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ZAX Pizza, located at 96
South Main Street in Moab, has been a popular dining spot
for locals and tourists alike since it first opened in 2002.
The tastefully decorated building is adorned with a variety
of interesting furnishings, ranging from a moose head on
the wall to a giant carved bear in an Uncle Sam outfit. The
salad bar is housed in a wooden canoe. Photographs depicting
the beauty of the southern Utah outdoors grace the walls.
It’s hard to believe that the building used to be a
hardware store!
But it’s not the surrounding décor that ZAX
prides itself on most -- it’s the food served on the
tables. Using a wood-burning flame oven, the restaurant fires
up a variety of mouth-watering pizzas each day. Every few
minutes, a worker pulls out a fresh pie from the oven, especially
during the lunchtime rush, when many customers stop in for
the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. The buffet, which also
includes unlimited trips to the soup and salad bar, costs
$10.99 for those aged 11 and up, $5.99 for kids aged 5-10
(kids 4 and under are free). Those who don’t want pizza
can get the salad-only buffet option for $6.49 or soup and
salad only for $7.49.
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ZAX has a wide assortment
of specialty pizzas on its menu, including Margherita, Garlic
Pesto, Ramon, BBQ Chicken, Sam’s Italian Stallion,
Tree Hugger, Zorba’s Greek, and Bleu Buffalo. While
some of these pizzas feature the traditional tomato-based “red
sauce,” others are topped with “Greek sauce,” a
white sauce made from cream, butter, cheese, and oregano.
The BBQ Chicken pizza features barbecue sauce, and the Bleu
Buffalo variety is topped with buffalo-wing style sauce.
Pizzas may be ordered in two sizes: individual (ranging from
$8 and up) and large ($10 and up, with most specialty pizzas
in the $14-$17 range). Patrons may also create their own
pizzas, choosing from a list of two dozen ingredients. ZAX
pizza is well-known for its delicious ring of golden crust
around the circumference, a crust that resembles chewy garlic
bread sticks in both taste and consistency.
Although ZAX specializes
in pizza, they features a variety of other menu items, including
pasta, salads, sandwiches, steaks, and appetizers. “We
really do have something for almost every taste,” notes
Judy Keogh, the restaurant’s general manager.
The entrees on the pasta menu range from $7.99 for the pasta
marinara to $11.99 for the chicken parmigiana (boneless chicken
breast covered with mozzarella sauce and served over marinara-covered
fettuccini). All pasta dishes come with garlic bread and
a choice of soup or salad.
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The ZAX salad bar features
a wide variety of tasty tidbits guaranteed to liven up any
bowl of lettuce. Among the two dozen or so toppings featured
at the salad bar are broccoli, peas, cauliflower, mini corn,
cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese, bacon bits,
and croutons. Although the flavor of the featured soup changes
from day to day, it usually makes people come back for a
second helping.
ZAX also has several choice sandwiches in its lineup, including
the BLT on grilled Texas toast, the “Beef Hobo,” featuring
slices of grilled steak with onions, peppers, mushrooms,
and provolone cheese, and a fried chicken sandwich, all served
with choice of French fries or onion rings.
Moving on to the grill, ZAX also features entrees such as
New York strip Steak ($18.99), top sirloin ($12.99), smoked
BBQ pork ribs ($15.99), grilled salmon ($11.99), and a grilled
steak sandwich ($8.99). All are served with choice of French
fries, onion rings, or fettuccini.
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Not to be outdone, the ZAX
burger menu includes a half dozen popular favorites, including
the classic cheeseburger ($6.75), the ranch burger ($7.49),
and the patty melt featuring Swiss cheese and onions on rye
bread ($7.49). Customers can also build their own burgers,
choosing from a list of a dozen toppings and condiments.
All burgers are served with either fries or onion rings.
For those wanting a taste of Mexican
food, ZAX also serves chicken quesadillas with salsa
as an appetizer (starting at $5.25), in addition to jalapeno ‘poppers’ stuffed
with nacho cheese and served with ranch dressing ($5.99).
The Southwest chicken burrito entrée ($8.99) features
chicken, onions, roasted red peppers, jack and cheddar
cheese in a flour tortilla.
Recipe
of the Month
From
ZAX Restaurant
Bill’s
Meatballs
1 lb. ground
beef
1/2 tablespoon basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Mix ground
beef and eggs together, then add remaining
ingredients. Mix well by hand. Scoop out and
form into balls. Bake in oven on a sheet pan
or in an oven-proof bowl at 325 F for 25 minutes.
Makes about 10-12 meatballs. |
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Other pre-meal appetizers
on the menu include chicken fillets, Thai spring rolls, Italian
fried cheese, hot buffalo-style chicken wings, onion rings,
and popcorn shrimp.
ZAX has a variety of lunch specials for under $6, including
the following every weekday: two slices of pizza and a side
salad, baked potato and side salad, and cheese tortelloni
and side salad. In addition, one additional special is featured
each weekday, including Monday’s burger and fries,
Tuesday’s tuna melt with fries, Wednesday’s Navajo
taco, Thursday’s club sandwich with fries or rings,
and Friday’s fish tacos.
For the younger set, ZAX
also features a kids’ menu with such favorites as macaroni
and cheese ($3.75), grilled cheese sandwich and fries ($2.95),
dinosaur chicken nuggets with fries ($3.99), corn dog with
fries ($3.25), and pasta with meatballs ($3.75). The kids
menu is on the reverse side of a placemat, and can be colored
with crayons by young artists while they wait for their food.
No meal is complete without
a great dessert. ZAX’s sweet offerings include big
chocolate chip cookies ($3.49, add $1 extra for ice cream),
Mississippi Mud Pie ($4.99), strawberry shortcake ($4.49)
and root beer floats ($2.99).
ZAX’s extensive beverage menu includes various soft
drinks, iced tea, coffee, and bottled water. Various alcoholic
beverages are also available, including a wide selection
of beer, including locally produced microbrews. Locally produced
red and white wines are also available with dinner.
ZAX also features a full bar in The Watering Hole, a private
club for adult members located inside the restaurant. The
Watering Hole is a popular place to socialize, play billiards,
or catch the latest sports events on TV.
Anyone who hasn’t experienced ZAX yet is invited to
stop in sometime and taste first-hand what people have been
talking about in Moab for the past three years. ZAX is open
daily beginning at 11:30 a.m. (closing time varies depending
on how busy they are). During its winter hours schedule,
ZAX is also closed between lunch and dinner (2 p.m. and 5
p.m.) Mondays through Thursdays.