I visited a local chain restaurant which recently opened its first location in Illinois for this food adventure. No matter which spot I’ve frequented it’s always made my taste buds stand at attention and this locale in central Madison County is no different.
The establishment sits along a main drag through town among a strip of new buildings and businesses, which are mostly restaurants. There is shared parking, with paved spaces in front and back of the strip of businesses.
You’ll easily see the name of this joint displayed on the front of the building. Enter through a small vestibule and immediately come to the counter to order. There is a big digital menu board on the wall behind the registers and the cashier will help answer any questions regarding the niche food specialty here.
Be advised that it gets quite busy and it is a smaller place. That’s maybe my only knock; I wish it was bigger.
A small bar sits to the right of the register with several high chairs for patrons. It jaunts 90 degrees into the back corner of the room with four spaces. There is also a small open dining room with a concrete floor and square wooden tables and metal chairs packed throughout. On the opposite wall from the counter there is a padded black bench with tables lined in front of it.
Because of the open dining space, the concrete floors, open ceilings and the bustling business it gets quite loud here, so maybe not the best place for intimate conversation. Although I’m not much for conversation here when I get a hold of the awesome food.
The far wall behind the benches is teal with music notes and instruments painted over it. That’s the biggest part of the decoration besides the hallway off of the dining room that leads to the restrooms. On the wall there is a very cool canvas featuring The Who from the Mississippi River Festival hanging up. There is also a rear entrance in that hallway near the restrooms.
As for the featured food here it is the calzone and they are expertly crafted with tons of quirky ingredients. I applaud the creativity here and it’s no wonder this once individual restaurant in St. Louis has now expanded into a rapidly growing franchise in a short amount of time.
With a plethora of stellar options, choosing the right one is always difficult. I picked the Five-O and was excited to try it out.
The golden brown doughy cocoon was stuffed with prosciutto, pineapple, red peppers, smoked cheddar, mozzarella and a mascarpone-ricotta cheese blend. The dough was then brushed with a smoked chili oil and it was served with barbecue sauce.
Once I bit into it I was ushered into a heaven of sweetness. The dough was perfectly prepared and the inner ingredients were outrageously sweet from the blend of cheeses, the pineapple and the barbecue sauce. The smoked cheddar and ricotta really steered the flavor to a scrumptious experience.
My dining partner on my trip constructed their own calzone, which is always an option here. They got chicken, bacon, black olives, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and finished it off with a side of red sauce. They raved of the taste of their creation, too.
Beer and wine are also available here. I washed my meal down with a delicious 4 Hands City Wide APA. There are other beers from various breweries like Old Bakery, Urban Chestnut, Boulevard, Stillwater and Big Muddy among a few others available.
As for the rest of the menu, there are plenty of calzones to choose from, including a monthly special that can get pretty quirky. A line of interesting salads are also available if the calzones aren’t your thing. Some interesting add-ons called “Bite Sides” stick to the calzone theme with ingredients like buffalo chicken, spinach artichoke and jalapeno cheddar in little round doughy delights.
Other wacky calzone fillers include chorizo, jalapenos, steak, eggplant, egg yolks, mac ‘n cheese, pine nuts, figs and corn salsa among others. You get the gist, they get creative and have fun here and that’s an eating experience I can always get behind.
Any idea of this niche chain joint that’s fresh to Illinois in central Madison County?
Overall - four and a half stars
Cleanliness - four and a half stars
Service - four stars
Food - five stars
Price - $
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ANSWER: Sauce on the Side, 6155 Trace Pkwy Dr. in Edwardsville
