another locally-owned favorite in trendy tremont, crust has made a name for itself amongst clevelanders looking for pizza a very *big* way, the small shop on kenilworth avenue filling up both patrons and it’s counter with oversized slices – an average of one pound each even before toppings are added.
admittedly divey from the outside, an interior of hightops plus a wall-based menu and cold-cases not particularly eye catching either, crust nonetheless adheres to the strict standards of a scratch kitchen by hand making all breads and pastas in-house while sourcing local, regional ingredients as possible, nothing encountered in house straight from a box or a bag with dough given time to ferment as the team visibly chops other fresh ingredients.
more than fairly priced for the portion size and product quality, solos slightly limited simply as a result of limited stomach capacity, it was after chuckling at three enormous pies that an order was placed with a young lady at the counter, one pre-made slice topped with slices of an enormous meatball before being placed in a warming oven.
a total of perhaps six minutes passed between order and delivery, the substantial slice now hot and melty with just a touch of char imbued in the crunchy crust, suffice it to say that crust is not simply a ‘shock and awe’ spot hoping to hit a homerun with large portions, the flavor was actually better than much of what can be found across america as the zesty sauce is unsweetened and lightly acidic beneath creamy mozzarella – that same word entirely appropriate when describing a bubbling hot bowl of potato dumplings and tender mushrooms taking a bath in parmesan that tastes faintly of truffle oil and much more robustly of rosemary and roasted garlic.