Cacio e Pepe e Tartufo Nero – a heavy duty pizza stuffed with pecorino cream spread, black pepper and black truffles.

Salamino Picante

One of my favorite pizzas is Salamino Piccante, a pizza with spicy sopressata salami, tomato sauce and mozzarella. Another terrific meaty option is the pizza with Burrata, Mortadella and Bronte Pistachios – a highly prized variety of pistachio grown exclusively in the volcanic, lava-rich soil surrounding Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy. Widely known as “Green Gold,” they account for less than 1% of global pistachio production. 

Margherita

The gold standard in pizza for me, however, is the Margherita. With a pizza so basic – nothing but San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte (“flower of milk”) mozzarella and fresh basil – the ingredients have to be first rate because the pizza is so simple. Well, I am here to testify that I’ve never had a Margherita pizza that was any better than Chef Marco Stevanoni’s Margherita. 

Chef/Owner Marco Stevanoni

If you get a chance, pin down Marco when you visit Via Veneto Pizzarium. He is very enthusiastic about pizza al taglio and you’ll learn a ton about this truly Italian pizza when he shares his knowledge of it. 

A unique aspect of eating at Via Veneto Pizzarium is that there are no utensils, plates and such. Pizza slices come on a piece of wood and are eaten out of hand. If you’d prefer to get pizza to go, Via Veneto Pizzarium has custom made rectangular boxes for takeout slices. 

Semifreddo

That may change – utensils, that is – when they start serving Tiramisu, which Marco says is in the pipeline. For now, guests can enjoy a wonderful dessert of Semifreddo: a sort of Italian ice cream sandwich made with high-quality cream, amaretti biscuits, and Ligurian almonds sandwiched between crisp sugar wafers. It’s one of the simplest but also one of the most scrumptious desserts I’ve had in ages. 

It’s no secret that I am a hardcore pizza aficionado. I love NYC-style pizza, Chicago deep dish, Neapolitan-style wood-fired oven pizzas, New Haven-style coal oven pizzas and pizza from the Secret Pizza Club SLC. And now I can add the heavenly pizza al taglio at Via Veneto Pizzarium to my list of favorites. I highly recommend that you go grab yourself a slice or two. 

Photos by Ted Scheffler

Culinary quote of the week: “Unless you are a pizza, the answer is yes, I can live without you.” – Bill Murray