As the brick oven pizza craze of 2007 tapers off, some of the major players such as Coal Fire, Spacca Napoli and Crust soldier on, offering good quality European style pizzas that, while satisfying, no longer inspire lines out the door. This is due, in large measure, to the novelty wearing off, but also, as in the case of Crust, because the pizza is hit and miss. Choose wisely and you will be rewarded, but not everything at Crust is worth standing in line for.
Take the eponymous ingredient itself, the crust. If the name of your business draws attention to a certain attribute of your food, that attribute ought to be something special. At Crust it is not. And when you are touting wood as the fuel source that cooks your pizza, you ought to strive to be sure that a wood flavor comes through in your pizza. At Crust it does not.
Soft, chewy and often flavorless, the crust at Crust is really just a canvas on which the kitchen can be creative. And after all, it’s the inventive combinations of ingredients that are the main draw at Crust. The kitchen deserves major props for breaking new ground with daring combinations like the Baked Potato Pizza, consisting of fingerling potatoes, bacon, white cheddar cheese, sour cream and olives. Or the Flammkuchen, a pizza of bacon, béchamel, caramelized onions, caraway seeds and Parmigano-Reggiano.
The Flammkuchen is their triumph, a mainstay of their menu from day one, but quite a few others have disappeared from the menu, presumably for lack of having caught on, and some of them have elicited downright frowns from this reviewer. Case in point, the Mexicali Blues, an uninspired combination of shrimp, queso fresco, cilantro, lime and pico de gallo. It doesn’t take a chef to recognize that this is basically ceviche on flat bread, and not a particularly inviting ceviche either. Here, Crust has crossed into territory better left to others. It takes expertise to make a really good ceviche. As a pizza topping, it is already relegated to a co-starring role, behind the crust, which, as noted, doesn’t really carry the show.
Crust is on firmer ground with more traditional pizza styles, like their Pepporanta, consisting of tomato sauce, pepperoni, roasted pepper and provolone. Strip away the fancy name and what you’ve got is basically a pepperoni pizza on flatbread, which is fine. It doesn’t disappoint. And the Margherita, a pizza of buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, olive oil and provolone, is a glorified cheese pizza by another name. Whatever. It’s still good. Along with Flammkuchen, these are Crust’s stand outs.
Crust offers a rotation of twelve different flatbread pizzas, and if you go every few months, you’ll see new, inventive efforts, along with the staples. In addition to pizzas they offer salads and appetizers that are remarkably good. My cold cucumber soup was delicious, starting out sweet and cool on the tongue and ending with a smoky aftertaste. The summer green beans, served chilled with pecorino and Spanish olives in balsamic vinegar, were appealingly sweet, yet crunchy and green.
Crust offers a full bar with the usual Division Street emphasis on colorful candy cocktails. They have a decent selection of wine and a handful of good beer choices in bottles.
The service at Crust has improved. Past experiences had us casting around for our server and asking repeatedly for our water glasses to be filled. This time the water glasses were filled with regularity and our server made frequent stop-bys.
The décor is fun and colorful, a post-modern mélange of white brick, molded plastic, blonde wood and table candles. Orange and green dominate. On the sidewalk, red plastic chairs and bright umbrellas entice passersby and they have a large back patio which is a favorite summer draw.
Crust has many good qualities, but they are not necessarily what you would think. Their pizzas are hit and miss and the crust is nothing to write home about, but the ambiance is pleasant and the salads and appetizers are solid. Crust is certified organic and uses Midwestern ingredients and Crust keeps up the Wicker Park convention of being inventive and unconventional. But at the end of the day, this is an approach to dining that has its risks and Crust does not always succeed.
Crust
2056 W. Division
773-235-5511 / Reservations Not Accepted
Hours: Su-W 11am-10pm; Th-Sa 11am-1am
Features: Outdoor Dining, Lat Kitchen, Carryout, Delivery
Avg price of a meal for two including drinks and tax $70
Website: www.crustchicago.com
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