crostatas rustic pizza

after several tries, still not won over.... amy and i had an unpleasant first visit here before, but so many of our friends spoke so highly of the restaurant that we decided to try again. the ravioli appetizer was ok. i appreciate the handmade dough, but the cheese filling and the sauce was bland. also, we thought the dough was thick. the other appetizer of sausage filled hot peppers were also bland. amy had a salad that was over dressed yet still under seasoned. the pesto pizza was pretty good though. thecrustwas well cooked and the flavors were right on. lastly, when amy checked our bill, they had mis-priced the bottle of wine. if we didn't check, we would have paid more than the menu price. all in all, the pizza was good, but everything else just kinda fell apart for us.

...i stopped by crostatas this weekend on the way home from bainbridge to pick up pizza, one margherita and one salsica (sausage). thecrustis by far the best we’ve had in cleveland.  they imported a wood-burning pizza oven from italy, which creates a deep caramelization and smokiness.  i always leave over pizza crusts, but i ended up eating these along with the slices. we weren’t quite as excited about the toppings.  the sauce is pretty mild and the portioning is  scant.  we would have liked our pizzas better if either the sauce was more bold or the portion more generous.  sarah’s verdict was that the pizza “had so much potential.”  the overall flavor is improved with red pepper flakes, but really good sauce has enough flavor as to not really need them. crostatas has good pizza, and we’ll definitely get it again if we’re in that part of town.  it’s doubtful that we’ll make the 25 minute trip from

a true neapolitan pizza!. i treated myself to a 100 mile round trip drive to sample crostatas' neapolitan pizza after getting out of hospital today. i ordered a margherita d.o.c. with san marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, basil and evoo that was baked in their artisan constructed wood fired oven.

it was outstanding! thecrusttapered from the subtle, soft and chewy center to a crisp and flavorful cornice made from caputo 00 flour. the tomatoes were bright, full bodied, and definitely san marzano's. the mozarella, di bufala, was smooth as silk, with a sweet overtone. i sampled the parmesan in the shaker, and it was definitely freshly grated.

i just ordered a coffee, and when a caffè americano arrived i was pleasantly surprised. it was excellent also, by the way, as was the waite staff. i also appreciated my conversation with angelo at the counter as he described the construction of their prized oven and how long it took to "temper".

you will not be disappointed by crostatas if my experience with the margherita doc was any indication!

they also sell the very hard to get caputo 00 flour for the home pizza makers.

we are often heard complaining about the lack of good pizza in the area. we finally found a place to end our complaining. now we’ll complain about having to drive to highland heights to get good pizza because it’s not exactly close to home. but drive we will to enjoy their traditional thincrustpizza made with fresh ingredients.

amazing pizza. i'm surprised to read so many negative reviews of crostatas. granted, if you are looking for the perfect pizza hut or chicago style pizza, this place is not for you. the pizza is authentic. the oven is actually from italy.
so yes, if greasy, heavy, pizza with processed ingredients is what you crave, skip crostatas - or get appetizers and desserts. they are also fresh and wonderful.
i took my very particular father here, who is first generation italian and he was very impressed.
the pizzacrustand breadsticks are second to none! my personal favorite is the sausage pizza, nice and simple, but i've never had anything short of great here. the staff is also always friendly. i eat here with my family about once a month, and usually for lunch. never a bad experience yet.

don't get the hype. people kept telling me to try it and when we did, the experience was poor (sat us right next to a family with 3 kids despite other open tables). also our pizza was watery and thecrustwas soggy. not worth the hype. sad, because i really want a local pizza place like that to make great pizza.

overated ... sauce non-existant,crustsoggy ... wow there is way better

updated review. a couple of things to add:
(a) the new pizzaiolo is great. he doesn't have the personality of anthony but dare i say, his pies are better.
(b) they changed thecrustrecipe and i like the new recipe better.
(c) strange thing for a review but the coffee is amazing. like the coffee you get in italy. even if you just order a cup of regular coffee.
(d) don't forget the spumoni. the real thing.
(e) thank you john for caring enough about food to offer this level of quality in our city.


-----20 apr, 2009-----

bring your camera. you will want to take a photo of your pizza first because it is just so beautiful: the perfect golden brown of thecrustmade with tipo 00 flour imported from naples, the green of the fresh basil, the white of the real mozzarella di bufala which they fly in from italy, the red of the sauce made with san marzano tomatoes. amazing.

a treasure.

the real thing.

mamma mia...that's good!!!!!. crostatas is a wonderful dining experience. our waitress kathy was very helpful. we had the breaded zucchini , then the quattro stagoni pizza. this, by far, has been the best pie i have had in the whole cleveland area! the oven is kept at 1000* thecrustwas perfect! so was the sausage, mushrooms, peppers and artichokes... that was on the pizza. for dessert we had lemon-puff.... it was a light pastry with lemon cream, whip cream, and a drizzle of raspberry sauce..... yum! in my opinion .... i would give crostatas a big a+

grandma is cooking again !. "fuggedabout" all the pizza divas. this is the real thing.
napolitana - thin, crispycrustwith wheat and yeast
fragrances and zesty marinara bursting with fresh, imported tomato flavor. as you enter the charming, country european
building; the aroma tells what a special meal awaits.

crostatas rustic pizza. loved it! invited a few business associates there recently and they loved it to.. this was the second time there. i will be back and soon. all the ingediants are first class and fresh. the thincrustpizzas are much more full flavored than what you get fom the local pizzerias.

fantastico !. i'd given up hope that i'd ever get real napolitano pizza in cleveland. crostatas' pizza margherita is perfect. mine had a thin but slightly chewycrustthat reminded me of sitting in a pizzeria on the amalfi coast.