Kyla’s Kitchen

Even though Sauce on the Side, a calzone restaurant, is located in Clayton, the trip is completely worth it for the delicious calzones they serve. We discovered this restaurant on accident out for a drive.

We ordered the Mac and Cheese first, and although I thought it was just a normal pasta dish, I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived to see that it was in fact, a calzone. Since there aren’t many

calzone places locally, I don’t have much to compare it to, but I thought it was excellent. It had just come straight out of the oven, so the pastry that surrounded the noodles was still warm, savory and flaky. The melting cheese and the juicy roasted chicken combined to create a toasty, homemade feel, perfectly combating the chill of the rainy November day. The calzone itself was delicious, and I used the queso from the second calzone to make it that much better. I didn’t love the sauce that actually came with this calzone, but the extra cheese from the queso highlighted the flavors inside the calzone. The drinks came from a fountain, so there were free refills, and as full as I was, I was still tempted by the Nutella Banana dessert calzone.

Along with the Nutella Banana, there was also Caramel Apple Pie dessert, and a variety of salads and calzones with creative names. With calzones like Meat Me in St. Louie, Which Came First…? (featuring both chicken and egg) and salads with names like Beets Me! and Zen Garden, there is enough food to satisfy hunger and entertain. And if that isn’t enough, there is even a Create your own “Zone” option!

I didn’t try much of the second calzone, the Pancho Villa, because I was putting a lot of attention on the Mac and Cheese, but from what I did try, the classic contrast of the fiery jalapeños and sweet peppers paired well with the complex mixture of cheeses that were featured in the calzone. I’m not usually a vegetable person, but the heavier cheeses did a good job with covering the harsher tones of the smoked chili oil and peppers. I appreciated the bite that the jalapeños gave to the overall feel of the calzone, and I would highly recommend it, especially with the delicious queso on the side.

Sauce on the Side, while small, has an attentive staff and an amazing atmosphere. We ended up staying there pretty close to their closing time, so it was nice that some of the staff was still eager to help and check on us, despite a mix up with the order. They answered all of our questions and had our food out in about ten minutes. The ambient playlist had a great mix of throwback songs and current songs. So, in spite of the drive necessary to get there, Sauce on the Side is the perfect go-to place for good, homestyle American food.

Emma’s Eats

While exploring Clayton, Kyla and I, along with our Editor-in-Chief Shannon Anderson, stumbled upon a small restaurant, Sauce on the Side, which we were under the impression sold pizza. However, we discovered an interesting twist, that everything on the menu was actually a calzone. This is where the name comes from, because each calzone has a designated sauce for dipping served with it.

Between the three of us we split two calzones and they were both fantastic. The first one, and the best, in my opinion, was the Mac and Cheese calzone. We ordered this at first not knowing it was a calzone, but were excited when it was served to use in a warm bread crust. The inside was a mixture of typical mac and cheese consisting of multiple types of gooey cheeses and noodles along with some cut up pieces of chicken. The sauce that came with this dish was not the best, it was similar to 1000 island dressing and in my opinion didn’t pair well with the calzone. Despite this the flavor of the calzone on its own was enough to make it great.

The second calzone we tried was the Pancho Villa. The Pancho Villa is normally served with beef, but since we needed a vegetarian option, we opted to take it off. Nonetheless, the calzone was still delicious. It featured a combination of various cheeses, such as mozzarella and cheddar, with sweet yellow pepper and spicy jalapeños. The contrast of the powerful flavors was slightly masked by
the cheeses, but that made the subtle flavors taste even better. The best part of this calzone, however, was the sauce that accompanied it. For a side to dip in, it was some of the best homemade queso I’ve ever had which added to the zestiness of the meal.

This delicious flavor came with some issue though. Since we needed a vegetarian calzone, we asked for no chorizo, or beef, on the Pancho Villa. When it arrived, there was still beef on it and the staff was not initially keen to help us. After reviewing the order, they realized that, in fact, we had asked to take the meat off and they quickly made a new calzone and gave it to us free of charge.
Overall, if you’re willing to make the drive, I highly recommend visiting Sauce on the Side because the long list of calzones can accommodate any type of craving you might have.