Pizzeria Limone Offers Italian With a Twist -

*Salsiccia pizza at Pizzeria Limone has house marinara, five cheeses, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, a special house blend sausage, red onion, olive oil, and basil.*

This past week I was invited to a sampling party at the new Pizzeria Limone in Bountiful. This is the seventh location for this Utah-based fast-casual restaurant. It’s interesting that pizza is just as popular as it’s always been, even though the carb-conscious Keto diet also seems bigger than ever. Go figure.

I quickly discovered a few things that Pizzeria Limone is NOT. Although you order at the counter, it’s not a build-your-own concept like MOD, Blaze, Pizza Studio or Pieology. And it’s NOT heavy, thick-crust or deep-dish pizza, oozing with tons of sauce and melted cheese.

The crust is very light, with a little chew, baked and blistered in a specially designed oven. The sauce and toppings don’t overpower. The menu board lists the various pizzas, which were developed with complimentary salty/sweet flavors, according to the owner Jeff Whiting.

Pears? Fresh blackberries? Sliced lemons? It’s Italian, but with a twist, said Whiting.

For instance the Pero features prosciutto, sliced pears and pistachios. The Salcecci has ground sausage developed by Utah-based Colosimo sausage.

*Limone pizza features an olive oil base, garlic, five cheeses, sliced lemons, red onions, and basil.*

The namesake Limone features garlic, red onions, basil and sliced lemons. It’s not the top-selling pizza, Whiting said. “People either like it or they don’t. But you will never forget it, and you won’t forget the name of the restaurant.”

Tre Sorelle salad at Pizzeria Limone features fresh greens, basil, sliced pears, blackberries, parmiggiano reggiano, pecorino romano, asiago, pistachios, lemon vinaigrette. — *The Sorelle salad at Pizzeria Limone features fresh greens, basil, sliced pears, blackberries, parmiggiano reggiano, pecorino romano, asiago, pistachios, lemon vinaigrette*.

There are several different salads on the menu. I sampled a bit of my friend’s Sorelle salad, an interesting combination with sliced pears and blackberries.

*Fire-roasted tomato zuppa at Pizzeria Limone is garnished with creme fraiche, crushed pistachios and basil.*

I tried the fire-roasted tomato Zuppa, topped with creme fraiche, pistachios and basil. It’s thick, with a strong, deep-roasted flavor.

*Jeff Whiting, owner of Pizzeria Limone, wanted to build a business that was recession-resistant, and baking was already one of his talents.*

I enjoyed hearing from the owner, Jeff Whiting, about how he founded this pizza enterprise. Often the chef/entrepreneurs that I meet have interesting back stories; come inspiring, and some cautionary.

Jeff comes from a baking background, founding Aspen Mills bakery and taking it to more than a dozen stores from Palm Springs to Chicago in the 1990s. He sold that company, “way too early,” he said.

He then got into the construction business, but his excavation company was hit hard when the economy tanked in 2008.

“I went broke during the recession,” he said. “I was determined not to build another company that could be taken out by things beyond my control. I wanted something that was recession-resistant.”

He kept coming back to the idea of a great, upscale pizza. One challenge was getting a good oven, which he custom-designed.

Another challenge was perfecting a dough. “I believe it should be very light,” he said. “We only use about 4 ounces of cheese. You won’t feel weighted down.”

*A staffer stretches and throws pizza dough at Pizzeria Limone in Bountiful, Utah.*

It’s somewhat Neopolitan pizza, but with a twist. The staff roasts tomatoes for marinara and the zuppa every day. The pizzas are garnished with fresh herbs. It was fun to watch a staffer hand-stretch and toss the dough in the Italian tradition.

The next location will be at the new Salt Lake International Airport, Whiting said.

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