The Chipper At Tutta’s Pizza Flies Way Past The Ranch-On-Pizza Debate And Douses A Whole Pie With Barbecue Chips And A Custom Ranch Dressing.
The Chipper ($9 for an eight-inch pie, $17 for a 16-inch pie).
Tutta’s Pizza.
West End.
The jury is still out with the ranch on pizza debate, but Tutta’s Pizza owner Jeremy Scott envisions a world where these forbidden food lovers can come together and live in perfect harmony.
Hence the latest creation at his West End pizzeria, The Chipper. The pizza is essentially the marriage of chicken, bacon, ranch and housemade barbecue chips, topped with a barbecue-ranch sauce. The ingredients are layered strategically to provide the perfect balance of textures and flavors, satisfying a craving that came to Scott through divine inspiration.
“I’ve been looking for new ideas because I’m kind of bored with the menu,” admits Scott. “I was like, ‘I really want to put potatoes on a pizza!’ I started thinking about the products I have at my restaurant already, and while I don’t carry potatoes, I do carry chips. I had a dream about a barbecue-bacon, chicken and ranch kind of a thing, so came into work the next day like ‘Hey, let’s try this!'”
The pie naturally starts with a base dough, but takes a left turn with a treatment of a tangy, peppery barbecue sauce in lieu of traditional marinara. A hefty portion of chicken is dispersed across the dough, followed by a sprinkling of thick-cut bacon. Meanwhile, sliced potatoes take a trip through the fryer before being doused with a secret blend of spices.
The pizza, sans the potato chips, is then cooked until the ingredients are perfectly golden and melted. The chips are then layered on top of the semi-finished pizza. For the final touch, the whole thing is drizzled with an oddly satisfying concoction of ranch and barbecue sauce.
The Chipper is the latest edition to a menu that intentionally strays away from some pizza norms, while still nodding at classic tastes. As one of the only independent (read: non-chain) restaurants in the West End, The Chipper adds a new layer to the area’s dining options.
Says Scott: “My motto is that if, I made you something and you don’t like it, I will buy you whatever you do like or give you your money back. There’s no risk here. I want you to expand your palate and be able to try something new. Be in the adventure club.”