Restaurant Review: Stromboli Sandos at Marcato Kitchen 

• Alex Springer

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the humble sandwich. It seems like no matter how many dishes I cross off my culinary bucket list, I always find myself craving the familiar flavors of a well-made Cubano or muffuletta. This affection for sandwiches has further informed my enthusiasm for meat-stuffed carbs of any variety—empanadas, samosas, pupusas, gyoza, you name it. So when I heard that the team at Marcato Kitchen was making sandwich-style stromboli inspired by some genre classics, I knew it was time to check this place out.

For starters, we need to define the geometry of a stromboli, especially when compared with its cugino, the calzone. Calzones, stromboli and pizza all start out the same way, with a flattened circle of dough adorned with a wide variety of toppings. Pizza stays flat before it goes in the oven; calzones get folded up like a taco and pinched at the edges. But a stromboli gets rolled like a lovely pizza burrito. Obviously, each of these variations is excellent, but the stromboli has great potential in the sandwich realm.

It's a potential that Chef Kyle Williams, who owns Marcato Kitchen, is excited about. I had a chance to sit down with Williams at Square Kitchen in the Granary District, which is where Marcato currently does business. Williams is a longtime veteran of Utah's food scene, but he first developed a taste for stromboli when working with Giuseppe Randazzo at Bon Appetit in the Vivint Solar offices. "It really got me thinking about pizza dough, especially the Neapolitan pizza dough," Williams says.

Over the years, Williams has perfected his dough recipe, which is definitely one of the main draws of Marcato Kitchen. With a menu that includes some classic heavy-hitters like a Cubano ($13.50) and the affectionately named Little Shawty ($18) with short rib and house giardiniera, the stromboli dough has a huge job to do. These stromboli are designed to be hand-held affairs, which means the dough needs to keep all these great fillings in line while diners dive in.

I tested the stromboli sandwich experiment with two menu classics: the Bodega ($13.99) and the Banh-Boli ($14.50). Neither of them slouch when it comes to sandwich fillings, which are displayed in all their savory glory when slicing the stromboli in half. Williams' dough recipe is tailor-made for such big 'bolis—thin enough to let the fillings shine, and with a crispy finish enhanced by toasted sesame seeds on top. Form, function and flavor are all on display thanks to this remarkable stuff.

The Bodega is inspired by the Mexican flavors of adobo and salsa macha, which are both extremely rich and vibrant. The protein here is ground beef mixed with some caramelized onions, and it's accompanied by fermented cabbage and a melty blend of cheddar and American cheese. With such potentially volatile flavors on display, it would be easy for a combination of this caliber to get out of control, but that's not the case; this is a primo example of balance. Yes, you've got some truly fearless flavors on display, but the richness is offset by the acid of the cabbage and the creaminess of the cheese. Everything shows up on your tongue exactly when and how it should.

The Banh-Boli also followed suit, and anyone familiar with the singular flavor combo assembled on a Vietnamese banh mi knows that it's a tricky one to pull off. One of my favorite things about this stromboli was the fact that the cilantro component gets blended into an acidic chimichurri, which is truly inspired. This creates the same herbaceous highlights without having to pick your way through the stems and leaves of cilantro sprigs that usually show up to the banh mi party. Of course, the star of this dish is the smoked brisket—a thick, tender slice of meat that truly stands out here.

Stromboli fans who want to stick to classic Italian flavors will want to check out an item called the Teacher ($13.99). This stromboli gets its sagacious name from Chef Randazzo, whose stromboli originally inspired Chef Williams. It's got classic Italian meats like pepperoni, salami and mortadella, paired with some baby kale, roasted pepper aioli, mozzarella and provolone. Then there's the Student, which pares things down a little bit—it only has pepperoni, pesto and the mozzarella/provolone duo.

Regardless of what you're craving in an artisan-baked stromboli, it's safe to say that Marcato Kitchen is delivering something that you'll like. Interested diners can always come visit them during business hours at Square Kitchen, but Chef Williams has been sending his little 'boli babies all over town. We'll be keeping a close eye on these culinary innovators; I'm sure we'll be seeing great things from them on our local radar.