One could argue that, not matter what it is, if it is served on a pizza, it is by definition “pizza sauce.” I’m not really comfortable with that definition.

On the other hand, if anything that is a blend of “…herbs/spices, tomatoe paste, etc…” is pizza sauce, what does that make ketchup, BBQ sauce and Mexican hot sauce? All of which fit that same exact description.

No, this bore far more resemblance to a sweet BBQ sauce than it did pizza sauce, and I would challenge most anyone to sit down a try a spoonful of that sauce in a blind taste test, and I think more often then not, the guess would be BBQ rather than pizza or pasta sauce. It was really the smoky flavor that cinched the impression it was BBQ sauce.

That said, who knows? Perhaps they double-dumped the sugar in the sauce that morning and normally go for a smoky sauce, but they’re long-gone from Phoenix, so a second visit isn’t in the cards.

They were replaced first by a place called Red Tomatoes, which I never managed to get to and now seemingly replaced again – but there’s no sign on the street front (yet) indicating the name or even type of cuisine that the newest restaurant serves.