On a whim, we decided to head to downtown Plano for dinner one night this week and, on a whim, we headed into Urban Crust, a hip, 2-year-old establishment on the historic stretch of 15th Street. We were amidst a crowd going in, but the hostess seated us immediately in a table with chairs on one side and a comfortable, pillow-adorned bench on the other. The place was busy, but the waitstaff was moving and the noise in the rooftop bar indicated that we had come to a popular place.
Service was great! We waited a few minutes to give our order, but the waiter was covering six tables in our vicinity (who knows how many elsewhere). Didn't matter—he was attentive to all the guests. Before he arrived, another waiter brought us water (a necessity in Texas because of the record-breaking heat this summer) and we had time to peruse a diverse but not overwhelming menu. Urban Crust is all about pizza and pasta. I don't think I'd eat pasta though, now that I've had the pizza....
Decor and servers are unique! We were constantly amused by the staff running the stairs. They jump down the stairs, taking every three steps. The seating at the restaurant is ecclectic. We sat in a table for six, which might have been a little crowded for larger guests. The tables around us seated two or four. Behind our seat was a long wooden counter with stools (and one saddle) that overlooked the bar and bartender downstairs.
We did not go to the rooftop bar, but a lot of people were going there. The attire seemed a bit more dressy, but that may be because the "single scene" was upstairs too. The restaurant was comfortably noisy; the Texas Rangers game was on a television at the bar, but we didn't feel overwhelmed during our conversation.
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| One-half of a Caesar salad was enough for an appetizer. |
The building itself is a historic building with the bare-brick look. Our waiter said the owners renovated that space for the restaurant. It's attractive and trendy, a perfect spot for happy hour or dinner.
The four of us ordered two Caesar salads to start. We all enjoy a cool salad, but we didn't want to fill up on salad. The waiter instructed the kitchen to split the salads, so four salad plates arrived. Amazing salad: cool, fresh, with grated cheese in thin slices rather than shaved. (I love that!)
The "bread" is the best! With the salad arrived a basket of hot flat bread and a small serving of olive tapinade (finely chopped Kalamata olives with a bit of olive oil) and a tomato mixture (my guess is stewed sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, red pepper, salt) that were both delicious. The bread was gone almost immediately—a nice touch and a great treat!
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| I couldn't get the crowd to wait before I photographed the pizza--it smelled that good! |
Our hot and delicious pizza arrived as we were finishing our salads. We ordered a 12" margarita pizza: cheese, basil, and tomatoes. The crust was thin and cooked perfectly—soft in the middle, crispy on the edge—and the tomatoes were sliced thinly so the pizza was not wet, like some pizzas with tomato are. The pizza was cut into 8 pieces, which was more than enough for the four of us after salads and before...
Dessert. The desserts sounded great, so we decided to order two, and we were not disappointed. One of the specials was cherry pie, and we also ordered the chocolate cake. The chocolate cake was huge. It was rich, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream was perfect. Six layers with a ganache icing between layers.... and the cake didn't have too much icing, so the moist cake was showcased well. The cherry pie was phenomenal: the crust was a mix between a pie crust and a crostada—flaky but soft with a touch of cinnamon. The filling was fresh cherry filling made with tart cherries that squirted when you bit into them. And a la mode, the pie had that extra something. Delicious! Both desserts were garnished with fresh berries, which is also a treat.
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| The cherry pie was incredible. |
The bill came, and I was amazing—dinner for four for $36! I tipped well because the servers were friendly, attentive, and gracious. (He was busy, but he made time to stop and talk to us.)
Next time you want to head to dinner, Zanata or Urban Crust (both within the same length of Plano's 15th Street downtown) are both winners!
(I do recommend that the restaurant fix the links to its Web site. If we had looked online, as I usually do, we might not have gone because we couldn't access the three pages I found online.)
