Sourdough Pizza -- A New Look at an Old Classic

Pier 49 pizza is a small pizza joint with a great ambiance.  Stepping inside immediately transports you to the pier with pictures of the sea and ports lining the walls.  So prevalent is the port theme that even the bench covers in the booths depict sail boats out to sea and other items keeping to the theme of a pier.  But it isn't just any pier; it's a San Francisco pier and the sourdough is but one tribute this pizza place's namesake.  The names of the pizzas as well keep in line with the theme such as the 49er, the Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, and Golden Gate to name a few.  This place is a little touch of San Francisco deep inside Utah County.

They have some pretty good daily specials such as the one, two, or three item meal.  Items include either one slice of pizza, a dessert pizza (such as the honey butter 8" pizza), or a salad.  I usually go with either the 2 or 3 depending on what mood I'm in; this time I went with the three and tried the pineapple pizza, chicken pesto, and an 8" honey butter pizza.  I'm not a fan of chicken on a pizza -- I still am not completely bought on the idea that chicken belongs on a pizza, but this is one I found tolerable.  I think part of it had to do with the pesto sauce and way they grilled their chicken.  I thought the chicken was flavorful and tender and the pesto offered a lot to the pizza.  I hold to the belief that the marinade more than the toppings makes or breaks a pizza; and this marinade really made it for me.

On the other hand, I always love a Hawaiian style pizza.  Unlike most Hawaiian style pizzas, the ham slices are rather large and the pineapple tidbits are smaller than usual.  The pizza is cooked until the pineapple, ham, and crust has turned brown but hasn't cooked long enough to dry out the pineapple.  the juicy pineapple was a tasty surprise and the ham was well cooked.  The marinade on this pizza was incredible -- one of my favorites.  The only difficulty was figuring which I liked the best -- marinade, pineapple, ham, or the sourdough crust.  Who can forget the sourdough?  It's not a strong sourdough which allows it to blend beautifully with the pizza but it does offer a taste of its own which blended well with the other ingredients.


And for dessert the 8" honey butter pizza.  Unlike the other two pizzas which were pre-made and kept warm, this one came fresh out of the oven.  The honey butter had a great density -- it was thin enough to drizzle nicely over the pizza but it was thick enough that it stuck to the crust when picking up a slice.  The cinnamon looked prevalent but didn't assert itself to the taste buds except as a nice after taste.  The combination of the sour dough with the sweet honey in the honey butter is something I remembered on my palate as I drove home after a filling dinner.

Pier 49 is a place that I keep posted on my list of favorites.  If you're a fan of sourdough and want to give this crust a try, Pier 49 will not be a disappointment.