I’ll say it now and get it out of the way: I hate Chicago-style pizza. A doughy slab with canned toppings does not count as pizza and neither does a sheet of bite-sized squares. I prefer a circle of thin crust, divided into eight equal points. Without a quality pizzeria in Evanston, I had to make the hour long journey to Wicker Park to get a real slice at Crust.
Not only is Crust one of the few places you can enjoy a decent thin-crust pizza, but it is also the Midwest’s first organic restaurant. So the menu constantly changes to offer the freshest ingredients available — yet the prices don’t make you feel like you’re paying a premium for eating organic.
At Crust, salads aren’t only an alternative for the weight-watcher; they’re a tasty complement to the main course. I began with the arugula salad, a special. The buttery roasted pine nuts combined well with the creamiest feta cheese I have ever tasted. Could this be the magic of organic food? I think so. The fresh arugula was delightfully peppery, without a mineral aftertaste.
Officially, Crust serves “wood-oven flatbreads,” not pizza. But these aren’t the flatbreads you’d find next to the hummus in Whole Foods. Sticking to my roots, I ordered the Italian Sausage. The red pizza — I mean, flatbread — has a tart pesto sauce, slightly sweet shaved fennel and comes with a generous portion of sausage. If you’re more adventurous, I suggest you try the Mexicali Blues with shrimp, Monterey jack cheese and lime.
Many restaurants feel in order to justify their high prices, they have to serve an “American–sized” portion. Not Crust. The portions leave you satisfied, not stuffed. I suggest ordering family-style, with one flatbread per person, so everyone can enjoy a variety. Expect to pay about $30 per person for salad, flatbread and dessert, but remember, at a “nice” restaurant, most entrées go for $20 by themselves.
Crust is a great restaurant for a date or a night out with friends. The hardwood floor and exposed brick walls ooze class. The lighting is just dim enough to create a warm atmosphere. But if you take a date, take a cab. Why would you spend $30 on food and then $2 for a very long ride back home?