The Pizza Diaries: Crust

Monster slices

We decided for this installment of the pizza diaries we should try a place that’s new to us. We’ve been wanting to try Crust for some time now, but it’s been hard to NOT go to our OTHER favorite Tremont pizza joint when we’re in that hood (more on this in the future).

For this mission we decided to ask our friends Kate and Mike who live in Tremont to accompany us. They are very well versed in all that Tremont has to offer, especially when it comes to restaurants. Kate is the amazing mind behind one of our favorite blogs, Greatest Escapist. She blogs about life in Cleveland and other personal things. We’ve had the chance to hang out with her (and Mike) at blogging events and it was awesome to have a little double date with this adorable couple. We also learned that both Kate and Broad share a guilty pleasure: Papa Johns!

Mike and Kate

They describe themselves as pizza aficionados who are not experts (yet) and who are not the most adventurous. They will try out different pizza places but they like to stick to their favorites. Mike loves a traditional pizza, simple with lots of meat and cheese. Kate is not a fan of red sauce and her favorite type of pizza would be a BBQ chicken pizza, where red sauce is not a factor.

Crust
Crust started out as a tiny eatery in Tremont five years ago. They eventually grew into a bigger eat-in restaurant with a full bar (and parking!) and they also opened a lunch location in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood. Their menu is a little different than most pizza places. You can order one of their specialty pies, make your own pie or order by the slice. But it’s not a normal slice, it’s a monster slice! You can load it up with whatever toppings you want, as long as you’re ok with their house marinara and cheese.

What we ordered:

  • Medium Finocchiona pizza to share: fennel salami, red onion, red sauce, smoked mozzarella, pecorino and rosemary.
  • Kate and Mike: slice with slab bacon and basil.
  • Beard and Broad: slice with artichokes and mushrooms.

Sauce
The sauce on our pizzas was the right amount of sauce. We actually barely noticed it. We all tended to agree that we are not sauce forward pizza lovers. We’d rather have the toppings take the main stage. With that being said, if you’re a huge sauce fan then these pizzas may not be for you. As Mike said, “if you like a lot of sauce then you’re doing pizza wrong.” Good job, Mike.

Crust
The crust was very delicious, although there was a lot of it. It was almost like there was a breadstick at the end of our pizza. Normally Broad is not a crust person but she devoured the crust, mainly because they gave us a side of their house-made parmesan dressing for dipping. The dressing was to die for. Kate also couldn’t get enough of the dressing and the crust. Mike agreed that the crust was tasty but there was too much of it, especially on the single slices. Beard agreed. There was a definite difference in the crusts between the whole pie and the slice, but both were good.

Toppings
The toppings were fresh and delicious and flavorful. On the Finocchiona, the toppings just worked together so well, it was the perfect mix. On our slice, the toppings were huge, especially the artichokes. They were tumbling off the pizza. We would’ve liked to see smaller toppings on the slices, but the same amount. We all agreed that we like how you can mix and match and really make your perfect slice.

        

Cheese
Kate prefers full coverage cheese on the pizza, meaning she doesn’t want any empty spots. Mike also likes a lot of cheese. We agreed that the cheese situation was above average. The cheese on the pizza we shared was excellent, fully coverage and melty. The cheese on the slices was a little less than average, and not quite as melted.

Overall Experience
Kate and Mike used to frequent the old Crust location so they find it hard not to compare to the old location. This is a huge step up from the little place it once as, which is great to hear for a spot that’s expanding! We agreed that the restaurant has a great vibe. It’s small and cozy and the staff was super friendly. Our server recommended the parmesan dressing and she was spot on. Gold star. Mike says it would be hard not to place Crust in the top 3 pizza joints in Northeast Ohio. It’s also nice that they’re open for lunch because there’s not a lot of lunch spots in Tremont, especially where you can grab a monster slice!

Finocchiona Pizza

Next Day Deliciousness
Kate and Mike both agree that the pizza holds up the next day. The crust, which is usually an important component to consider when eating leftover pizza, is on the thinner side. It also happens to be delicious. Eaten cold or warmed, this pizza tastes awesome. We tried it the next day and the Finocchiona definitely held up better than the slice, probably because of the toppings.

Final Rating
4.25/5 crust nubs! We agree that the restaurant has a great vibe, the parking lot is a great addition, and the actual crust was super tasty (especially with that parmesan dressing). We also agreed that the whole pies were better than the slices. But the monster slice is convenient for lunch or when you want to try something different and don’t want to commit to a whole pie. This is a great addition to the Tremont neighborhood and we’re so glad we finally got to try it!

 

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