Slackwater Sandy — Restaurant in Sandy

Holy cow. I came here with massively high expectations and was still blown away.

To start, I got the Shades Brewing Thai Thom Kha beer. I love Thai food and especially Thom Kha so I was well beyond pleasantly surprised when I tried the beer and it hit every mark for what I think a beer based on a food item should taste like. Having said that, I'm not a beer connoisseur by any means so I won't embarrass myself by trying to elaborate any further. I will say that their selection is impressive and the other beers we tried between my girlfriend and me were quite impressive as well.

For food, we started off with the jalapeno wings and the 3 cheese sticks, obviously based on buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks. The original dishes were absolutely amazing in their own right and yet these variations were bolstered even further by top tier culinary talent. The wings were cooked perfectly - crispy tips and edges on the outside while still tender and juicy on the inside. And the sauce was laid on thick but not overwhelmingly so. There was that sweet spiciness that I love so much and the goat cheese dip served as a rich, almost mellowing experience in addition to the wings. I had no idea what to expect when I started eating the 3 cheese sticks but man was that good. The combination of cheeses in that appetizer added a completely out of this world depth to an otherwise classic dish.

We each got a pizza for our main course. For me, it was the Southern Comfort. Everything you love about southern BBQ put on a pizza. The pulled pork was tender covered but not drenched in a beautiful BBQ sauce and the red bell pepper and onions added a wonderful contrasting texture along with some brightness to a dish that would normally be a bit too heavy for me. This was complemented by a wonderfully crispy thin crust which made every bite a delight. My girlfriend elected to go with the popular California Sunrise. Every bit of green on that pizza was so fresh it felt like I could have picked those veggies myself 10 minutes ago. It served only to enhance the already beautifully balanced flavors that were so carefully laid out. Every single bite had exactly enough arugula and sauce and avocado.

My only regret eating at Slackwater was that I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but alas, I was far too excited to dig in. Instead this picture of my beer...

Ordered the Meatball Sandwich with the Mulligatawny Soup. First off I just need to call attention to the fact that the choice of sides was "choice of house potato chips, soup or upgrade to a salad for 2.50." As this is a place with literally two main categories of food: pizza and sandwiches, and a column for "salads and soup" I would expect something more hearty than chips or soup on the side. And generally when there is soup on the menu I usually think there will be more than one, but they were honest. "Salads" (plural) and "soup" (singular). There's only one soup, not just one available as a side, but one soup, and it is the famous Mulligatawny Soup that we all grew up with. Just kidding, I had no idea either, but it is described as a "yellow curry cream soup with roasted chicken..." and veggies. Whaddaya know, I love yellow curry! So I was happy to try it. Just not happy to eat it, more on that later.

The Meatball Sandwich was fine. In fact the bread was more than fine, it was soft, but with an excellent chew, just what you need for a sandwich with soft and somewhat wet contents, but the meatballs and sauce were disappointing. Not dry, but not flavorful either. Meatball sandwiches are simple things, bread, meatball, cheese and sauce. The bread held up nice, the meatballs were meaty and not dry, the cheese was virtually non-existent, but not as critical as the sauce that didn't add the deep comforting flavor that a meatball sandwich should give. Maybe instead of "simple things" I should call meatball sandwiches, "comforting things," because no one eats a meatball sandwich to feel refined or elevated by simple preparations (not that this felt refined or elevated), but it should just have a rich flavor, like a good meatball marinara, and feel good to eat it. This did not do that. It was okay.

The soup however was not, and most of it was bussed away to be poured down the disposal. Although it certainly was yellow, it had virtually no curry. I think it would be described more accurately as a 'yellow cream soup with veggie bits in it.' Yellow is not a flavor, and I don't recognize eating any roasted chicken either. As the man described as the daddy garbage by his children, who eats the leftovers from everyone's plates, I sent this soup back. I could have eaten it, but I just...

This restaurant falls squarely in the class of a pub-style pizzeria although it may be a little upscale from a typical pub atmosphere.

I sat at the bar rail because I was by myself and the bar rail is the only immediate seating available where if a seat is available, you are welcome to occupy it.

Parking was rough! This restaurant is very popular and during busy times, you might not find any parking spaces available near the restaurant.

Once seated at the bar rail, the bartender asked for my ID (following standard Utah law set by the Liquor Control Board) and then promptly got me my Diet Coke. While I was not drinking on this occasion, I was impressed by the large selection of ales on tap and even more libations available in bottles! Impressive selection!

I ordered a Chicken Bro-Do which is the closest thing they have to a white pizza also sometimes called a pizza Blanco. Instead of the traditional marinara sauce, they use a creamy Alfredo sauce. The pizza also has chicken and broccoli, so it sounded great for my preferences.

When it was served, it arrived in a pan that had raised bumps in the bottom to allow the oven air to get to the crust on the bottom. Also while the pizza wasn't very greasy at all, any excess grease can collect in the bottom of the serving pan and not get absorbed into the crust.

The pizzas are all the same standard size. A good serving for one person, but great for sharing among family or friends if the table orders several different pizzas. The pizzas are about nine or ten inches in size and sliced well in the kitchen.

I did not order the nachos, but a group of guys next to me at the bar rail did and those nachos looked amazing! It's definitely an appetizer for a group of people and I would not hesitate to order the nachos on another visit.

Overall, I was impressed with the bartenders, the servers, the atmosphere, and the food. I will definitely return to this restaurant and would recommend it to anyone else who loves pizza...