Sauce on the Side
Location: Clayton, MO
Food: Calzones
Atmosphere: Casual, local fare
A perfectly plump calzone filled with mac n' cheese, chicken, provel, mozzarella, pancetta and green onion.
https://sauceontheside.com/
Who doesn't love a well-made, over-stuffed calzone? Welcome to CarbFest 2018; oh man, life is good. #latergram
Our visit to the Clayton location of Sauce on the Side was nothin but pure excellence. While I needed a quick lunch, I had plenty of time to have a beer and take a short break from the day.
Sauce on the Side boasts an open floor plan, with bare pendant lights hanging above wall-side tables and bar. The rest of the restaurant is well-lit by the large windows at the front of their building. The menu is painted on the bar wall, with the monthly special written in chalk.
After perusing the chalk wall of ingredient stuffed glory, I decided to go with the Cock-a-doodle Noodle, a favorite of local radio host Tony Patrico. Because I wanted a beer and because ...St. Louis... I also decided to indulge on a Civil Life American Brown. All local, and all delicious.
My Cock-a-doodle Noodle came out perfectly plump and toasty. The calzone was filled with mac n' cheese, chicken, provel, mozzarella, pancetta and green onion. The crust had a dusting of garlic and herbs, and my sauce for the side: garlic butter.
The entire point behind the 'sauce on the side' is to keep your calzone from getting soggy and corrupting the delicious ingredients housed within its doughy goodness. There is a collection of sauces to choose from, including the traditional marinara, but house-made garlic butter is too good to pass up.
After a little slice and dice, I was dipping chunks of calzone in my sauce and sipping my brown ale. Every bite had the good, gooey cheese, like those commercials where the cheese becomes stringy as you pull pieces apart. The mac n cheese and chicken were moist and slightly salty.
To my luck and delight, the St. Louis Blues had a lunch time away game, so I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. On my next visit, I think I'll sink my teeth into the Carmen.
