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.
1006 E. 15th Street | Plano, TX 75074
972.509.1400
Amusing myself on the laptop while the boys all watch the basketball game (NCAA Championship, very big deal). I thought it’d be nice to pick up some pizza for the game, so I went to nearby ZuRoma Sicilian Kitchen. The Monday night special just so happens to be buy one large pizza, get one free. Score! I decided to go with two specialty pizzas (The Supreme and The Greek) and just a pepperoni/olives one, because choosing all the toppings sometimes gets overwhelming.
Owned by a relative of the locally famed Campisi family, ZuRoma’s is a cute, quaint neighborhood place located in a stripmall. They have a full seating area for dining in and a little bar, but they also do pickup and delivery. It’s not a beautiful location per se, but there’s something nice about its casual, mid-cities vibe.
But seriously, forget about atmosphere though, because it’s irrelevant. Their pizza is awesome. I’d eat it off the back of a bus. Their thin-crust is reminiscent of Campisi’s, but we’re partial to ZuRoma’s because of the delicious sauce and uber-fresh toppings. I think we’ve said it like ten times tonight: “This pizza is goooood!” And with the deal that they have on Mondays, you can’t really go wrong…Now back to catching up on blogs and pretending to watch basketball.
2140 Hall-Johnson Rd. #118 | Grapevine, TX 76051
817.442.1616
When it comes to almost any topic, I will invariably have something to say. So, one would think that after I had the most amazing slice of pizza at Fireside Pies, my words would be positively pouring! Surprisingly, that’s not the case. I’m finding myself so short on words to describe the pizza because it’s basically… perfect.
Over the weekend we discovered the Fireside Pies location in Grapevine. Same excellence as the Dallas locations, minus the see-and-be-seen vibe that results in the usual two hour wait on a Saturday night at the Henderson spot. We decided on the Hot ‘n’ Crumbled pizza because it features a local fave: Jimmy’s italian sausage (just like another pizza we recently tried at Bolsa!) Unlike the Bolsa pizza, this one had a very spicy italian sausage. I really liked the kick! The pizza also featured dollops of very rich roasted garlic and herb ricotta. Chopped fresh tomatoes balanced out the richness.
I love the sauce, the wood-fired rustic crust, and the traditional four-cheese blend that Fireside uses. With nary a complaint, I whole-heartedly recommend Fireside, especially this more low-key location. Delish!
Price: $14
1285 South Main Street | Grapevine, TX 76051
817.416.1285
Bolsa is an extremely interesting affair. Part bar/restaurant/market all mashed up into a renovated yet respectful installation in the historic Settles Garage just west of Bishops Arts District. The building is quite beautiful, with elements of the old mixed with more modern fixtures. In the cool evening the place transforms into one big patio, opening the giant bar windows and garage doors and allowing the breeze to flow through the establishment. I guarantee that even if you don’t like the food, the architecture of this establishment will impress you with originality and uniqueness.
Fortunately the food was great too! I’m all about pizza and the different forms it can take. Variations on sauce, toppings, or bread. Thin or thick. Warm or cold. It’s all lovely to me, so when I saw that Bolsa had Flatbread/Pizza on their menu, I immediately knew what I was going to order. Another notable thing about Bolsa is that everything they serve is fresh and locally grown. No fryers or freezers. I like that.
All the flatbread variations looked delicious but I had to settle on the sausage and pepper variety. I immediately noticed that it was called ‘Jimmy’s’ and wondered if that referred to Jimmy’s Italian Market in Dallas, because it seemed to fit (local ingredients). My suspicions were then confirmed when I overheard one of the owners who had been walking around the patio and checking in on the patrons, mention that fact to a customer. So I definitely knew it was going to be good, Jimmy’s is great.
The flatbread did not disappoint. It was quite a big portion, about the size of a medium pizza, thin and full of flavors. The sauce was a tad sweet, but was offset nicely by the spicyness of the sausage and peppers. It made for a great combination. The mozzarella was melted in white gooey pools, all over the pizza, and the whole combination was a perfect package of meat, cheese and bread. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of food, and when coupled with the great atmosphere, architecture, and patio, made my trip to Bolsa into a great night out.
Also if you are looking for a quality cocktail to compliment your patio dining, let me recommend the watermelon margarita: Patron, fresh muddled watermelon juice and a dash of sweet and sour. Simple, yet one of the best drinks I’ve had in a long time.
Go check out Bolas and their patio before nature decides put a hiatus on our outdoor dining here in Texas.
Price: $11
614 W. Davis | Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 367-9368
Consumer alert! Children of middle America are in a state of panic! Parents not sure what to feed their children for their afternoon snack!
Aug. 22, 2008 — Nestle Prepared Foods Company is recalling about 215,660 pounds of its “Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza” stuffed sandwiches because they may contain pieces of plastic.
Oh man, plastic in my Hot Pocket, what to do? I’ll tell you what to do, throw out those Hot Pockets or take them back for a refund. Not only because they might contain a foreign object, but are probably kinda bad for you anyway. These are the reasons why I eat out.
If you think of food in terms of art, the equivalent of a blank canvas would most likely be pizza. It’s simple and straightforward. It can remain plain or, in the right hands, end up as something quite extraordinary. That’s why I really like specialty pizza places. Fireside Pies used to be at the top of my list for fun, less-pedestrian pizzas. To my surprise though, I don’t think that’s the case anymore.
I noticed Eno’s originally because of the cute tables and adirondack chairs in front. Window shopping the restaurant, I saw their extensive list of draught beers (mostly microbreweries) and decided it definitely seemed like the kind of place I would like. Like? That’s too mild of a word. I was completely charmed.
The draught menu I had originally spied didn’t disappoint. There were more than enough choices of different beers that sounded interesting. My favorite of the ones we tried was the Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat. It’s was light and refreshing, with hints of sparkling citrus. I was interested to find out it actually has coriander in it. Intriguing!
When the pizza came I was really excited to see that Eno’s makes their pizzas with a thin crust. It’s actually a very thin crust–not at all soggy. It’s crunchy and a little on the toasty side: like a grilled flour tortilla or flatbread. Delicious. And if you’re concerned that all that crunchy crust might end up being dried out, don’t worry because the amount of sauce was perfect.
On their list of pizzas, there didn’t seem to be a bad option. I was even comfortable enough to close my menu and let Brian decide: “Your choice tonight.” (With all of the pizzas sounding good, I had a no-risk way of seeming generous. haha!) We went with Eno’s Original: tomato, garlic, sport peppers (pepperoncini), salami, and mushrooms. Spicy, cheesy, and really generously sized. We split a large and had some to take home.
The only thing that Fireside Pies still has on Eno’s are the sweets. Eno’s dessert offerings can’t even begin to compete in the same league as Fireside’s. Their ridiculously delicious, Texas-sized slices of cheesecake versus Eno’s Sundae is no contest. Until they fix this problem, skip dessert and have another beer instead.
Price: $14/$16
407 N. Bishop Street | Dallas, Texas 75208
214.943.9200
Dominos is embracing the internet with its Pizza Tracker. I know, pretty awesome. Now if only Dominos made pizza that I would eat.
Thanks to Missbehave for the tip.
