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Iconic Mesa pizzeria marking a half century

DAVID M. BROWN GetOut Contributor

The 18,000-square-foot Organ Stop Pizza, at the southwest corner of Southern Avenue and Stapley Drive, houses the world’s largest and most valuable theater pipe organ – the “Mighty Wurlitzer,” which has entertained diners since 1995. For 23 years before this, the original Mesa Organ Stop Pizza near Dobson Road and Southern Avenue, entertained its guests with a smaller version of the instrument.

“Our Wurlitzer theater pipe organ is the most desired instrument for professional theater organists to play,” said Organ Stop co-owner Jack Barz of Gilbert., co-owner of the restaurant. “The tonal resources and room acoustics are second to none, and the instrument is truly the best available.”

Barz and business partners Pat Rowan and Brad Bishop, both Chandler residents, are marking Organ Stop Pizza’s 50th anniversary this year.

And the organ naturally is an integral part of the pizzeria’s longevity. Valued at more than $6 million, the “mega-organ” rests on an 8,000-pound elevator, which lifts the console, or “the steering wheel of the organ,” with which the player controls 6,000-plus pipes and 1,074 keys, buttons and switches.

Producing 82 tonal colors, the console has four keyboards, each with 61 notes, a pedalboard of 32 notes, 422 tilting stop tabs to control the resources, 112 programmable pistons to set voice combinations, and 99 memory levels for the organists to program their individual settings.

“Pizza and pipes” restaurants such as the Mesa restaurant had been popular in Glenn Tallar of Mesa is one of the two organ players at Organ Stop Pizza. (Special to GetOut)

the United States during the 20th century. Today, only one other such restaurant is operating, in Wisconsin.

When the pizzeria moved to its current location, Barz said, “the whole organ had to be completely rebuilt and has been a work in process ever since.”

The massive instrument was moved piece by piece; the new building was constructed for and around it. In fact, while under construction, plastic curtains hung from the second floor to protect many of the fragile wood, brass and aluminum pipes from exposure, he explained. Built with 46-foot ceilings, the dining room seats 700 guests and contains many of the pipes as well as the console platform, which rises dramatically with the player at the console. When you visit, you’re actually eating pizza in the organ. In that way, the dining room “speaks” to the guests, Barz said.

Every week, David Balogh of Mesa maintains the Mighty Wurlitzer, assisted by one of the current organists, Glenn Tallar of Mesa. Clark Wilson completes a top-to-bottom tuning twice a year.

This takes about a week, and individual pipes are also tuned throughout the year on an as-needed basis, Barz explained, noting that each instrument has its own set of specifically tuned pipes.

“The different sets of pipes included in the organ make it one of the most versatile and flexible instruments anywhere, enabling it to perform classical organ music with the greatest authenticity, orchestral transcriptions and popular music from all periods,” Barz said. “The organists play pretty much anything; if they don’t know a piece, they pull up the music on their phones and learn as the perform it.”

At the console, the organist also controls the lighting and special effects such as the disco ball and bubbles. “Essentially, the organists are part orchestra conductor, performer, and stage director, all rolled into one,” Barz said.

Organ Stop is a regular destination for many families and individuals, he said, noting that one couple has been visiting since the Phoenix location opened and another family has been here almost every Christmas Eve for 40 years.

“The emotional side of this place gives give you chills,” Barz said, recalling one customer in particular whose life was changed by her visits. “A woman with two young children had lost her husband at an early age, from cancer, I believe, and was very depressed. Her co-workers brought her in one night to the original Phoenix location. When she came back here one night, she heard the Mighty Wurlitzer; the emotions took over her, and she had to keep them back. We’re not just a pizza place.”

The restaurant serves pizza, pasta, sandwiches, appetizers and has a full salad bar as well as soft drinks, beer and wine and Blue Bell Ice Cream. Seasonal hours are Mondays to Thursdays, 3:30–8:30 p.m.; Friday, 3:30–9 p.m.; Saturday 3–9 p.m.; Sunday, 3–8:30 p.m.

Information: organstoppizza.com. ■

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

ACROSS

1 Atlas page 4 Ivy League University 9 Science room 12 GPS suggestion 13 Haunting 14 Docs’ org. 15 1989 Al Pacino film 17 Decks in the ring 18 Small battery 19 Yard tools 21 “Understood” 24 Membership 25 Tolkien beast 26 Civil War soldier 28 Pulitzer category 31 Abound 33 Narc’s org. 35 Dr. McGraw 36 Anticipate 38 Chips go-with 40 Sugar suffix 41 Mark Harmon TV series 43 School break 45 Shun 47 Owned 48 Sashimi fish 49 New York City’s -- Park 54 Decay 55 Ryan or Tatum 56 Gaiety 57 Sauce source 58 Actions 59 Turf

DOWN

1 “-- Miniver” 2 Packed away 3 Shell-game item 4 “No cheating!” 5 Akin 6 Acapulco gold 7 “The First -- Club” 8 Required 9 Sierra Nevada resort 10 Cupid’s specialty 11 Low range 16 Granola grain 20 John Irving hero 21 Teeny bit 22 Got bigger 23 Maryland beach town 27 Nap site 29 Avoid 30 Pub orders 32 Lansing’s st. 34 Dunce 37 Steering system part 39 Gems from oysters 42 Pigs 44 LPs’ successors 45 Jug handles 46 “Scram!” 50 Churchill gesture 51 Conditions 52 Pair

Sudoku

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Contributor The best of 2 worlds merge in this cookie

What if you captured all of the delicious decadence of a chocolate brownie and transferred it to a cookie? A cookie that is so chewy, chocolaty and crinkly that it will win the hearts of crispy cookie lovers and soft baked cookie lovers alike? Well, head to the kitchen, because here it is.

I discovered this delicious recipe for Chocolate Brownie Cookies in one of my go-to magazines, Cook’s Country, a spin-off publication of Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen.

I love these cookies right out of the oven, but now I know to make an extra batch to freeze.

Because, you know, you will have one of those nights when you must satisfy your chocolate craving and lucky you! You’ll have just what you need in an airtight container in the freezer!

Enough said. Trust me on this. You’re going to get lots and lots of brownie points when you share.. ■

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour 1/4 of a cup of Dutch processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 10 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, chopped,

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line 2 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. Microwave 6 ounces chocolate, oil and butter in medium bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring Each time you restart the microwave. When melted, whisk milk, half-and-half or heavy cream into chocolate mixture until combined.

Using a stand mixer, whip sugar and eggs on medium high speed until very pale, about 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture and whisk by hand until thoroughly combined. Fold in flour divided 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons whole milk, Half-and-half or heavy cream 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs

mixture with spatula until thoroughly combined and no dry pockets remain. Fold in remaining 4 ounces of chocolate. Spoon 10 heaping tablespoon portions of batter onto each prepared sheet. (You should have 20 total cookies.) Bake until cookies are puffed and covered with a large cracks, About 15 minutes. (Cookies will look raw in between the cracks and eventually flatten). Allow cookies to cool completely on the sheet pans, then slide a thin spatula under the cookies to remove from the sheets.

To keep cookies soft, store in an airtight Ziploc bag or airtight container. Cookies can be frozen.. ■