Pizza & Drinks @ Urban Crust

Now when you’re in downtown Plano you can visit Urban Crust, a newly opened wood-fired pizza joint with a rooftop bar. When we arrived at 8:00 on a Saturday there was, of course, a wait. So, we started our dinner in the bar. It’s named “32 Degrees” because of the frozen bar concept. The place was packed, so if you actually want to sit at the frozen bar, you’ll have to get there early. It’s a nice area with a small, open-roofed patio & a wonderful view of downtown Plano. The only drawback is the size. Since it’s so small, be prepared to rub elbows a bit & brush up on your drink ordering skills because you’ll need them.

After the pager buzzed, we headed downstairs & ordered a few apps to start. We enjoyed the starter bread, which greets you as you sit down for dinner. It was an Italian-take on flatbread served with pesto and marinara sauces for dipping. The carpaccio was thinly sliced beef with shaved cheese, capers, chives, and truffle oil. The calamari was interesting; instead of just the typical rings, this serving included a handful of crispy-fried whole baby octopus. This is good/bad depending on how you feel about eating lil octos whole. I think our table was split 50/50. On the whole the starters were good, but not extremely impressive. Next time we’ll try their salads.

And there will definitely be a next time, because the pizza is worth going back for. We ordered the Quattro Formaggi: a blend of fresh mozzarella, fontina, Maytag blue cheese and grana padano, drizzled with truffle oil. Outstanding! All the cheeses melted perfectly together atop an excellent crust. Our other choice was the Margherita: tomato sauce, imported Italian buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil. We went with a simple choice so we could really evaluate the ingredients & crusts in an uncomplicated way. Rich ingredients and truffle oil can hide a multitude of sins. The question is: can you do a simple pizza well? Urban Crust didn’t disappoint.

What they really excel at is their excellent crust. Every true pizza devotee knows that this is crucial. Just like with a great sandwich, it’s all in the bread. Once you have the perfect base, it’s just a matter of selecting the right cheeses, meats, and veggies. Not everyone can mix, toss, and fire the perfect dough. We’re constantly disappointed with that average doughy “crust.” Urban Crust has come awfully close to perfecting the crust. It’s thin, chewy, and full of flavor—one of the best in Dallas. There’s a highly-spoken of rival across town that we have yet to review, but right now we’re content with what they’re tossing in Plano.

Urban Crust
1006 E. 15th Street | Plano, TX 75074
972.509.1400

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Tags: calamari, dough, margherita, mozzarella, pesto, pizza, Plano