Eatzza In at Thatzza Pizza

Thatzza Pizza and Eatzza Your Pizza Here

201 South Main Street

Monticello, Utah, 84535

Phone: (435) 587-9111

Website: https://www.facebook.com/ThatzzaPizzaMonticello/

  

“We get a lot of out-of-towners who want to eat here as a family.  …and the price is right!” which placed an idea in Linda Wigginton’s mind that simply would not go away.  Linda, owner, operator and chief chef at Thatzza Pizza – Monticello needed more space to expand and create a dine-in area.  Even though there were picnic tables outside the business, they could not accommodate many; bad weather was a huge deterrent as well. 

Spring of 2019, a business space finally became available next door; Tom, her husband, and Linda snapped it up and began to build the dream.  Tuesday, May 21, 2019, “Eatzza Your Pizza Here” opened up where the public could order their meals at the main area up front, then bring their food to the dining area.  Sound too inconvenient?  Plans are still in the works for opening up a doorway between the two sections; patience grasshopper, this too shall come to fruition.

The interior of the dine-in area took a lot of muscle, knocking down walls, rewiring, painting, new wooden flooring; the addition of metal wall panels and signature lighting giving it a modern, yet comfortable feel.  Booth seats, chairs and tables line both sides of the walls currently, but there is another plan in the works – a buffet unit.  Imagine, a half hour or hour for lunch, where to grab a fast meal that is made fresh?  Workers, visitors on a tour itinerary, anyone in general will be able to stop in, sit down and manga’, or fill up a take-out box for eating on the go.  For Monticello, this will also be a unique addition to restaurant fare and this also means, Thatzza Pizza will be open for lunch!

For those who have not tried out Thatzza Pizza, the menu is more than just pizza, it includes pasta dishes, salads, cheesy bread, wings with 7 different sauces to choose from. 

Dessert?  Try out cinnamon sticks, one of the new dessert pizzas, or an ice cream favorite with soft or hard pack – shakes, sundaes, cones (crispy waffle or regular), cups, or a warm, freshly made waffle bowl.  Mmmm, you can even get a root beer float or banana split; sounds like something available for whatever you are craving!

Sitting here, watching snow fall on this near-the-end of May day, Eatzza Pizza could not have come at a better time.  Especially for new visitors to the area who are very confused about the weather, but still need a great meal away from the cold.  Thatzza Pizza can give it their all now!

Mary Cokenour

State Line Bar & Grill is Just What This Area Needed.

State Line Bar & Grill

69576 Highway 491 (just east of the Utah/Colorado borderline)
Dove Creek, Colorado, 81324

Phone: (970) 677-2649

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stateline-Bar-Grill/1415288995407657

For seven years, a rustic building sat alone and lonely along Route 491; it had once been a bar/restaurant/antiques shop, but no longer was it loved.  Then came along Tim and Shelly Meyer to breathe life back into, not just the building, but business along this stretch of highway bordering Utah and Colorado.


After a long day at work, hubby and I decided to finally try out State Line for a much deserved dinner out; thank goodness we did!  First off, the parking lot was almost full with license plates of both Utah and Colorado; the locals liking this place says a lot around here.  We found an empty spot in front of the bar and it was busy!  There is a separate entrance for the restaurant as you walk towards the right of the building.  We were greeted cheerfully and told to sit anywhere we wanted to; specials are on a board in front of the reception stand.  Shelbee was our waitress (she is the niece of Shelly Meyer) and we tested her out immediately with some sass; she sassed us right back and knew we had a good waitress helping us.  Shelbee answered all our questions without having to check with the cook; she knew her stuff well.  After placing our orders, I began taking photos of the interior; there were also present other couples and families with children.  Yes, this is a family friendly restaurant; but if you decide to go into the bar, you can order food in there also.

Restaurant

Bar

Food time!  Now besides the specials board, State Line has a five page menu; it has typical bar food, but so much more!  Many of the items are house made, some not, but they are cooked up so well that you have a difficult time telling.  We ordered the Fried Mozzarella Sticks and Italian Breaded Zucchini; two items we thought were house made, but were fooled.  The marinara and buttermilk ranch sauces are though, and they were delicious!  The marinara has loads of garlic and is thicker than what is usually served with an appetizer.  My hubby also had the buttermilk ranch on his dinner salad and it was hard not to lick the plate clean.

Fried Mozzarella

Italian Breaded Zucchini

Dinner Salad with House Made Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Then came the main dishes, Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken for me; Ribeye Steak and sweet potato for my husband; both meals came with grilled zucchini.  The steak was perfectly cooked; a huge 12 ounces (lean, very little fat) that almost filled up the cast iron skillet it was served on.  The chicken was also grilled and had so much flavor; the grilled zucchini was a very welcome vegetable; we're so tired of the typical steamed or microwaved limp veggies most places serve up.  The Fettuccine Alfredo was buttery rich, pasta cooked perfectly and the chicken was an excellent addition to it.  Now the sweet potato has its own story; nicely baked and good plain; better with butter; but the best was the house made cinnamon butter.  Talk about a mouthful of pleasure!  The portions are generous and we ended up taking some of each meal home.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

Ribeye Steak with Sweet Potato
 

But wait, there's more...dessert!  We were too full to eat it at State Line, so took it home for a late time snack.  Most desserts are not house made, but purchased from a coffee establishment in Dove Creek where they are made fresh.   Crème Brulee Cheesecake which was thick, rich and decadent.  Zango which is a deep fried burrito filled with cheesecake...party in the mouth!

Crème Brulee Cheesecake

Zango - Deep Fried Cheesecake Burrito

State Line Bar & Grill is only open Thursday through Sunday which is great for the area on Sunday when most of the towns close up tighter than a duck in water.  The restaurant hours are 11 am to 9 pm; the bar is 11 am until...?

State Line is a must try place!  Great for a rest and good bite of food; great to pick up food and take on your trip; just great.  Oh, there are t-shirts for sale with the State Line logo on the front and a saying on the back. "Ever been to Nowhere? Now you have!"  We like eating at this Nowhere.

Mary Cokenour

Thinking outside the box.

As I’ve posted previously, I don’t like the idea of labeling, boxing and filing away…people that is. The same goes for ideas and techniques; just because something is done the same way all the time, doesn’t mean change is impossible. Think outside the box; the possibilities could be endless.

Take, for example, changing your hair color; products are a lot safer now than they used to be. Instead of harsh, stinky ammonia; now you have the choice of not using it. Sure, the coloring doesn’t last as long, but your hair will last on your head a lot longer. Natural ingredients are being added to help keep the hair healthy; and colors are no longer a standard black, brown, red or blonde…there are shades to please anyone. So who says you have to keep what you were born with, and not change it…it’s your hair, isn’t it?

So, let’s get to cooking, and thinking outside the box. Fettuccine Alfredo is a classic Italian pasta dish made with primarily three ingredients: fettuccine, butter and Parmesan cheese. As the cheese melts, it combines with the butter and makes a thicker sauce which coats the pasta. Simple and easy; purists don’t like to mess with the original.

I’m far from being a purist, so let’s expand on the recipe; add cream to make it richer, chicken or shrimp for an added protein; how about peas or broccoli…you now have a complete meal of dairy, starch, protein and vegetable. We won’t talk about the fat, just keep it between us, ok?
When I go out of the box, I go all out, so here’s my expanded recipe on an original idea, and it’s awesomely good!!! Never said I was humble.

Four Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (10 ¾ oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (4 oz) can or jar sliced mushrooms, cut mushrooms in half
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
½ cup each of shredded parmesan, mozzarella and Swiss cheese
1 cup each heavy whipping cream and warmed milk
¼ tsp each ground black pepper and nutmeg
2 cups cooked chicken breast ( ½” cubes)
½ lb cooked penne, ziti or small rigatoni
½ cup Italian seasoned dried bread crumbs
3 Tbsp melted butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with nonstick spray.
In a small skillet, on medium heat, sauté onion in butter till softened; add garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.

In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the soup, mushrooms, all cheeses, cream, milk, black pepper, nutmeg, chicken, pasta and the onion-garlic mix. Spread evenly into the casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and butter completely; spread over the mixture in casserole dish.

Bake for 30 minutes, covered with aluminum foil. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
February 7, 2011