By
Jim Duncan
CVFDude@aol.com
Twitter.com/foodude
 |
|
Co-owner Joe McConville takes The Stallion
out of the oven at Gusto Pizza, 1905 Ingersoll
Ave., Suite 106, 24-GUSTO. Hours are Monday
through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
and Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. http://www.gustopizzaco.com |
Pizza has been part of Des Moines’ dining
scene since Noah Lacona started serving them
in 1947. For most of the time since then, people
have been arguing about who made the best pies,
with no clear verdict. After all, food arguments
are necessarily subjective. Every human has
a unique combination of 2,000 to 8,000 “taste
buds,” each of which can be more or less sensitive
from one person’s tongue to another’s. Seeking
a consensus to settle this pressing issue, Cityview
followed up last year’s Ultimate Sandwich Tournament
with an Ultimate Pizza Challenge. More than
4,000 votes were cast for their favorite sandwich.
More than twice that number of votes were cast
this year, demonstrating just how passionately
people feel about pizza.
We planned on starting off with 32 pizzerias
but couldn’t discipline ourselves. We ended
up with 42, and we still heard from several
folks who were upset we hadn’t included their
favorite place.
During each round of voting, we also received
a large number of gripes from people who just
couldn’t believe their favorite pizzeria had
been outvoted. In the first round, the leader
received nearly twice as many votes as the runner-up.
They did that with just 9.8 percent of the vote.
That means that more than nine out of every
10 voters voted for someone else. Maybe that’s
why no one had ever tried to do this before
— it’s inevitable that any result will piss
off far more people than it will please.
The next three rounds of voting produced different
leading vote getters. By the time two finalists
were selected, Pagliai’s and Gusto had stepped
up their “get out the vote” campaigns. My check
at Pagliai’s last week came with a bar code
— to scan my vote with a smart phone. Gusto
was offering to distribute free pies at Nollen
Plaza if they won.
Free pizza outsmarted the smart phone. Gusto
came from behind in the final 12 hours to win.
Though names of their pies reach back to the
Roman Empire and the Renaissance for inspiration,
Gusto is the most “new fashioned” pizzeria in
town. Partner Tony Lemmo, a grandson of Noah
Lacona, also owns Café di Scala, paragon of
Italian slow food. Though Gusto is definitely
a pizzeria, unusual touches of elegance are
applied — cannoli are otherworldly good, with
scratch made ricotta fillings from a local dairy;
soups of the day are made with scratch stocks;
their beer list is cutting edge. In another
nod to contemporary tastes, vegan mozzarella
and gluten-free crusts are offered.
Superb slow foods like La Quercia prosciutto
find their way on to pies — with pears, marinated
figs, blue cheese, and mixed fresh greens on
“Il Figaro” for instance. Though Lemmo has sworn
he will never serve a “de Burgo” dish at Café
di Scala, Gusto makes “de Burgo” pies with shrimp,
Roma tomatoes, two cheeses, and the iconic basil
and garlic sauce of Des Moines. Slow roasted
chicken featured in three of the most popular
pizza as well as on the fusion “Thai Kwon Dough.”
Seasonal specials I enjoyed included a “Harry
Caray” pie with Niman Ranch brats and brown
mustard sauce, plus chives, onions, parsley
and a mix of cream cheese and goat cheese. Another
featured rillettes, arugula, truffle oil and
Tallegio, a legendary smear-ripened cheese.
A single pasta dish, Lou Ann Lemmo’s lasagna,
was served in a marvelous marinara that perfectly
complemented its three cheeses. Sandwiches were
as classic and inventive as pies. Salads delivered
fresh greens and five homemade Italian style
dressings. Garlic-fennel vinaigrette stood out
at what is now officially Des Moines’ Ultimate
pizzeria.
Side Dishes
Prairie Meadows Chef Patricia Weidner won
the Iowa Restaurant Association’s “Top Chef”
prize for the second year in a row. Aaron King
(Dos Rios, Catering DSM and Big City Burgers
& Greens) placed second. CV |
