Maxwell's

On Wednesday, I went to Maxwell's with a couple of women from the office I'm interning at. We were there for a "tweetup" (Twitter speak for meet up). The group was interesting since it was mostly people I didn't know. Plus, Christy and I were the youngest people there by about 10 years.
We met Peter from HARO. He's a really outgoing guy and was quite a character.

On to the food part, right? We had the Fat Kid and cheese pizza. The Fat Kid was very yummy. It has goat cheese, basil and tomatoe. They serve a thin crust pizza. According to the people from the East Coast, it was pretty authentic New York pizza. It was very yummy.

The cheese pizza was good to, just not as yummy as the Fat Kid. I definitely will go back, but only if someone else is paying. It's in Park City and like all the town it has the vibe of overpriced, white guy trying a little too hard to be cool.

Atlantic Cafe

Mmm...sums this place up. I've been to the Atlantic Cafe a few times now. And I love it. My favorite is their margarita pizza. They use mozzarella fresh, sweet tomato sauce, sweet fresh basil and plenty of fresh garlic. The sandwiches are delicious. Roxanne really enjoyed the chicken dish she ordered last time. (I think it was a gyro.)

Although, the cafe has a large menu it isn't overwhelming. The prices are excellent. A downtown location where you can get lunch for under $10 is tough to find. But, Atlantic is the answer.

Atlantic Cafe boasts one of my favorite patios. The patio is covered with trees making it cozy while still being spacious enough you don't elbow strangers. I've never even bothered with an indoor table at this place.

The restaurant is very clean. They always have an open table, so you never wait to be seated. Plus, they will never rush you out the door. Be warned: you will need to take your ticket inside to pay when you're ready to leave.

The atmosphere is very relaxed. Unfortunately this means, the service isn't as prompt as I typically expect. The server may take a few extra minutes to notice you. The servers' friendliness and the foods' yumminess make it worth the extra wait.

The owners are passionate about food and people. It shows in their cafe. The food is great and it is apparent the servers want you to enjoy yourself. The owners are always working in the restaurant. I've been checked on every time by them. My table is always having a good time and enjoying the food.

This place always has many different people with many different accents. The decor and market make it feel like you've left Salt Lake for just a few minutes and are eating at a Mediterranean cafe.

If you're looking for an excellent meal that is as relaxing as a spa, Atlantic Cafe is for you. This cafe is always worth the trip, time and dime.

Settebellos

Settebellos is an interesting place. There are only two locations in the world. Senior can be found in Las Vegas and junior is in Salt Lake. I've heard the restaurant lauded for their truly authentic Italian pizza. Pizza so Itlaian the closest thing you'll get to it is the real deal in Italy.

Everything is imported from Italy: every ingredient and even the head chef. Insane love of Napoli style pizza is what brought this place to Salt Lake City. As their menu and website will tell you, the founders of Settebello worked with a bunch of pizza-obsessed Italians to create a Vera Pizza Napoletana (an organization dedicated to preserving true Napoli pizza) certified pizza.

For an appetizer we started with foccacia, it was very good. It had a great texture and the right amount of rosemary flavor to balance with the extra virgin olive oil and peppper.

For our pizza we ordered a margherita with garlic and the house speciality: the settebello. Both were delicious. The crust cooked to a nice golden brown on top, the cheese melty and delicious. Even the tomato sauce was simple, sweet and delicious. The ingredients were all very fresh and very yummy.

Everything appeared very clean. But given the taste of burnt crust in my mouth they don't clean the oven. This really bothers me. Typically, I'm prepared to love any new place I try. I want to love Settebellos. I want to tell people they have the best pizza you can find in Salt Lake. But I can't. Please, please clean the oven so I can recommend Setebellos. I shouldn't get a mouthful of charcoal to complement my tomato, basil, mozarella and garlic bliss pizza. I'm pretty sure that much charcoal isn't tradition.

For dessert we had gelato. I ordered the lemon with raspberry and it was delicious. The right amount of tart with sour just the way I love it. The strawberry was delicious and the pistaccio was...well, pistaccio.

Our service was excellent. Our waiter was very friendly and very attentive. We didn't even have to wait to be seated. Settebello really is the kind of place you can go with your best friends and be as loud and obnoxious as you are at home and feel right at home.

You can find Settebellos at 260 South 200 West in Salt Lake or online at http://www.settebello.net/. Expect to pay about $11 for a pizza. All in all I'll give Settebello's a 9 out of 10 just clean your oven, please!