Thursday, July 20, 2006

Bruno's Italian Deli and Pizza (Cedar City)

You might say I'm biased.
And you might be right.
But then again, I might not be.
I think it's kind of a circle.

I think this will be my best blog yet.
and by best I mean most comprehensive.

I have to say that I like Bruno's
The food is good,
and the staff is pretty cool too.

It's a small operation - kind of a mom and pop pizza shop.
But it's not just pizza.
They serve pizza, and Pastas and Sandwiches.
Most of what they have is pretty simple,
and yet in some way it is richly unique.

I haven't quite figured out their secrets,
but I think I am close.

First the Sandwiches.
*There are about a dozen sandwiches that you can order.
and like I said they're pretty basic,
but they're basically pretty good too.
I've had the Chicken Parmasean,
and the Eggplant Parmasean,
and the Philly cheese steak,
(all warm of course)
(but they also have cold sandwiches)

I've also had the lasagna, the penne with pesto

And the pizza,

The Pizza is Amazing,
or at least some of it is.

I'll start with the Crust.
I think it's superb.
Sal, the owner, says this is because Cedar City has good water,
and good elevation.
Thus it is pracitcally impossible to get great pizza in vegas,
but not so hard when you are at Bruno's

There are many types of pizza that you can get.
And Sal doesn't mind making something special.
In fact, I get the impression that he kind of likes it.

Sometimes his wife will just start selling pizza's that aren't even on the menu.
And sometimes, you find some real treasures.

In my recent experience I've had um two of his specials.
The first one was one of the finest pizzas I have ever had.
I'm not even kidding here.
But it was very special.
Meaning...
you'd probably have to be very well liked,
and show up at just the right time to get it.
but if you did, it would be well worth it.

NEW! This has just been added to the menu (more or less)
They Call it the White Pizza
timing will still determine what you can get on it (today they were out of artichoke hearts and the roasted reds)


Lets see,
--crust
--olive oil
--onions
--ricotta cheese
--fresh garlic cloves
--little itty bitty slices of sausage (I think)
--roasted red peppers
--and parmasean

I think that was it.

no "sauce,"
but it was heavenly.

The second pizza I had was
--crust
--olive oil (Sal says the Olive oil really brings out the flavors,
but you probably have to ask for it.) (but I think he'd be impressed if you did)
--sauce
--cooked onions (pre cooked onions -wow that's good)
--mozzarella
--parmasean
--and a little um canadian bacon (??) I think.

This pizza was also good,
but perhaps a little salty.

Actually that's one thing I've noticed.
Some of the food has a little more salt than I would like.
I think it's in the red sauce,
but it's most noticable in dishes like the Meatball Sub.

But anyway back to the pizza.

Did I mention he cooks his onions.
Like in the oven.
and the flavor is really really good.
Not strong, or bitter,
but they aren't a special onion.
Just onions the way that onions should be.
Appearantly that means pre-cooked.

Pizza comes in 14" and 16" sizes.
(And yes I hear that they do toss the dough, but I can't say that I've seen it)
Also the Pizza is served on a riser- an elevated platform in the middle of the table.

If that sounds to you like a lot of food,
you would be correct.
If that sounds like too much,
and you don't want pizza for breakfast,
perhaps a Calzone would be better for you.
or a sandwhich,
or a pasta.

Speaking of pasta.
I like the Pesto.
I'm kind of a pesto person.
So I guess it's not much of a stretch that I liked it.
But it was good.
Once again, I recommend the bread.
I just like bread, and the bread they give with their pasta is good.
Usually I get my pesto on penne.
I don't know why, but I like the noodles that way.
(by the way Bruno's does noodles Al Dente)

Like I said the flavor of the pesto was pretty good to me,
but I wonder what it would taste like with just a spoonful of their white sauce.
I think the flavor would be fantastic,
and the dish would be a little more moist,
which would probably suit me just fine.

The lasagna is also quite good,
but once again, we find our salty red sauce.
it's just too strong for me.
(Perhaps that is why they serve coleslaw too. The coleslaw and bread definately enhance the experience,
and I'm not a big coleslaw person.)

Portion size is good,
maybe a bit more than "healthy."
But likely enough to fill you up.
And they will give you a doggie bag (i.e., styrofoam carton)

As long as we are talking about the salt,
I guess the Meatball sandwich should come next.
The sauce is a little salty, and the meatballs are too!
The flavor is good, but kind of gets lost.
And if your in a hurry, or don't have much money this is one of your better options.
But don't ignore the coleslaw. Ü
Sanwiches are served with coleslaw and chips,
yep you guessed it, usually you get a bag of lays potatoe chips on the side
(sometimes they have Sun Chips, but I don't think there's a solid pattern).

The Chicken Parmasean,
And the Eggplant Parmasean, (both as sandwiches, but you can get them on pasta)
And both are quite good.
(and they tend to buffer the salt a bit)
Oh and there's bread.
yeah yeah I know, sandwiches are served on bread.
And since I like to talk about it so much, I can't believe I almost forgot.
I really like the bread rolls that Bruno's uses.
They are big.
and not too fluffy.
I can't accurately describe it, but it's good.
the flavor is good and the texture is good.
A nice middle of the road (not literally) kind of bread.
Slightly sweet, a little dense, and a nice mild flavor.
Chicken Parm is a breast and a half of chicken,
breaded and boiled.
Red sauce,
Cheese,
and Cheese.

(eggplant parm is... well, use your imagination.)

The service is good,
and the people are nice.
I guess I'd give my experience about 5 wooden spoons.
(but if you happen to get the right pizza, that could easily go up.)

Bruno's is located just off 1-15,
Exit 57, in Cedar City's Providence Center.
(you know, the light house)
Bruno's is currently sharing space with the Cheveron station.
1744 Royal Hunte Dr.
Bruno's is open Monday through Saturday, 11 am - 9 pm.



Bruno's Italian Deli & Pizza on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

Cardine said...

My menu preferences are:

-Ravioli with Red Sauce (I'm usually ultra-sensitive about too much salt, and I've never noticed that before. I'll let you know when I get it this week).
-Tortelloni with White Sauce
-Spicy Chicken Sandwich
-Meatball sandwich (I rarely order it because there aren't any veggies)
-I always get a pickle instead of the cole slaw because I don't really like cole slaw.

warnser said...

I didn't even know you could get a pickle. Thanks for your comments.
Maybe I got a bad batch of red suace. Those do sound good, though,
maybe I should try them.

Cardine said...

A pickle comes by special request. I didn't get the ravioli last time, but I will let you know what I think when I get it next.

Cardine said...

Maybe I should report here, instead of just telling you in person. It didn't taste too salty to me, but it was very flavorful. Maybe it was salt that my taste buds translated into delight among the other ingredients. Who knows?

warnser said...

Thanks for the report.
I guess I could have just had a strong batch, or maybe it's not as salty as I think. Either way I like the food,
but I hear Bruno's is up for sale.

.... If I only had thousands and thousands of dollars.